KKR’s Report Card for IPL 2022: Consistently inconsistent, and many more

Without any doubt, the T20 format has triggered a defining shift in the nature of batting. Nowadays, the batters prioritise attack over the defence a large majority of the time. It has become so trendy that the sides that boast of having a bowling-heavy attack traditionally in the T20s have even started to change their plans.

Not having a core who can be reliable for a longer period of time was the most fundamental reason for the Knight Riders’ lacklustre campaign. They started off the season by winning three of their opening four matches but then, lost five games on the bounce. In a tournament where ten equally strong franchises go up against each other, it would be tough for any team to recover after consistent failures. Still, they tried hard, winning three of their last five contests, but it was not enough to qualify for the Playoffs.

Batting - B+

The Knight Riders had tried six different opening combinations in IPL 2022, the most by any franchise this year. It tells the story of how unsettled they were as a batting unit. Though, had Alex Halex not opted out of the tournament ahead of the season, it could have been a different scenario.

Thus, the onus was largely on the Knight Riders’ middle-order batters, comprising Shreyas, Nitish, Sam Billings, Rinku Singh, and Russell to revive more often than not. They did their part, but it has always been tough if your openers fail to capitalise in the Powerplay overs when there are fielding restrictions.

The Knight Riders’ top-run getters in IPL 2022:

Nitish Rana | 14 innings | 361 Runs | 143.82 Strike Rate

Andre Russell | 12 innings | 335 Runs | 174.48 Strike Rate

Powerplay - C

As mentioned above, the Knight Riders struggled to get going from the beginning in almost every IPL 2022 fixture. Their combined strike rate in the Powerplay overs reads 114.09, the fourth-worst among the franchises. Moreover, they lost 27 wickets in this period, the most by any side.

The Knight Riders did not have outstanding phases in death overs either.  Across 12 matches they batted in the last five overs, they could only smack 39 sixes, the least among the ten franchises. Notably, they had the second-best record in the middle-overs (7-15), after Rajasthan Royals, but had they batted a bit better in the last overs, the scenario could have been different. Also, their struggles against short balls were visible to everyone.

It is worth a mention that the Knight Riders failed to score 12 off the last eight balls and three off the last two while chasing above 200 in IPL 2022, against Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants respectively.

Barring the eternal Narine and the rejuvenated Umesh Yadav, coupled with late strikes by Russell, the Knight Riders' bowling attack looked lacklustre. Their biggest disappointment was Varun Chakravarthy, whom they retained at INR 12 crore. The pace duo of Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi, their heavy signings at the mega auction, too made little impact.

In all, they could only manage to take 84 wickets, the third-lowest after Punjab Kings (83) and Chennai Super Kings (82).

Andre Russell | 28.1 Overs | 17 Wickets | 9.87 Economy Rate

Umesh Yadav | 48 Overs | 16 Wickets | 7.06 Economy Rate

Sunil Narine | 56 Overs | 9 Wickets | 5.57 Economy Rate

Powerplay - A

Death Overs - C

In the last five overs, the Knight Riders’ bowlers conceded 10.32 runs an over, which is neither good nor bad. They were punished with 44 fours and 40 sixes during this period, while 124 dot balls were bowled collectively. Only Punjab Kings (9.93) and Gujarat Titans (9.54) went for less than 10 runs, largely due to having death-over specialists in their rosters.

Captaincy - B

However, there were a few areas in which he needs to learn. He did not use Russell, the bowler, in the first half of the tournament properly. He only brought the Jamaican into the attack in the death overs. It has always been hard for a bowler to get the rhythm right immediately when they come to bowl the last few overs. Eventually, Russell finished as their leader-wicket taker, with 17 strikes in 28.1 overs. Had he been bowled more in the first few matches, he could have taken his tally past 20.

Another debatable topic, although it was unknown whether it was Shreyas’ call or the team management’s, was that 21 players were being used in a single season. The Knight Riders, in all three departments, looked confused about their roles when it comes to implementation on fields.