IPL 2020: Match 42: Varun's heroics keep KKR in the hunt

Kolkata Knight Riders are one team that has not been able to play to their true potential but still somehow hung on to the 4th spot in the table. With Kings XI Punjab breathing down the neck it was vital for KKR to beat Delhi Capitals more so because they have had no wins against the top 3 teams in this IPL. Delhi Capitals has the best bowling attack in this IPL and it was expected to be another walk in the park for them when they met KKR in Abu Dhabi yesterday. So how did it go?

Here are my 5 points highlights of this match.

1. Nitish Rana

Losing a near one is very traumatic and nobody knows that better than me – I lost my mother in August this year – but 2020 is such that most have lost some near and dear one. But playing right after the death of a near one must be very difficult. Nitish Rana lost his Father-In-Law just 24 hours before the match and it must have been very difficult for him to start the match. KKR on their part did the right thing to make him open so that he can put his mind away from the tragedy right from the word go. Nitish Raa with all his talent is another cricketer who is not consistent at all. But everything came together yesterday and nothing could stop him. KKR once again didn’t start well and were tottering at 44/3 in the 8th over. But after Sunil Naraine came in and started belting the bowlers – Rana’s confidence was back and slowly but surely he helped KKR out of the rut. He finished with 81 off 53 balls with 13 boundaries. I really loved the way he paid his homage to his late Father-In-Law after hitting the half-century.

2. Sunil Naraine

Sunil Naraine with the bat has been a failure this year. He has a big problem with bouncers in his body and all bowlers sorted him out. KKR did the right thing today to send him in when the slow bowlers were bowling. KKR was already struggling at 44/3 and another wicket would have doomed them. But Naraine started hitting the ball cleanly and all the slow bowlers were taken to the task. in the space of the next 8 overs, KKR scored more than 100 runs and the momentum completely shifted from one team to the other. By the time Naraine got out, KKR reached 157 with 3 overs still to go. He scored 64 off just 32 balls and helped KKR reach 194 which was too big a score for any team to chase in Abu Dhabi.

3. Anrich Nortje

The Nortje – Rabada bowling partnership has been the most fearful bowling partnership this IPL. They have bowled with pace and have taken buckets full of wickets throughout the tournament. Nortje once again took out 2 vital wickets at the top of the order sending back Shubhman Gill and Rahul Tripathi. KKR was tottering at 42 for 3 due to the heroics of Nortje and Rabada. Nortje finished with 2/27 in his 4 overs and if you look at the final score of KKR – 194 – it was a very good bowling analysis. 

4. Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins has been pretty economical in the powerplay throughout the season. Other than 2 matches out of the 10 that KKR played before this match – he has been extremely economical. But the problem is that KKR has too many inexperienced bowlers in their line up. Add to it – Kuldeep and Naraine are no longer the force they used to be. So with Cummins not picking up top-order wickets – KKR has struggled to rein in the opposition. Yesterday something changed and Cummins didn’t give a single hittable ball. He took the wicket of Rahane on the very first ball and he was relentless. He ended with 3/17 in 4 overs and KKR will hope that he continues with this form in the coming matches.

5. Varun Chakravarthy

When the IPL started this season, Varun was the backup spinner but very soon he became the primary spinner and he was the lone spinner in many of the matches that KKR played this season. Quite an achievement considering that KKR has Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Naraine within their ranks. In multiple matches this season he has given consistent performance and has bowled with aplomb in both powerplay overs as well as in the death overs. Yesterday with Pat Cummins giving a good start, Varun was kept on hold till the 12th Over. When he came into bowl, Delhi Capitals was very much in the race with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer building a good partnership. He broke the partnership straightaway by picking the wicket of Pant and for the next 4 overs kept pegging back the Delhi Capitals team. He ended up picking 5 wickets – the first time it has happened this IPL. He finished with 5/20 in his 4 overs and was rightly adjudicated as the Man of the Match.

This was a vital win for KKR because they had not beaten any top-ranked side this season. It’s now a race to the finish between KKR and Kings XI Punjab for the coveted 4th spot.

What do you think? Will KKR make it to the top 4?

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