Kolkata Knight Riders’ early promise has faded into the background. Their excellent start, in which they won three of their first four games, is now over. With five losses in a row, there’s a sense that the franchise has already lost its way. They are still on the hunt, but their task is far more difficult than that of some of the better-positioned teams.
KKR was one loss away from breaking their 2019 record of six consecutive losses as they arrived at the Wankhede stadium to face Rajasthan Royals. After taking KKR’s bowlers for 217 in the previous match, RR had left some wounds on their bowlers. On that particular evening, Brendon McCullum was left regretting a series of blunders. After all, KKR had only gone seven runs short but had the chase in their grip at one time.
McCullum flashed a smile on Monday (May 1). The relief was palpable. KKR had pulled off a seven-wicket win easily, just when it appeared like there were no solutions to their issues. Is this a sign that KKR’s season is back on track? Most likely not. So, what is the big deal about it? Because victory inspires faith.
Aaron Finch had encouraged the team to keep together after their loss to RR in his dressing room talk. He emphasized how important it was for the players to support one another. While the performance on the field may have been inconsistent, the park’s messaging has been quite constant. The players are continually instructed to ‘back your peers, ‘smile on the face,’ ‘don’t worry about errors as long as you’re striving to grow,’ ‘communicate,’ and ‘be vulnerable with one another.’
With five losses under their belts, the players were more than likely to distract from the task at hand. But they managed to keep it together. Nitish Rana said in his post-match press conference that doubts had begun to seep in. But it was the extent to which he went to compliment and lift the other players that stood out.
“When you lose, you see things in a different light,” Rana explained. “We have our own reservations. Even without the help of major players, we were able to win today. The manner one new player batted, who has played in the IPL on and off for the previous five years, demonstrates that the eleven is now established. We believe we’ve discovered our finest eleven.”
As they sought to negotiate the turbulent waters, McCullum was full of praise for his men. “It’s no easy feat to pull yourself out of five (losses) in a row,” he said. “I just have to compliment all the guys within the group. I know it’s the first year for all the guys in this team but the guys have stuck really close and we sort of been pretty realistic that we could have easily been on the other side of two or three of those games in a slightly different scenario. It’s not easy to keep the faith sometimes but the boys are able to do it and tonight was a fantastic performance from a couple of guys who are very good friends in particular. Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh will grow so much from that performance.”
KKR has had a number of challenges this season. Their two retained players, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer have lost not just form but also confidence. Their first pairings haven’t connected, and untimely niggles have prompted the think tank to make more changes than they would have wanted. “For me, the selection is really crucial,” McCullum added.
There are lots of grounds for KKR to feel that the difficult part is done now that the slump has been broken. Having said that, there are certainly serious issues that require immediate attention. And who knows, maybe with another win, things may start to look a lot better.
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