KKR helping out rivals with ‘extra’ power
KOLKATA/MUMBAI: Going into Thursday’s tie, Kolkata Knight Riders have bowled the most number of wides (23) and no-balls (6).
Just another proof of how things haven’t really gone swimmingly for the two-time champions who have one win after four games in IPL14. KKR are sixth on the table, separated only from bottom-placed Punjab Kings by net run rate.
Given how skewed the equation between batters and bowlers usually is in T20, a wide ball is not just an extra run but often an additional opportunity to score big.
Like it was when KKR’s Pat Cummins bowled two successive wides against Royal Challengers Bangalore. What would have been the last ball of the 14th over yielded six runs as Glenn Maxwell scooped a four over third man when Cummins bowled a legitimate delivery at the third time of trying. RCB scored 11 in that over.
In the same game, AB de Villiers punished Andre Russell twice when he erred in aiming for the wide marker.
In the 18th over, de Villiers smacked him for a six after one and in the 20th, he hit a four over third man after the fourth ball was adjudged wide. RCB won by 38 runs.
On Wednesday, Cummins bowled a wide which bounced high over wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik for a boundary. When Prasidh Krishna bowled a wide in the 18th over, MS Dhoni hit the next ball for four; a streaky edge over Karthik.
No-balls are worse because you get a free-hit. “Cardinal sin, Prasidh; what are you doing? What have you done?,” said Ian Bishop on air on Wednesday when Krishna overstepped for the first of his two no-balls in the 12th over.
After not bowling any in the first two games, KKR have bowled six no-balls with spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Narine also being guilty. “I don’t know why bowlers are bowling them, spinners in particular,” said Simon Doull on air during Wednesday’s second game.
Two things happened once the hooter went off signaling that the fifth ball of 17th over was deemed illegitimate.
There was an almost imperceptible shake of the head from Narine.
On commentary, Sunil Gavaskar said: “I am baffled about these no-balls. (They are) Professional cricketers and they know the penalty for noballs.” Next ball, free hit, MS Dhoni hit his first boundary off Narine in 65 balls faced in the history of IPL.
KKR skipper Eoin Morgan mentioned the “three no-balls” and their fielding against RCB but not the transgressions against Chennai Super Kings. “I think they (bowlers) did a reasonable job.
Looking at the position we were in after the powerplay and falling only 20 runs short (sic), you don’t need to be optimist to feel that we would have been in a really good position had we batted better at the top of the order,” he said.
Bowlers missing the mark has not been the only thing wrong with KKR. Against CSK, the top-order struggled to deal with Deepak Chahar’s swing and though the middle-order performed spectacularly through Andre Russell, Karthik and Cummins, it had floundered in the defeat to Mumbai Indians. Shubman Gill and Morgan not getting runs means KKR have not been successful as a batting unit. Sometimes Morgan’s bowling changes— taking Chakravarthy off in the power play against RCB after he had taken two wickets; bringing Russell on against de Villiers— have not clicked.
But in a competition where they have missed the playoffs twice in successive years on net run rate, bowlers giving so many freebies too have contributed to the Knights not hitting a purple patch.
Three wides and three no-balls -in four games—the best record so far—is also a reason why Delhi Capitals have as many points and three wins as leaders Chennai.