TALKING POINTS
Follow UsThe margin of 75 runs is an apt reflection of how lop-sided this rivalry was. Not in hindsight of the match result, not because of any past history between the two sides or their standings in the points table. It was the way these two teams were constructed at the auction table that gave one side a far superior look over the other.
Lucknow Super Giants, with a number of all-rounders, cover all bases. They have Jason Holder at number eight which is a hallmark of their batting depth. From a wicket-taking left-arm pacer to a wrist-spinner who is tough to line up, they hold all sorts of bowling options at their disposal. A few of them are first-choice bowlers for their national team.
Kolkata also possess numerous all-round options and batting depth. However, they lag far behind in terms of quality. They have similar kinds of vulnerabilities running through their line-up. This contrast was on display in a match that appears to be the knockout punch to Kolkata’s playoff aspirations.
Loose ends with the ball
A major cause of worry in Kolkata’s squad was the spot of Indian pacers. They have Umesh Yadav who had last played a white-ball game for India in February 2019 and a bunch of emerging pacers far away from international cricket. The fact that they needed at least two Indian pacers to play together puts their bowling at risk. A bad day for either one bowler can undo the good work of the others in the unit.
Umesh has held his end but the young Indian bowlers have been a constant issue for KKR. On Saturday night, when Umesh was unavailable, not one but two ends were open for the opposition bowlers to feast. And feast they did. Harshit Rana went for 27 in his two overs while Shivam Mavi allowed 50 in his quota of four overs. That is 77 runs in their six overs when the others combined for 97 runs in 14 overs.
Quinton de Kock slammed 17 runs off Harshit Rana’s first over, to take Lucknow's score to 66 at the end of the powerplay. Mavi was smashed for five sixes in a catastrophic 19th over for his side. Mavi now has an economy of 10.3 in his 22 overs in the competition while Harshit’s five overs have been carted at 10.2 runs per over.
Short ball is scary
A common weakness running through the system can enable the opposition to line you up. For Kolkata, that kryptonite is high pace. It happened against Gujarat when their top-order was demolished against the new ball. Lucknow followed the same pattern. Chasing 177, Kolkata were lingering at 25 for three at the end of powerplay.
Baba Indrajith, Shreyas Iyer and Aaron Finch were all out to short-pitch stuff. In the seventh over, Nitish Rana was cleaned up trying to back away from a full ball. He was undone in the anticipation of another short ball.
Surprisingly, all these deliveries were only in mid 130s. Kolkata suffer the lowest strike rate and average against balls bowled at 135 kph or above.
They also have the lowest average against short-pitched stuff, losing 25 wickets when the seamers hit the deck. It is 12 more than any other side.
The problem starts with the skipper, Shreyas Iyer. The 27-year-old has undergone long-lasting troubles in negotiating chin music with minimal improvement. In consequence, 49 of the 150 balls dished out to him by the seamers in IPL 2022 are pitched in that back of a length/ short zone. That is nearly 33 percent. He has scored 63 runs off that length at the cost of four dismissals; an average of 15.75.
Among other prominent names, Finch averages 3, Rana 14 and Andre Russell 14.5.
What happened to Pune?
The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune has shown mysterious behaviour. Generally a great venue for batsmen, it has the joint-lowest run-rate this year, reading 8.4 among the four venues.
What changed? Pacers have enjoyed immense success off the back of a length and the short-pitched length.
Deepak Hooda, in the mid-innings interview, stated that the ball is gripping at that length. In the previous matches, the batters noted the ball is generating uneven bounce when hit into the surface.
The corridor of uncertainty is generally in the good length region outside the off stump. In Pune this season, it has shifted to that back of a length area. For Kolkata, it was as though their worst nightmare came true.
The curious case of Marcus Stoinis’ batting position
Lucknow have built unanticipated curiosity around Marcus Stoinis’ batting position. Mainly a top-order player, they have reserved him for the last quarter of the innings.
On the outside, it feels like an inefficient use of a great batting resource. However, it aligns with Stoinis’ ambitions of transforming himself into a finisher.
“Over the next three years I want to be the best finisher in the world,” Stoinis told Cricinfo last year. It could be the reason why Stoinis swapped positions with Glenn Maxwell in BBL 2021/22. Despite huge success as an opener for Melbourne Stars, he went to the middle-order.
Yet, even the best of finishers would like the cushion of a few balls to get their eye in. Andre Russell, a bonafide finisher, has established the 12th over as his best entry point. The top-order wobbles aside, Kolkata have sent Russell whenever they have lost a wicket around the 12th over.
Lucknow had the opportunity to do the same when Deepak Hooda was out in the 13th over. Stoinis, though, walked out only in the 16th over. He did his job with three sixes in the penultimate over but it leaves you wondering if they are pushing the Hulk a bit too far.
