
Defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, were left rattled in match number 57 of the eighteenth edition of the Indian Premier League at the iconic Eden Gardens. Chennai Super Kings finally broke their losing streak and avenged their defeat from earlier this season. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first. Kolkata Knight Riders managed to put up a decent target of 180 runs on the board. Kolkata’s skipper Ajinkya Rahane was the highest scorer with 48 runs. Manish Pandey and Andre Russell contributed towards the end after Noor Ahmed ran riot in KKR’s middle order. Chennai Super Kings didn’t get the best of the starts and were pondering at 60 runs for the loss of five wickets. The tides turned when Dewald Brevis showed up with a half-century in just 24 balls. Kolkata Knight Riders failed to put enough pressure after Brevis’s dismissal and ultimately lost the match in the final over.
Here are three reasons which fueled KKR’s loss:
3. Lost wickets at crucial stages
Kolkata Knight Riders may have posted a much bigger target had their batters not lost their wickets at the wrong intervals. Whenever the batters strung a decent partnership, one of the duo got scalped by Chennai bowlers. The pattern went on for the entirety of the innings, starting from Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Raghuvanshi, to Andre Russell.
2. Vaibhav Arora’s blunder spell
Vaibhav Arora initially started the match on a high when he scalped in-form Mhatre in the first over. But his spell went downhill from there. He conceded 30 runs in an over to Dewald Brevis, which proved to be the turning point of the match. His inability to bowl in the correct areas in the death overs contributed to Kolkata Knight Riders’ loss.
1. The impact player failed to stand out.
Kolkata Knight Riders introduced Harshit Rana as their impact player during the second innings. Although the speedster scalped two wickets, he conceded 43 runs in his four overs in the middle phase of the innings. He failed to maintain pressure on the Chennai batters even though they lost half of their side for a mere 60 runs.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.