Mitchell Starc was bought for a whopping 24Crores. Social media was flooded with memes about Gambhir and madness. However, Gambhir has the last laugh. The delivery to get rid of the most dangerous Hyderabad batsman, was a dream for any fast bowler worth his salt. The ball had only one ambition of finding the stumps. With that one delivery, Starc repaid the enormous money spent on him. The game was over even before it began because of the impact that delivery created. SRH were intent on playing Starc safely which resulted in wickets all around. Pitching on middle and hitting the off, any leg-spinner, left arm ofcourse, will be proved of that delivery. It showcased how KKR was head and shoulders above the rest in the tournament.
The services of Gambhir were proved to be a masterstroke. He immediately pushed Suni Narine to open the innings. This was pivotal. Alongwith Phil Salt, Narine formed a formidable opening combination taking apart attacks with relish. As mentioned above, it was his decision to hire Starc at an exorbitant price which eventually paid off. The move to make Narine open the innings also turned a new corner for the player himself. A first century in any form of the game. It is a moment that he will savour for the rest of his career. More than 500 runs at a staggering strike rate of 187 from a lower order cricketer was a huge bonus.
The spinners
KKR has always had a mean spin attack in the form of Suni Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. As was their wont, they proved to be the major difference between the sides on more than one occasion. The opponents found run-scoring tough against them. T helped KRR to defend totals successfully. If Starc and Rana provided a decent start, these bowlers ensured that nothing was given away. These bowlers have been so successful for KKR that it is difficult to see the franchise not plunging for them when the mega auction comes around. During that period, every franchise is allowed to retain a maximum of 4 players. Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc will be two of them which leaves 2 spots.
Gautham Gambhir and the Indian coaching assignment
This was KKR’s 3rd IPL title and Gambhir was involved in all of them. 2 as captain and this one as mentor. As mentioned above, he was instrumental in hiring Starc and pushing Narine up the order. He is a complete team man. Whichever team he represents, he always wanted to win. The twin innings in the final of T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011 revealed his competitive instincts. There is speculation that he will become the Indian team coach after Dravid relinquishes that post after the T20 World Cup. Coaching the Indian team in a different proposition than coaching a franchise and that too for a short assignment. The relationship with Kohli is also something that must be considered.
I am not sure whether he is the perfect fit for the role because of his aversion to superstars. Indian team is mostly made up of superstars like Rohit, Kohli, Gill, Bumrah, Pant and a few others. Having said that, if he could somehow change the culture within the team and promotes every individual regardless of his star power, he will be doing Indian cricket a great service.
Rinku Singh
It was sad to see the struggle of Rinku Singh. He was in good form last year around which saw him make his debut for the nation. His performance for India was quite good and it was quite baffling for him to not make the squad for the T20 World Cup. Perhaps, that affected his mindset. Rinku Singh is quite talented and is a hard hitter. It is something the Indian team does not have in abundance. There are touch players who needs time to settle down but Rinku on the otherhand, can go after the bowling right from the fast delivery. Especially, lower down the order, with the abilities of Jadeja on the wane, it will be imperative for the Indian selectors to give Rinku much more chances.
Wrapping up KKR head and shoulders above
KKR was certainly head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the tournament. The master stroke of getting Gambhir onboard proved quite pivotal. The addition of Starc as the pace spearhead, took care of their fast bowling woes.
Other blogs about IPL
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https://icricketcritique.com/brand-new-edition-of-ipl/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-see-ball-hit-ball-game/