IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders: An indomitable force but need consistency from batsmen

Kolkata Knight Riders is a storm force with the power in their ranks but need to be cautious against overconfidence

Bengaluru, May 21: Kolkata Knight Riders made a fresh beginning to their IPL campaign appointing Dinesh Karthik as captain after Gautam Gambhir joined Delhi Daredevils. It proved the right call after they entered the play-off stage though had to wait till their last match for it.

Karthik led the Kolkata Knight Riders with maturity with sound assistance from his experienced names and the youngsters too chipped in on occasions. They are a real threat in the play-off stage because of their collective fire power.

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Here Mykhel gives a report card of Kolkata Knight Riders based on their performance in the league phase.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Kolkata Knight Riders have a team that ticks all the boxes - experience, fresh blood and a plethora of spinners so effective in this format. Sunil Narine and Andre Russel, the West Indian duo in their ranks, have contributed mightly with bat and ball, lending the KKR balance that is the envy of other outfits.

Some other teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore were struggling to fit in one all-rounder and here Knight Riders have two of them firing at the same time - Russel, the pace bowling all-rounder and Narine, the spin version.

The Knight Riders also showed braveness to invest in some young names like Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (injured), all from India's U-19 World Cup winning squad, pacer Prasidh Krishna. They have showed that with the right kind of support, they can be a part of Knight Riders for some time to come.

WHAT WENT WRONG

It's quite surprising that a team of this strength did not canter to the knockout stage. It has more to do with the collective power shutdown than to any sustained individual failure. But with wins in last three matches, the Knight Riders have shown that they are ready for the big test. By then, Robin Uthappa, who has got starts in almost all the games, hopefully will began to convert them into bigger knocks.

The only worry could be the absence of a proper paceman. Of course, Russel (13 wickets) and Prasidh Krishna (9 wickets from 5 matches) have chipped in but they have relied heavily on spinners. But Mitchell Johnson and R Vinay Kumar, the experienced names who were expected to carry Knight Riders' attack, have failed them.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The immediate aim is this year's IPL since they are in the play off stage. But they would be eager to nourish those aforementioned young names and get dividends for a few more seasons. And the Knight Riders will be eager to add a brute pacer to that already impressive mix for the next season.

Highest run-getter

Dinesh Karthik: 438 (50s: 1)

Highest Wicket taker

Sunil Narine: 16 (Eco: 7.62, Best: 3/18)

Disappointment

Mitchell Johnson. The Australian pacer was expected to add fire to Kolkata Knight Riders bowling. But all he played was six matches for two wickets and was expensive at 10.28.