Suresh Raina, one of the best Indian fielders describes fielding as - &ldquo;You can get a bad ball while you bat, and your bowling may not always be up there, but as a fielder you are completely in control of how well you field&rdquo;. A fielder has the ability to cut short 15-20 runs before his team comes into bat, which is a certain advantage.&nbsp;When speaking about the fielding of a team, it can be spilt into two categories. Firstly, how good has been with their catching, how well have they converted the half chances into opportunities. Secondly, the ground fielding, how many runs have they saved for their team. As mentioned earlier, 15-20 runs saved on the field gives him the extra credit and the confidence when he comes out to bat. &nbsp;In the 2020 edition of IPL, we have witnessed some spectacular saves and stupendous catches taken. Heading towards the end of a unique IPL edition, the first of its kind &ndash; with no audience &ndash; let&rsquo;s decode which team has been the best in saving runs and converting catches.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fe67b6ee1a4c19f54a7001334159d5d86f082d2b4.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Though Kolkata Knight Riders failed to make it to the playoffs, in IPL 2020, they have been the best catching side with 83.6 catch efficiency. Out of the 55 attempts, KKR fielders have put down only nine catches, the lowest by a team.&nbsp;CSK were the second-best team in terms of catching efficiency with 82.4 and they dropped only 12 catches. CSK had a catching efficiency of 57.1 per cent on difficult catches. This is evident enough to say how good they have been in catching terms.Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the two worst teams, though both teams have some gun fielders like Virat Kohli, Rashid Khan and Manish Pandey. Overall, RCB fielders had a catching efficiency of 75 per cent, which is the second-worst among teams and SRH fielders had a catching efficiency of 71.1 per cent, the lowest by a team in IPL 2020. SRH fielders dropped 24 catches, no other team dropped more than 20.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F7c325a7c679767a793dd4d09722b267902dda0fd.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Mumbai Indians&#39; fielders may not have been the best when it comes to catching, but their fielders put their lives down the lane to save runs. The best part about MI fielding has been the ability of their fielders to cut down the runs, especially inside the circle. MI fielders saved 40 runs and gave away only 8 runs inside the circle. No other team saved more than 15 runs. Throughout, MI fielders saved 17 runs which is the most by a team.KXIP fielders are the only ones to not drop sitters, whereas, the rest all have dropped at least one. Their net runs saved comes up to a positive nine runs. KXIP are one of the two teams whose net runs saved are in positive, MI is the other.CSK have been the poorest when it comes to saving runs. The effect of an ageing side was clearly visible, as their fielders leaked 47 runs, which is the most among all teams. The runners-up of IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals have also been sloppy in the field. After CSK, by virtue of leaking 20 runs, DC have been the second-worst fielding team.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fead77fe5b7600d88dfcd425e69e5d61d847ad174.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">It is not just the drops that haunt the team, it is about the impact that comes back as a nightmare. SRH&#39;s catching has been the poorest and the impact of the drops by their fielders resulted in 388 extra runs. The champions, MI conceded 351 runs for their 16 drops, which is the second-most a team has conceded.&nbsp;Though CSK&rsquo;s ground fielding has been the poorest, their catching was decent. Their 12 drops are the second-lowest and those 12 have cost them only 172 runs, which is the least for a team. KKR&rsquo;s nine drop chances cost them 216 runs.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F706997741d8315bf0fbe2892e3df5a9b774eb25c.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">T20 is a format in which everything happens quickly and agility is one of the most important aspects for a fielder or a fielding team. Batsmen are always on their toes for a run and same goes for the fielders, but to stop that run.&nbsp;Though SRH have been the poorest in terms of catching, the one and only positive of their fielding has been the number of run-outs through direct hits. Out of the nine run-outs SRH fielders effected four of them have been direct hits, which is the most among all teams. KXIP&#39;s fielders have also been agile, the eight run-outs they effected is the second-most and they converted three of those eight to direct hits.&nbsp;KKR might be the best catching team, but when it comes to effecting run-outs, they have been the worst. They effected only three and none of them were direct hits, every other team at least has one direct hit to their name.

In this piece, we try and find out which team has been the best in saving runs and converting catches in the recently concluded IPL edition

Indian Premier League, 2020

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Chennai Super Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders

Mumbai Indians

Which was the best fielding side overall in the IPL?

A majority of cricket experts called it wrong. There was an expectation of spin to win on the dry wickets in UAE. With only three venues and used pitches, it seemed like a matter of time when spinners will rage havoc. It never happened. The pacers proved to be the real match-winners in IPL 2020.&nbsp;Such was the dominance of pacers in IPL 2020 that the six of the<a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/1667/indian-premier-league-2020/most-valuable-player">&nbsp;top-10 most valuable players</a>, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/most-valuable-player-of-each-side-part-1-1605189727032" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the MVP of six teams</a> and top-four leading wicket-takers were all quickies. The question we try to answer here is who among them and their spin counterparts were the most impactful bowlers in IPL 2020.Similar to our analysis for the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/the-most-impactful-batsmen-in-ipl-2020-usual-suspects-and-some-surprises-1605713034945" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">batsmen</a>, we feel that assessing the most impactful bowlers based on highest MVP points aggregated throughout the season is not a correct approach. It will lead to a disproportionate bias towards bowlers who played more matches or the bowlers that were just above average in most games.Hence, to arrive at the bowlers that had the most impact in IPL 2020, let us look at the players who finished as the best bowler in a match on most nights. Using this as a parameter, here is the list of cricket.com&rsquo;s most impactful bowlers in IPL 2020-&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F102e8fa64e875cec682eafd0e5b99ea3b48aa51a.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Since the rabbit is out of the hat, let us deal with the surprise first. Kagiso Rabada was the winner of the Purple Cap in IPL 2020. He took at least one wicket in 14 of the 17 games. However, while being among the wickets in most games, Rabada failed to deliver the impact upfront that defines the outcome of the game.&nbsp;Twenty out Rabada&rsquo;s 30 wickets came in the death-overs. While he bowled a similar number of overs in the Powerplay (23 vs 23.4 at the death), he took just two wickets in this phase. Whenever he picked early wickets, he affected the outcome of the game, like in the Qualifier 2 when he got the all-important wicket of David Warner. This turned out to be the only game when Rabada finished as the best bowler on the night. Lack of wickets when it mattered resulted in the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2020, the bowler with the fifth-highest MVP bowling points, finish with no man of the match awards in this season.Jofra Archer was the MVP of IPL 2020, let alone be the most impactful bowler. He was the best bowler in a game on six occasions. These include Rajasthan&rsquo;s savoured victories against MI and KXIP later in the season. Archer bowled a spell of 2/26 and 2/31 in these games that saw runs in the range of 185-195. In all the other four games, he finished with a spell of less than run a ball while picking at least two wickets.One can argue that if not for the presence of the other, either of Jasprit Bumrah or Trent Boult could have toppled Archer for the top spot. However, a better argument would be that pressure they created as a pair led them to their best season in the IPL at an individual level.Both Bumrah and Boult were the best bowler in a game five times. There was a time later in the season when Bumrah came back from nowhere to threaten Rabada for the Purple Cap. He took 13 wickets for 45 runs in three penultimate games before the final, including a four-wicket haul against DC in the Qualifier 1.&nbsp;Boult too enjoyed most of his success against his former side, DC, against whom he finished with tournament figures of 9/96. This included a match-winning spell of 3/30 in the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/live-report-ipl-2020-final-mi-vs-dc-1605015102744" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">final</a>. Leading the charts with the bat, Mumbai Indians had most match-winners with the ball as well. It signifies their absolute domination in IPL 2020-&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F21943e3b8178785d41c09d0c578d96a6e91d8ddd.jpg" data-code="200" style="border-style: none; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&nbsp;A list of impactful bowlers in a T20 tournament cannot be complete without Rashid Khan. Like Boult and Bumrah, he too enjoyed most of his success against Delhi. Rashid&#39;s spell in SRH&rsquo;s first fixture against them, 3/14 while defending 162 in Match 11 was the best in IPL 2020 in terms of match impact. Later, his spell of 3/7 against the same opposition in a must-win game in Match 47 was the most economical this season.Wrapping up the top-5 is Delhi&rsquo;s own Anrich Nortje. While Rabada hogged the limelight this season, Nortje was the best bowler on the night on three occasions, all of them resulted in a win for Delhi. These were against CSK, KKR and RCB. His spell of 3/33 against KKR came at Sharjah when they scored 210/8 in reply to a target of 229.&nbsp;Three spinners and two pacers follow the top-5 most impactful bowlers. This includes one of the finds of the season &ndash; Varun Chakravarthy. Another example of a reduction in bias in this analysis is the inclusion of Chris Morris who played only nine games. If he would have been fit for more games, both him and RCB could have finished higher than where they did.

Find out if Rabada or Nortje had a better impact on DC’s success and the other most impactful bowlers in IPL 2020

Jofra Chioke Archer

Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah

Trent Alexander Boult

Rashid Khan Arman

Anrich Arno Nortje

Yuzvendra Singh Chahal

Varun Chakravarthy Vinod

Patrick James Cummins

Christopher Henry Morris

Ravi Bishnoi

Delhi Capitals

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kings XI Punjab

Rajasthan Royals

Was Rabada among the most impactful bowlers in IPL 2020?

T20 is the most difficult format to assess the batsmen. For the bowlers, it is acceptable to be good in either of the two aspects &ndash; taking wickets or being economical. But, for the batsmen, earning cricket&rsquo;s ultimate currency &ndash; runs - is not enough. Even the biggest knock of the match in terms of runs can be a match-losing one if not scored at a rate better than the average run-rate of that game.In the IPL this season, KL Rahul was head and shoulders above all batsmen in terms of net runs. He finished with 670 runs, 52 runs more than the next-best Shikhar Dhawan playing three innings fewer. But, was he the most impactful batsman in the season? Especially when these runs came at a strike-rate of 129.9 that is lower than six other top-10 run-getters in IPL 2020.In cricket.com&rsquo;s feature <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/1667/indian-premier-league-2020/most-valuable-player" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">criclytics</a>, there is a report card for each of the 60 games in IPL 2020. Included in this are the MVP batting and bowling points awarded to each player based on their contribution in a particular match. &nbsp;One way of assessing the best batsmen in this year&rsquo;s IPL would be to gauge them by the net MVP batting points that each one of them accumulated throughout the season. However, when it comes to assessing the most impactful batsmen, this approach might not work for two reasons.Number one &ndash; There will be a bias towards the batsmen who did not play all matches. E.g. since Dhawan had 17 innings with the bat, it is easier for him to collect more points. On the other hand, since Ishan Kishan played only 13, he will miss out, which he does as he is 11th on the list of players with highest MVP batting points in IPL 2020.Number two &ndash; It is possible for a player to just be better than the average in most games and keep accumulating points to finish higher than a lot of other players. This will be irrespective of the number of high impact knocks he played in the season that made the difference for his side. Shreyas Iyer is one such example. He is sixth on the list of players with highest MVP batting points this season, but how many high impact knocks do you remember him playing? With a strike-rate of 123.3 this season, it is fair to say: not many.There is no other side that has cracked the code of T20 cricket quicker than the Mumbai Indians. This reflects in their results. The key to their squad is having a bunch of players with the ability to win a game on their own. If six players within a team put their hands up to win two games each, the side will win the trophy in most seasons.Coming to the crux of the argument, to identify the batsmen that had the most impact in IPL 2020, let us look at the players who finished as the best batsmen in a match on most nights. Using this as a parameter, here is the list of cricket.com&rsquo;s most impactful batsmen in IPL 2020-<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F36e2c45c657ee0b8e4029d2bec3950f7487b01a2.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">As both AB de Villiers and Dhawan finished as the best batsman on the night on four occasions, we have used the MVP batting points accumulated per innings as the tiebreaker.&nbsp;This list gives us a better idea about the batsmen who not just scored big runs in the tournament, but those runs mattered for their side and in the match. Now, all these knocks need not be match-winning as there can be other factors at play but they were the best in a given match.The leader of the pack, de Villiers, played a blinder against Jasprit Bumrah and co in Match 10 of the IPL. Then, he seemed to be batting on a different pitch against Kolkata at Sharjah. In the latter half of the tournament, he demolished the Royals on his own. With a little help from others and if not for Kane Williamson&rsquo;s astute counter-attack, de Villiers could have carried RCB to the qualifier as well.Not far behind was Dhawan who apart from his twin hundreds was Delhi&rsquo;s match-winner with the bat in the Qualifier 2 as well against the Royals in Match 30. He also finished second in the list of highest MVP batting points in IPL 2020.In what can be his breakthrough season, Kishan finished with the record of best batting points per innings. Not only did he hit the most sixes in IPL 2020, but he was also the best batsmen on the night on three occasions. Twice against Delhi, in the first qualifier and Match 51, and once against Chennai while opening the batting in Match 41.In most of his knocks this year, Rahul had a strike-rate below the match run-rate. But, whenever he was more aggressive, twice against RCB and once against MI in the historic twin Super Over game, he was the best batsman in the game and a match-winner for his side.Wrapping up the top-5 is&nbsp;David Warner who also leads the pack on highest MVP batting points accumulated in IPL 2020. Getting better as the tournament progressed, Warner was the best batsman in three matches including the all-important last league game against Mumbai Indians.It is a surprise to see Rohit Sharma in the list who is 28th on the list of highest MVP batting points. But, whenever he delivered, he created a difference. His high impact knocks came against MI&rsquo;s second and fourth game against KKR and KXIP when they were playing after a loss in their previous game. He was also the best batsman in the final.This analysis also rewards players like Mayank Agarwal who spent some time on the bench due to injury and could not finish among the top run-getters.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fdb4e90c5423d4d843a6ccfc7867088bc60d3fe8f.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Looking at the top-10 list, it is easier to understand the dominance of MI in this year&rsquo;s IPL. All four of their top-order batsmen find themselves among the most impactful batsmen this season. Overall, an MI batsman was the best batsman on the night on 11 occasions, the highest among all teams.&nbsp;

Find out who joins Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan in the list of the most impactful batsmen in IPL 2020

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers

Shikhar Dhawan

Kannaur Lokesh Rahul

Ishan Pranav Kumar Pandey Kishan

David Andrew Warner

Rohit Gurunath Sharma

Shubman Gill

Suryakumar Ashok Yadav

Quinton de Kock

Mayank Anurag Agarwal

The most impactful batsmen in IPL 2020 - Usual suspects and some surprises

Tactics form an important part of any team sport. Given the shorter length of a T20 game, gaining an early advantage is key, making tactics more important in cricket than ever before. Coming to the field well-prepared now means turning up with a good game plan. The 2020 Indian Premier League saw such ploys in abundance. Some were good, but some turned out to be atrociously bad.Here, we look at some tactical blunders which went on to cost the teams that employed them. Not to forget, a lot of these tactics are framed by the coaches of the respective sides rather than the captains.&nbsp;The demotion of AB de Villiers&nbsp;It has become a common consensus in the IPL that AB de Villiers struggles against leg-spinners. Across the 2018 and 2019 seasons of the IPL, he averaged 26 while striking at 128.4 against them, which one might say is below par going by his abilities.&nbsp;Kings XI Punjab took note of these numbers. In both their games against RCB, they deployed both their leggies, Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin. It was enough to unsettle Royal Challengers Bangalore.&nbsp;In <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/197718/summary/rcb-vs-kxip-match-31-indian-premier-league-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Match 31</a>, AB de Villiers was slated to bat at four as usual. RCB lost the first two wickets by the seventh over. Instead of de Villiers, in walked Washington Sundar. Up to an extent, Sundar&rsquo;s promotion seemed logical. It ensured a right-left batting combination to counter the leg-spin duo. Also, RCB had not enjoyed Kohli and de Villiers batting together too soon in the innings. It has often restricted both from playing freely in order to ensure at least one of them bat through.&nbsp;However, Sundar and Kohli added only 24 runs for the third wicket in 24 balls. Sundar kept running into the off-spinner, Glenn Maxwell. Kohli contributed only 11 off 10 balls. Having batted till the 11th over, Sundar had set the stage for de Villiers. But, RCB took everyone by surprise by further pushing de Villiers down to number six. Shivam Dube was promoted over him.While the 11th over was the perfect stage for de Villiers to walk in, his entry was delayed until the 17th over. As maverick as he is, expecting de Villiers to start striking it from ball one isn&rsquo;t fair. In T20s since 2019, de Villiers has a strike rate of 124.9 in the first 10 balls of his innings while it escalates to 160.1 over the next 10 deliveries. He did not have the cushion of those first 10 balls and perished for 2 in a failed attempt to find the fence. Not to forget, de Villiers had hammered a match-winning 73 in the previous match on the same ground. On this occasion, RCB wasted their best batsman and lost the game on the last ball of KXIP&rsquo;s run-chase.&nbsp;Unadkat bowling the 19th over<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fab8173d3cd420b4ced50821b22905ed641a73af3.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> Another common knowledge in T20 cricket suggests that while defending a total, one should bowl their best bowler in the penultimate over. RCB needed 35 with two overs in hand and Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith handed the ball to Jaydev Unadkat instead of opting for Jofra Archer.&nbsp;Unadkat was carted for a six off each of the first three deliveries by de Villiers, bringing the deficit down to 17 from nine balls. A delivery later, Gurkeerat Singh Mann collected a four. There were 25 runs from the over. Criclytics underlined it as a <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/197720/rr-vs-rcb-match-33-indian-premier-league-2020/game-changing-overs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">match-changing over</a> which brought RR&rsquo;s win percentage down by 45 percent.&nbsp;Archer was the Most Valuable Player of the tournament but defending 10 runs in the last over against a rampaging de Villiers is tough even for the world&rsquo;s best. After the defeat, Smith said Unadkat was given the leeway of a longer boundary on the leg-side. In any case, had Archer bowled the 19th over, the story could have been different.Nitish Rana bowling the 10th overDefending 173 in a<a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/197736/summary/csk-vs-kkr-match-49-indian-premier-league-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> must-win game against Chennai Super Kings</a>, Kolkata Knight Riders had a firm grip on the game until a moment of inexplicable decision-making. CSK were 58 for one in nine overs when Eoin Morgan decided to use the part-time off-break of Nitish Rana.&nbsp;There was no need to bowl Rana, especially that soon. The run-rate was well under KKR&rsquo;s control, there were two right-handers at the crease - Ambati Rayudu and Ruturaj Gaikwad - and the pitch had not shown any signs of helping spinners extravagantly. Moreover, Rayudu was only five balls into his innings. If anything, it was an opportunity for Morgan to bring his strike bowler on.However, he opted for Rana which permitted freedom to Rayudu early in his innings. The right-hander scored a boundary off each of his first three balls in the over, providing impetus to the innings. The 16-run over opened the floodgates and CSK raced to 100 by the end of the 12th over. CSK completed the run-chase off the last delivery of the game. KKR won their next game but fell short of a spot in the playoffs due to net run-rate.&nbsp;RCB feeding Pollard with leg-spinners<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F72608baa371aa35dbe76ac5cffb86285cd686d7b.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Kieron Pollard has a strange relationship with leg-spinners. In T20s from 2018 until Match 9 of IPL 2020, he had a strike rate of 128 against leg-spinners in the first 15 overs of the innings.&nbsp;In the last five overs, however, it skyrockets to 201.4. Conclusion - do not bowl leg-spin to Pollard at the death.&nbsp;In <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/197697/summary/rcb-vs-mi-match-10-indian-premier-league-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Match 10</a>, though, RCB skipper Kohli fed the Trinidadian with back-to-back overs of leg-spin, against Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal (17th and 18th over in the innings). Facing 10 of those 12 deliveries, Pollard hammered 42 runs. Ishan Kishan scored seven from the remaining two deliveries, producing 49 runs from those two overs. Mumbai Indians, after being well behind the eight ball for about 35 overs of the customary 40 in the game, were back in the contest and went as far as taking the game to a Super Over. &nbsp;Moreover, there was no riposte by RCB to Pollard&rsquo;s power-hitting. All those 12 deliveries were flat and failed attempts at bowling leg-breaks without the variation of an arm-ball or a googly.&nbsp;KKR delaying Ferguson till the 12th overWhen Chris Gayle is in and you want to get him out early, spinners are definitely not the way to do that. Since 2018, Gayle has been dismissed early (equal to or less than 10 balls in the innings) 28 times out of which pacers have accounted for his departure on 23 occasions.&nbsp;But KKR, in <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/197733/summary/kkr-vs-kxip-match-46-indian-premier-league-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Match 46</a>, had different ideas. When Gayle arrived at number three in a run-chase of 149, KKR were building a platform to strangle KXIP. Gayle arrived at the start of the ninth over which was a perfect moment for KKR to unleash Lockie Ferguson. They had been using Ferguson in the seventh over in the three matches he had played earlier. In this game, they delayed his arrival to the 12th over. They did not use Pat Cummins either.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fbe8cb9acf91353574088b487ae7aa6ca71b7c15c.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Instead, they went for the mystery spin of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Gayle had struggled to score against mystery spin before, but it was a different story on the small outfield of Sharjah. He used the three-over spell between Narine and Chakravarthy to get his eye in as well as to score runs. He smoked three sixes and by the time Ferguson arrived, he had already raced to 20 off nine balls.&nbsp;In a small run-chase, this brief burst was enough to hand an advantage to KXIP. Gayle carried on to score a match-winning 51 (29 balls) as KKR were left wondering &ldquo;what if&rdquo; they had attacked the big man with either Cummins or Ferguson earlier.Gowtham bowling the last over against MIKXIP were both mediocre and brilliant in terms of tactics in IPL 2020. They exploited the match-ups efficiently but failed to field a proper XI in many games. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/197700/summary/kxip-vs-mi-match-13-indian-premier-league-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Match 13</a> was a prime example of the latter. It was their first match after conceding a total of 223 against RR in Sharjah. That game accentuated that Sheldon Cottrell was not a death bowler.&nbsp;Hence, KXIP finished his quota by the 13th over. This left them with only two pacers for the last five - James Neesham and Mohammed Shami, both of whom were yet to do something substantial in that phase. With two overs left each, they bowled the four overs from the 16th to the 19th and conceded 64 runs between them. It was evident that KXIP would have no option but to use Krishnappa Gowtham&rsquo;s innocuous off-breaks in the 20th over.Gowtham conceded four sixes in the over. One cannot blame him as he should not have been bowling that over. It generally goes to one of the top bowlers in the side. However, KXIP had no one skilled enough to do the job in their XI and further miscalculated to stay content with Gowtham in the 20th over. Those last five overs - 89 runs - took the game away from KXIP as MI reached 191 and won the match comfortably.&nbsp;

We look at some tactical blunders which went on to cost the teams in IPL 2020

Virat Kohli

Sunil Philip Narine

Lachlan Hammond Ferguson

Christopher Henry Gayle

Kieron Adrian Pollard

Steven Peter Devereux Smith

Krishnappa Gowtham

Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan

Ambati Thirupathi Rayudu

Nitish Rana

Jaydev Dipakbhai Unadkat

Adam Zampa

Top tactical blunders in IPL 2020

All-rounders are rare. Good all-rounders are rarer. Even after 13 years of IPL, not every side have quality all-rounders in their mix and have to do with how Kings XI Punjab used Glenn Maxwell.There were a bunch of players who stood up in both facets of the game in IPL 2020. Let us look at who among them were the most impactful. Our analysis will entail the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/1667/indian-premier-league-2020/most-valuable-player">criclytics MVP points</a> that these players gathered throughout IPL 2020.Also, not all all-rounders are similar. Every all-rounder that the game has seen inclines to a particular facet of the game. Even among the greats, Jacques Kallis loved to bat while Andrew Flintoff was more potent a fast-bowler.Hence, to ensure an apple to apple comparison, we have divided the players as batting all-rounders and bowling all-rounders. &nbsp;Let us look at the first category.Batting All-Rounders in IPL 2020For a player to qualify as a batting all-rounder, the criteria we have put in place is a minimum of 200 runs with the bat and 15 overs with the ball. Moreover, the MVP batting points they should have accumulated through the course of the season should be more or comparable to MVP bowling points.With this in mind, here are cricket.com&rsquo;s top batting all-rounders in IPL 2020-<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F7e674f13dfe0848014ce60ba1004d8d1dce5b67b.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Up until the point when Rahul Tewatia hit Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, it was tough to believe that he will end up being one of the most valuable players this season. As it turned out, he was Rajasthan Royals&rsquo; best player in a match in as many as five games, twice earning a perfect 10 on the criclytics report card.He followed that memorable knock against KXIP with another match-winning cameo against SRH. With the ball, in seven of the 14 games, he finished with a spell that had an economy of under seven. With 1008 MVP points, he is not just the best batting all-rounder in IPL 2020 but also the third most valuable player overall.Failing to make an impact on dry pitches in India, Marcus Stoinis has been a traveller in IPL. With Delhi Capitals, he emerged as an unlikely hero with bat and ball. He started with a bang in Capitals&rsquo; first game but his performance tapered a bit around the halfway mark. However, he bounced back in the second half and scored 352 runs in IPL 2020 at a strike-rate of 148.5, the highest for the Capitals. In addition to this, he possessed a golden arm that produced wickets whenever given the ball. He ended up being DC&rsquo;s best player on the night on five occasions.No other player had a strike-rate better than Kieron Pollard&rsquo;s 191.4 in IPL 2020. In an outfit like Mumbai Indians, Pollard gets infrequent opportunities to bat. But whenever he went out, he made an unsurmountable difference on most occasions. In a side that lacks a sixth bowling option, Pollard chipped in whenever dew limited the impact of their spinners. He was MI&rsquo;s best player in three matches.Though Ravindra Jadeja did not make as much impact with the ball as he usually does, he made it up with his returns with the bat. In IPL 2020, he averaged 46.4 and had a strike-rate of 171.8, both his best in a season by a big margin. He was CSK&rsquo;s best player on two occasions.To wrap up the best five is Ben Stokes. Though it took him a while to get into the groove, but once he did, it resulted in probably the best innings in IPL 2020 &ndash; a splendid 107* against MI. He followed it up with a match-winning half-century against KXIP. In that must-win game, he also delivered with a helpful spell of 2/32.Bowling All-Rounders in IPL 2020This is a more common breed than the previous one. &nbsp;The criteria followed for a player to be considered a bowling all-rounder is a minimum 100 runs with the bat and 30 overs with the ball.&nbsp;Here are cricket.com&rsquo;s best bowling all-rounders in IPL 2020-<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fa6180b14ded344e6072269c961f783d144479363.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Jofra Archer is the MVP of IPL 2020, let alone being the best bowling all-rounder. In the Powerplay, Archer bowled at an unparalleled economy of 4.3. Overall, he took 20 wickets at an economy of 6.6 and a record of 16.7 balls per wicket.&nbsp;Archer achieved extra MVP points due to his 113 runs that came in just 63 balls. Archer ended up being RR&rsquo;s MVP on the night as many as five times, twice earning a perfect 10.After starting the tournament with a couple of expensive spells, Pat Cummins found his mojo while bowling with the new ball. He bowled 67.3% of his overs in the Powerplay at an economy of 6.6. Cummins was the second-highest wicket-taker for KKR with 12 wickets.With the bat, Cummins was KKR&rsquo;s sixth-highest run-getter with 146 runs that came at a strike-rate of 128.1. He ended up scoring more runs than their pre-tournament MVPs &ndash; Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.Making a name for himself among the veterans, the most delightful aspect of Sam Curran&rsquo;s performance this season was his flexibility.&nbsp;Curran swung the ball upfront and executed his yorkers at the death. He batted at the top of the order when needed and was always lethal in the last few overs. He was CSK&rsquo;s highest wicket-taker with 13 dismissals against his name. Moreover, he scored a crucial 186 runs in the tournament while batting at different positions.He ended up being CSK&rsquo;s MVP on the night as many as five times. Also, he is among the only three players to earn a perfect 10 on the report-card three times. Marcus Stoinis and Jasprit Bumrah are the other two.&nbsp;Despite the presence of other big names, Washington Sundar finished as RCB&rsquo;s MVP in IPL 2020 as per criclytics. Among bowlers with a minimum of five overs this season, only Rashid had a better economy than Sundar&rsquo;s 6 runs per over. 42% of these overs were in the Powerplay. &nbsp;He ended up being RCB&rsquo;s best player in three matches.&nbsp;Apart from his economical spell and eight wickets, Sundar&rsquo;s batting helped him earn extra MVP points. With 111 runs, he was RCB&rsquo;s sixth-highest run-getter this year.With an economy of 6.4, Axar Patel was among the most miser bowlers in IPL 2020. Add to that a crucial 117 runs lower down the order that included a match-winning cameo against CSK and you have your ideal bowling all-rounder. With 836 MVP points, he wraps up the list of top bowling all-rounders in IPL 2020.An honourable mention goes out to Jason Holder. Since he played only seven games, he was not able to accumulate enough runs to get into the list. He has 422 MVP points in IPL 2020. If he had played more games at the same rate, he would have found himself in the top-3 of bowling all-rounders in IPL 2020.

Here is an analysis into the best batting and bowling all-rounders in IPL 2020

Samuel Matthew Curran

Rahul Tewatia

Axar Rajeshbhai Patel

Washington Sundar

Benjamin Andrew Stokes

Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja

Marcus Peter Stoinis

Jason Omar Holder

Most valuable all-rounders in IPL 2020

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 had plenty of riveting moments from the bowlers where they made life tough for the batsmen, be it with speed or spin. And, it came as no surprise considering the firepower that was present in the tournament. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Norje and Jasprit Bumrah led the pace department while Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Varun Chakravarthy ruled the roost as far as the spinners were concerned.With the surfaces in the UAE also helping the bowlers, there were plenty of spells that left the viewers in awe. Here, we list out the top five individual performances of IPL 2020, not necessarily in that order.<a href="https://cricket.com/news/live-report-ipl-2020-qualifier-1-mi-v-dc-1604582662323" target="_blank">Jasprit Bumrah &ndash; 4/14 vs Delhi Capitals, Qualifier 1</a><img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F51d9ccad775ce446aa35dfc4dce49b3af03d76e6.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> It&rsquo;s almost like Bumrah always reserves his best for the crunch games. In Qualifier 1 of IPL 2020, Mumbai Indians (MI) &nbsp;batted first and put up a strong 200/5 against Delhi Capitals (DC). Trent Boult then turned up striking twice in his first over. If Delhi thought the worst had passed, they were in for a rude awakening. Bumrah with his second ball sent down a thunderbolt of a yorker, one which Shikhar Dhawan did not have a clue about and his stumps were left in a mess. In his next over, it was Shreyas Iyer&rsquo;s turn to depart before Bumrah got the better of Rishabh Pant and in his final over, Daniel Sams.In all, Bumrah returned 4 wickets for 14 runs, but what was most impressive was the number of dot balls he bowled &ndash; 17, that is 2.5 overs. His economy rate of 3.5 was Bumrah&rsquo;s personal best this season. What a day to turn up for your team!&nbsp;<a href="https://cricket.com/news/sunrisers-hyderabad-vs-delhi-capitals-match-47-ipl-2020-live-report-1603804721917" target="_blank">Rashid Khan - 3/7 vs Delhi Capitals, Match 47</a><img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fe7e02de38c5d2772a19873603e5cf54871271b27.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> Imagine bowling four overs in a T20 match, conceding runs at only 1.75 runs an over and also picking three key wickets in the process. These are exemplary figures in a Test match let alone in a T20 game.&nbsp;Rashid, in Match 47 of IPL 2020, had a night to remember. It was a game which Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had to win to keep their chances of qualifying into the playoffs alive. They started on the right note, smoking 219/2&nbsp;with Wriddhiman Saha and David Warner going berserk.With the ball then, it was Rashid&rsquo;s turn to take over and he owned the stage. The leg-spinner was brought into the attack in the seventh&nbsp;over and with his very first ball he left Shimron Hetmyer&rsquo;s stumps in a mess. A mere four balls later he had Ajinkya Rahane trapped right in the front of the stumps. Rashid&rsquo;s next two overs did not bring a wicket but both Iyer and Pant found him almost impossible to read with near plays and misses occurring every second ball. It was inevitable that Rashid would close out with another wicket and he did so with the penultimate ball of his spell getting rid of Axar Patel.It was leg-spinning of the highest order from Rashid who bowled with guile flummoxing some of the best in the business. In all, Rashid bowled his 4 overs for just 7 runs, which included as many as 17 dot balls.&nbsp;<a href="https://cricket.com/news/mohammed-siraj-creates-history-on-a-day-to-forget-for-kkr-1603315225069" target="_blank">Mohammed Siraj &ndash; 3/8 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 39</a><img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F22253f42cf4f89cf492e12861b679c8fc8bd3eff.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> For the longest time, Mohammed Siraj has been subject to taunts on social media especially because of his death bowling. But Siraj&rsquo;s prowess lies with the new ball and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) learnt about it the hard way in Match 39.Abu Dhabi, this season was one venue where fast bowlers got some swing early on. Sensing this, Virat Kohli gave the new ball to Siraj and what a masterstroke it turned out to be. Although a natural out-swinger, the way Siraj got the ball to move into the right-handers was a treat to watch. With just the third ball of his spell, Siraj got the outside edge of Rahul Tripathi&rsquo;s bat with AB de Villiers completing a simple catch behind the stumps. His very next ball brought about Nitish Rana&rsquo;s downfall who played all around an in-swinger. That over ended up as a double-wicket maiden.Siraj was not done yet as in his next over, he had Tom Banton caught behind for 10. His second over was also a maiden and Siraj became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match. In all, Siraj went for just 8 runs of his 4 overs, bowled 16 dot balls and did not concede a single boundary. It was his effort that helped Royal Challengers Bangalore restrict KKR to 84/8!<a href="https://cricket.com/news/live-report-ipl-2020-sunrisers-hyderabad-vs-kolkata-knight-riders-1603013259442" target="_blank">Lockie Ferguson &ndash; 3/15 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Match 35</a><img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F6ec7b084227677fe0b6ad41b1621810626f7fdaa.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> With the surfaces assisting pacers like the way they did in the UAE all season, it came as a bit of a surprise that KKR decided to unleash Lockie Ferguson as late as Match 35 of IPL 2020. He came in and immediately proved a point.Ferguson had his yorkers on point, deceived the batsmen with his leg-cutters and got his rewards. Three wickets in regular time at an economy rate of 3.75 and two wickets in the Super Over that saw his team to victory.Defending 164 against a strong SRH side, Kolkata knew they&nbsp;needed some sort of inspiration especially after Hyderabad had raced to 58/0 in 6 overs. Ferguson turned out to be the man. With his first ball of IPL 2020, he removed his national captain Kane Williamson for a 19-ball 29 to get Kolkata back into the game. In his next over, Ferguson had Priyam Garg squared up before a 148kph yorker shattered Manish Pandey&rsquo;s stumps. With his team in a bit of a bother, Ferguson then returned to bowl the 18th over where he conceded only 7 runs. His spell of 4 overs went for just 15 runs and he was easily the most economical bowlers among both sides.Ferguson&rsquo;s task though wasn&rsquo;t yet over. As it turned out, the match ended in a tie and the Kiwi was called upon to bowl the Super Over. Ferguson knocked over David Warner first ball of the Super Over and then castled Abdul Samad of his third delivery while conceding only 2 runs. Kolkata did not take much time to wrap up the match after this.<a href="https://cricket.com/match-score/197729/summary/kkr-vs-dc-match-42-indian-premier-league-2020" target="_blank">Varun Chakravarthy &ndash; 5/20 vs Delhi Capitals, Match 42</a><img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fcb363bbce2d987170f4e313ae014e232c742d57e.jpg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200"> In a season which boasted the likes of Rabada, Bumrah and R Ashwin to name a few, it was uncanny that a little known architect-turned mystery spinner was the only bowler to pick a five-wicket haul. And he did so against a side which had some of the best players of spin in the tournament, DC.Chakravarthy&rsquo;s story from an architect to a cricketer is well documented but despite the big bucks in the auction, he did not have many wickets to show for. All that changed in Match 42.Pat Cummins had done the early damage as he sent back openers Rahane and Dhawan inside the Powerplay. But Pant and Iyer threatened to get Delhi back into the game with a 63-run stand.&nbsp;Enter Chakravarthy. With just his second ball he removed Pant, who in an attempt to clear the midwicket fence was caught on the ropes. In his next over, Chakravarthy struck twice in two balls removing Hetmyer and Iyer. He was still not done as in his third over, he sent back Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel to become the first KKR bowler since 2012 to pick a five-wicket haul.Chakravarthy&rsquo;s overall spell read a mind-numbing 4-0-20-5, the best figures of IPL 2020.

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League was all about bowlers, with both pacemen and spinners making merry

From Bumrah’s brilliance to Chakravarthy’s fifer - Top 5 individual bowling performances

Note &ndash; The ratings are based on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/1667/indian-premier-league-2020/most-valuable-player" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">criclytics</a>&nbsp;player ratings in IPL 2020Kolkata Knight RidersPat Cummins Total MVP Points &ndash; 899 Number of matches as KKR&rsquo;s MVP - 3Despite a lot of big names, KKR struggled to find consistent performances. As a result, the side kept fluctuating between wins and losses and never looked threatening in the tournament.After starting the tournament with a couple of expensive spells, Pat Cummins found his mojo while bowling with the new ball. He bowled 67.3% of his overs in the Powerplay at an economy of 6.6. While Varun Chakravarthy took most wickets for KKR &ndash; 17, Cummins was the second-highest wicket-taker for KKR with 12 wickets.What helped Cummins gain extra MVP points was his contribution with the bat. He was KKR&rsquo;s sixth-highest run-getter with 146 runs that came at a strike-rate of 128.1. He ended up scoring more runs than their pre-tournament MVPs &ndash; Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.Kings XI PunjabMohammed Shami Total MVP Points &ndash; 791 Number of matches as KXIP&rsquo;s MVP &ndash; 0This is one of the most surprising choice for MVP for a team in this edition. Even more so because Mohammed Shami never emerged as KXIP&rsquo;s best player in the match on any occasion. Yet, while there was always a KL Rahul or a Mayank Agarwal to overshadow him on the night, Shami&rsquo;s consistent performance ensured that no other player ended laying more impact than him in their squad at an aggregate level.Not only was Shami KXIP&rsquo;s leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets, but he stood tall at crucial junctures. Getting better at executing his yorkers at the death, he was one of the most lethal finishers with the ball this season.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F197909073da714c694139ca89965e124395d2946.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Starting the tournament with a fiery spell again DC to a superb death over display against them in the reverse fixture, Shami was the most-improved T20 cricketer this season. His Super Over against the mighty Mumbai Indians was one for the ages.&nbsp;Chennai Super KingsSam Curran Total MVP Points &ndash; 893 Number of matches as CSK&rsquo;s MVP &ndash; 5Before Ruturaj Gaikwad came along, there was only one man who was carrying the CSK ship. He was Sam Curran. Making a name for himself among the veterans, the most delightful aspect of Curran&rsquo;s performance this season was his flexibility.&nbsp;Curran swung the ball upfront and executed his yorkers at the death. He batted at the top of the order when needed and was always lethal in the last few overs. He was CSK&rsquo;s highest wicket-taker with 13 dismissals against his name. Moreover, he scored a crucial 186 runs in the tournament while batting at different positions.He ended being CSK&rsquo;s MVP on the night as many as five times. Also, he is among the only three players to earn a perfect 10 on the report-card three times. Marcus Stoinis and Jasprit Bumrah are the other two.&nbsp;Rajasthan RoyalsJofra Archer Total MVP Points &ndash; 1126 Number of matches as RR&rsquo;s MVP &ndash; 5Jofra Archer is the MVP of IPL 2020, let alone being the MVP for Rajasthan Royals. In a side filled with some of the best international stars, Archer carried RR with economical spells and wickets in every game.In the Powerplay, Archer bowled at an unparalleled economy of 4.3. Overall, he took 20 wickets at an economy of 6.6 and a record of 16.7 balls per wicket. Such was the difference in class between him and the others was that the rest of the pacers combined took 21 wickets at an economy of 10.54 and 35.24 balls per wicket.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fd38b163522594c1be1ba4daa44c9da2197bc70c6.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">From an overall perspective, if we look at bowling alone, Jasprit Bumrah has the highest MVP points. What helped Archer to get extra MVP points were his 113 runs that came in just 63 balls. Archer ended up being RR&rsquo;s MVP on the night as many as five times, twice earning a perfect 10.An honourable mention goes out to Rahul Tewatia. With 1008 points, he was RR&rsquo;s second most valuable player while being the third most valuable overall in IPL 2020.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/most-valuable-player-of-each-side-part-1-1605189727032" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Click here to read Part 1</a>

Here is a look at the most valuable player of Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020

Mohammed Shami Ahmed

IPL 2020: Most Valuable Player of each side – Part 2

Kolkata Knight Riders finished fifth for the second season in a row and couldn&#39;t qualify for the playoffs despite having the same number of points (14) as Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore who finished third and fourth respectively. They suffered a couple of heavy defeats which affected their net run-rate (-0.214) to a large extent. Kolkata might have been in contention till the very last league-game but the two-time champions were way below-par this season. Their top players didn&#39;t perform and the mid-season captaincy change didn&#39;t help either.Let&#39;s look at what worked for KKR and what didn&#39;t.WHAT WORKED?Varun Chakravarthy was unarguably Kolkata&#39;s best player this season. The mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu was not just their leading wicket-taker (17) but was also had the best economy rate (6.84). He was the only KKR bowler with an economy of less than 7. Chakravarthy troubled quite a few world-class batsmen and even managed to keep Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI for most of the season. Both Kuldeep and Sunil Narine didn&#39;t have a great season and it was Chakravarthy who carried the spin department.The 29-year-old was the only bowler to pick a five-wicket haul in this edition and his performance earned him a maiden call-up to the India team as part of the T20I squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. Chakravarthy however has been ruled out of the tour because of an injury, but he for sure forced everyone to sit up and take notice.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F9b1e4e5f0775b95f5a324e6606862a84e7dd8730.png" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Eoin Morgan was underutilized this season, but despite that, the left-hander emerged as their second-highest run-scorer. Morgan smashed 418 runs at an average of 41.80 and a strike rate of 138.41. The World Cup-winning captain batted in the middle-order, mostly at No. 5 and 6, and played those game-changing cameos that gave his team those extra 15-20 runs in the death overs. In the last five overs, the left-hander smoked runs at a strike rate of 203.1, which was the fourth-best amongst batsmen who faced at least 50 deliveries in that phase.Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell and Narine hardly contributed with the bat and it was Morgan who stepped up in most of the games. He was also handed over the captaincy after seven games but the 34-year-old couldn&#39;t inspire his team to the playoffs. Morgan is a phenomenal white-ball captain and he would be eager to stamp his authority in the next edition, both as captain and batsman.There were question marks raised over Shubman Gill&#39;s strike rate (117.96) but he gave Kolkata that much-required solidity up the order. The right-hander didn&#39;t score at a brisk pace but his role in the team was to give them stability, while the other batsmen were expected to bat around him and play those big shots. Gill played his part to an extent but it was the second half of the plan that didn&#39;t work out. The big-hitters struggled to get going and that made Gill&#39;s numbers look slightly below-par. Gill is only 21 and is going to serve KKR for many years. He would have surely gained a lot from batting with someone like Morgan, and if he could get that strike rate somewhere near 130, Gill could add a lot to his T20 resume.Kolkata (7.1) had the worst scoring rate in the first six overs. Gill did not score at a rapid pace, but neither did Narine, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana. The latter two had their moments but were very inconsistent. KKR (23) lost the second-most number of wickets in the powerplay after Rajasthan Royals (29). &nbsp;WHAT WENT WRONG?Narine&nbsp;(2018 MVP) and Russell&nbsp;(2019 MVP) made minimal impact and that was the biggest reason why Kolkata couldn&#39;t qualify for the playoffs. The two have been KKR&#39;s biggest match-winners for years but this was simply not their season. Narine and Russell only played 10 games each and that affected the entire team balance which Kolkata couldn&#39;t get right till their very last game. Narine had to miss few games after being reported for suspected bowling action, while Russell was sidelined because of an injury.The ploy of using Narine as an opener didn&#39;t work either as the left-hander only managed 121 runs in 10 encounters. The only fifty he scored this season came against Delhi Capitals in which he came to bat at No. 5. Narine didn&#39;t contribute much with the ball either, picking up just five wickets at an economy of 7.94 - his worst in an IPL season. Meanwhile, Russell too averaged just 13 with the bat and couldn&#39;t finish games for his franchise like he has been doing for quite some time now.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fc8e00ed027ffa3e9fad30317126342718cc049c0.png" style="width: 800px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">This was Karthik&#39;s second-worst IPL in terms of numbers. The wicketkeeper-batsman only managed 169 runs in 14 innings at an average of just 14.08 and batted in every position between Nos. 3 and 6. The 35-year-old made a 29-ball 58 against Kings XI Punjab and that was his only major contribution with the bat.WHAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED?Kolkata need at least one experienced Indian pacer in their squad. The likes of Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna and Sandeep Warrier have been far from consistent. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins was decent but the Australian paceman didn&#39;t set the stage on fire. Lockie Ferguson only played five games but looked the most impressive despite being taken out for 54 runs in a must-win encounter against Chennai Super Kings.KKR desperately need a back-up for Russell. They could take some big calls ahead of the next season and could also let go of some big overseas players. They need some solid Indian players and even a back-up for Karthik.&nbsp;

KKR finished fifth on the points table and were below-par this season

Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik

Andre Dwayne Russell

Russell and Narine fail to impress, and so do Kolkata

It's time to test your knowledge on the latest edition of the IPL

QUIZ: Indian Premier League 2020

Like in the TV series - Survivor, the collective IPL tribe has spoken. Four participants remain in the game, and the other four are to pack their bags and leave the party.This is a really significant moment for all eight participants. For the four who are leaving, it will mean a time of introspection, and as is often the case, it&rsquo;s a time that many will apply the exact science of hindsight to find reasons, explanations and undoubtedly, some blame for being forced to leave the IPL show early. From owners through management, coaching staff, players, sponsors and fans, many will seek a target upon which to offload their disappointment and frustrations. I&rsquo;ve been both guilty of doing this, as well as having been the target. The former is ineffective, and the latter can be an unpleasant experience.&nbsp;Starting at the bottom, Rajasthan Royals&nbsp;have fielded possibly their strongest-ever team with some big-name players over the past three years, during which time they&rsquo;ve also churned through three coaches to finish 4th, 7th and now 8th. They have every reason to be scratching their heads as they board that early flight home. I have long maintained, which I stated in my book The Barefoot Coach, that when teams hire and fire coaches in quick succession, it&rsquo;s not the coaches that are the problem but rather the system that&rsquo;s responsible for doing the hiring and firing.&nbsp;Seventh-placed CSK have had an incredibly successful run for a long period of time, largely due to their tribe of experienced senior players that have fondly become known as dad&rsquo;s army. They were also dealt an early blow by starting the season without a stalwart and IPL&rsquo;s most capped player before the season, Suresh Raina. In recent years, they had a choice to either blood youngsters as part of a succession plan, which might have temporarily weakened their team, or get as much as they could out of the dad&rsquo;s army, before embarking on a process of rebuilding a new team. With Dhoni saying he is not done wearing the yellow jersey, we can probably look forward to a new look CSK with a balance of old and new. Oh, and there may be value in reassessing this season&rsquo;s bio-bubble choice of a high-rise city centre hotel, with little outdoor and recreational facilities, over beach-front hotels with more extensive resort-type facilities that other teams chose &ndash; and which provided a vastly different experience for the players. &nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F06166dee3095a15731f9f0ac7aa8f4f2e49ea15a.JPG" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Sixth-placed Kings XI had some significant changes in the leadership this year, which is often associated with a rebuilding phase. Captain Ashwin went to Delhi, the guy who calls himself The Universe Boss joined Kings and the highly experienced Anil Kumble was in his first year as coach. Any significant changes in leadership almost always see a team regressing before consolidating and then bouncing back. This said, since being the runner-up in 2014, Kings have been regular members of the early-flight-home-from-the-IPL club.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F7998c9ce349be57e15aa727fcdd28d4046508648.jpg" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Knight Riders were &ldquo;unlucky&rdquo; to be knocked down into fifth place due to Sunrisers defeating Mumbai by 10 wickets to leap ahead of them and into the top four. The Kolkata team also went through recent leadership changes which included the introduction of new coach Brendon McCullum, as well as undergoing a mid-season change in captain from Dinesh Karthik to the experienced and calm-headed Eoin Morgan. As mentioned, leadership changes generally take a little time before bearing fruit. Last season, it was known that there were some rumbles within the KKR playing group, and one might guess that these haven&rsquo;t been entirely ironed out. IPL is a mentally and emotionally draining tournament in the best of times - which would have been made more difficult with the bio-bubble situation. In business, it&rsquo;s often said that culture eats strategy for breakfast, and it&rsquo;s documented that happy and engaged people are significantly more productive than unhappy and disengaged people. My experience of coaching thee different teams in seven IPL&rsquo;s is that this also holds true for this tournament. Having a happy team environment is very important, and one cannot just rely on winning for this to happen. &nbsp;The four survivors who remain to fight another day have met the first goal, to qualify. Congratulations to these teams.Amongst the complexity and many nuances of cricket, there are two key advantages that I&rsquo;d like to highlight for teams going into the qualifying stages. The first is experience and the associated advantage of &lsquo;knowing&rsquo; what it takes to play and win finals. One of the single best tools for managing high-pressure situations is experience. In this regard, Mumbai have a clear advantage with three IPL wins in the past five years.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fb8ee77c9609e5f1da08d0b1e3eaf91ba0bdcaf23.JPG" style="width: 900px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">The second key advantage is recent form and the confidence it breeds. In this regard, SRH are clear front-runners having literally obliterated their opponents in their last three outings, and having recorded four victories in the last five games. With RCB having lost their last four games in a row, and DC losing four of their last five, both of these teams will be feeling relieved to be in final stages and will take hope rather than form into the business end of the tournament. Second-placed Delhi&rsquo;s early-season run of form has long left the house.&nbsp;I have always avoided making predictions in cricket because it is just too complicated and funny a game to accurately predict. But there you have it, experience suggests that the two best-placed teams going into the finals race are SRH and MI.

Paddy Upton speaks his mind on what is common between the sides that have failed to qualify to the playoffs 

The tribe has spoken

Owned by Bollywood actors, Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta, the Kolkata Knight Riders were on the receiving end for all three editions of the IPL. But in 2011, with a new captain in Gautam Gambhir, the side got the best out of its experienced batting line-up. Pacers like Brett Lee provided the perfect bowling stability needed along with a good spin attack in the form of Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan. All-rounders like Yusuf Pathan and Jacques Kallis, with their mammoth experience, gave the team a strong balance.
However, their superb run of form was eventually halted and their title dream crushed, when the Mumbai Indians knocked them out of the tournament in the playoffs in the fourth season. The good part though was that they were one of the teams included to play in the 2011 Champions League T20. Having gone through the qualifying stages at first, Kolkata took part in the tournament but did not impress much and were knocked out in the early stages.
The year 2012 witnessed the inclusion of the explosive New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum, who returned to his former franchise after a period of three years, which only meant good news for the Knight Riders. They also added a mystery spinner Sunil Narine to their squad, bolstering their bowling unit. Determination and hard work paid rich dividends as Kolkata claimed their maiden IPL trophy after beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings in what was a dramatic end to the fifth season. They repeated the feat in 2014 where they won their second IPL trophy. Since then, they have always been consistent and are always reckoned as one of the top teams. In the 2018 auction, KKR appointed a new captain, Dinesh Karthik. They had a good run under him but it was ended by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2.