In a virtual win-or-bust match, Kolkata Knight Riders are set to ring in changes. Will Rovman Powell play? For a batting line-up that has “lost confidence”, according to team mentor Dwayne Bravo, a spark is needed. Who will provide that? If sweating out at the nets serves as an indicator, the former West Indies T20 captain might finally get a game.
The defending champions need to address a Russell-sized problem. The Jamaican has scored 55 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 119.56. He is working his socks off to get back to form, turning up early for practice and doing extra sessions at the CAB indoors before coming to the nets. But somehow it’s not working in matches this term. On the face of it, Powell for Andre Russell is a like-for-like replacement in terms of power-hitting. Easier said than done.
Russell is a bona fide KKR legend, with a lot of credit in the bank. Also, his off form is not a case in isolation. Venkatesh Iyer has scored just 135 runs in six innings, Rinku Singh has managed 133 in seven and Ramandeep is teetering on a paltry 30 from five innings.
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Up the order, Sunil Narine has failed to emulate his last season’s form, with just 147 runs from seven innings. Quinton de Kock had 143 runs from seven innings before he was dropped in the last game against Gujarat Titans. His replacement, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, was given a work-over by Mohammed Siraj. It is learnt that there’s a school of thought in the KKR camp that De Kock should be brought back for the Punjab Kings game. At the moment though, support is a bit tilted towards Powell. In that case, KKR might have to replace one of their middle-order batsmen – Ramandeep likely – with Luvnith Sisodia as well.
The 25-year-old is a wicketkeeper-batsman from Karnataka who opened the innings in practice games and fared well. As Bravo had said after the last match, the time has come to make some changes.
KKR bought Powell at the auction for Rs 1.5 crore. Forget his price tag, the 31-year-old from Jamaica is a veteran of 271 T20s, 91 of them being in international cricket. His strike rate in T20Is is north of 140. It’s a bit surprising that a team that has been struggling to put runs on the board, Powell wasn’t tried earlier. If not now, when?
At the pre-match press conference, Moeen Ali spoke about the need for going “all-out”, serving a reminder that not so long ago KKR had almost chased down 240, against Lucknow Super Giants. The spin-bowling all-rounder is unlikely to retain his place against Punjab Kings, for Anrich Nortje’s raw pace could be a better option against a side that boasts some excellent players of spin, led by Shreyas Iyer. The visitors won’t be too bothered about the Eden Gardens pitch that looks a bit dry.
KKR need to win five of their remaining six group league matches to secure a playoff berth. Another defeat on the home patch would effectively mean a long kiss goodnight to this year’s IPL. Desperate times call for desperate measures.