Glaring glitches continue to haunt KKR

If you are a Kolkata Knight Riders fan, or the team management, it's highly likely you would have been reminded of your team's dismal record against Mumbai Indians. KKR have had to wait 1128 days so far to beat MI in the Indian Premier League and will now have to wait even longer as Rohit Sharma and his batch of 2018 smashed KKR by 102 runs at the Eden Gardens.

KKR's three heaviest defeats in terms of runs have all been against MI with the loss on Wednesday (May 9) being the worst. KKR have now suffered eight consecutive losses against MI. The recent loss, though, couldn't have come at a worse time for the side looking to pick up momentum and seal a spot in the playoffs. KKR not only slipped out of the top four but also took a hit with the net run rate.

And yet, when Dinesh Karthik refused to get drawn into numbers at the toss there was a firm reason to believe him. The side assembled at the IPL 2018 auction doesn't necessarily carry the past baggage. Five players from playing XI haven't even featured in the previous KKR losses against MI. And yet, the demons of the past somehow came back to haunt them.

Apart from the wins against Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings at home, KKR are yet to put in a clinical performance, especially with the ball. Their form has been patchy at best and they've struggled to build momentum. And while the batting has helped polish off some blemishes, the bowling continues to be a major concern.

In the 11 games they've played so far, KKR have leaked more than 160 in eight clashes. The encounter against KXIP was also a horror show as well with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul smashing 116 inside ten overs to help the team canter to a win. KKR have the smallest squad size in IPL 2018 with 19 playing members. Even before the season, the think-tank was well aware having an injury free season was going to be key.

While having a small squad size has its advantages, as all players get to gel in well and form a strong bond, the move can backfire as well. Something KKR are finding out now. After Mitchell Starc's injury ahead of the season, they lost out on a strike bowler up front as well as someone who was capable of hurting the opposition at the death. They've now been forced to fall back on Mitchell Johnson or Tom Curran - both of whom have had a mediocre season so far. The other senior bowler in the side - Vinay Kumar - hasn't done enough to earn the trust while Piyush Chawla and Shivam Mavi have been poor too.

Ahead of the tournament, Kuldeep Yadav was one of the bowlers KKR were banking on to make the difference. The left-arm spinners' lean run has meant Dinesh Karthik has more often than not been left searching for answers instead of controlling the game. Andre Russell's bowling fitness isn't upto the mark and it'll be naive to expect Prasidh Krishna to walk in and make an immediate impact.

All things put together, KKR's bowling unit is struggling to cough up an inspiring performance. While they've been poor up front, the bowlers have managed to pull things back in the last few games - like they did in the home game against CSK and against MI in Mumbai. In the home clash against MI, KKR started well - in fact they were exceptional - as the visitors were 72 for 2 after ten overs. And then began the horror show. Ishan Kishan smashed 62 off 21 to change the game and KKR leaked 138 in the second half of the innings.

They even had things under control till the 13th over but Kishan smashed four sixes against Kuldeep to snatch the momentum away from KKR. From 72 for 2 after ten, MI were now bossing the game at 137 for 2 after 14 overs. KKR, in fact, lost the game in two overs - the 14th bowled by Kuldeep and the 20th bowled by Piyush Chawla. The legspinner leaked 22 in the last over as MI surged to a massive total of 210.

To put things in perspective only once has a total of more than 200 been chased down at the Eden Garden. And that too happened in 2010. So it wasn't a surprise as KKR slipped and the match was good as over in the ninth over. Karthik acknowledged Kuldeep's lean run has meant the bowling plans have taken a hit but stressed the same set of bowlers can turn things around as well.

"He is someone who has given us a lot of control in the middle overs and when he goes for runs, it's hard," the captain said. "In this game, he went for a few runs but these things happen in cricket. He's being picked in all three formats of the game and he's a really confident young guy. He has had his bad days but every bowler has in the T20 format. The wicket was good and 190 was par. 20 runs over par made a lot of difference.

"One of the biggest strengths of mine as a captain is I trust my judgement. As of yesterday, we were five and five. It's been good and bad. We've played some good games and we've played some bad games. I would like to trust my judgement. It's very important as a leader to show belief in your players and I want to do that. There might be a few changes but I haven't thought about that."

The task for KKR now seems even tougher with three games to go. They play against KXIP and RR before ending their league stage against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away fixture. However, Karthik felt the team still can bounce back and make it to the playoffs. "You can't plan to win three matches. You have to take one game at a time and then try and win one game. Then you use that momentum and win the other games. That's how other teams do it and we'll try to do it as well," he stressed.

Mathematically, KKR are still in the hunt. However, Karthik will be well aware that with an out of form bowling unit, and some glaring glitches ahead of him, the team has its back against the wall. And if Wednesday's performance is anything to go by, it's highly likely MI have well and truly landed the knockout punch.