From the iSport Cricket Paddock: Disappointed from the Kings XI loss, iSporter Joanne D'Souza carefully scrutinizes what really worked for the Royal Challengers Bangalore this season. She pens her observations from their performance last IPL-2. Read her views!
It’s an interesting comparison - the way the Royal Challengers Bangalore began their innings and how the Kings XI is performing currently. While the Royal Challengers made a spectacular come-back, is there something that the Kings can do to keep from resembling the Royals from season 1?!
Losing ways – the uncanny resemblances
The Royal Challengers team, last year, began their second season at IPL with a new captain, Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen, who had previously led his home side and is, of course, a foreigner, took over the reins of captaincy from the team icon player, Rahul Dravid. The Kings too began their third season at IPL in exactly the same way, with Sangakkara (current captain of Sri Lanka and therefore, by definition, a foreigner) taking away team Icon Player, Singh’s, crown of captaincy!
The Royal Challengers had won the first game in IPL 2 against their Royal counterparts, but then proceeded to lose the next four games. When they were chasing they would let the run-rate spiral out of hand, losing wickets regularly. When they defended, they failed to stem runs. There were bursts of brilliance fuelled by experienced batting of the older players (Dravid and Kallis) and energetic bouts of some youngsters (Taylor and van der Merwe). But the new captain himself was failing at both scoring runs and leading his team to victory.
Sounds familiar? So far, this has been pretty much the story of the Kings XI. They have come within touching distance of victory, but withered away before they could firmly get a hold on it! Momentum gained (on rare occasions) has been frittered away without a fight. The Royal Challengers, though, managed to pull a fantastic turn-around, making a thrilling entry into the semi-finals in the last match against the Deccan Chargers.
Losing ways – the uncanny resemblances
The Royal Challengers team, last year, began their second season at IPL with a new captain, Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen, who had previously led his home side and is, of course, a foreigner, took over the reins of captaincy from the team icon player, Rahul Dravid. The Kings too began their third season at IPL in exactly the same way, with Sangakkara (current captain of Sri Lanka and therefore, by definition, a foreigner) taking away team Icon Player, Singh’s, crown of captaincy!
The Royal Challengers had won the first game in IPL 2 against their Royal counterparts, but then proceeded to lose the next four games. When they were chasing they would let the run-rate spiral out of hand, losing wickets regularly. When they defended, they failed to stem runs. There were bursts of brilliance fuelled by experienced batting of the older players (Dravid and Kallis) and energetic bouts of some youngsters (Taylor and van der Merwe). But the new captain himself was failing at both scoring runs and leading his team to victory.
Sounds familiar? So far, this has been pretty much the story of the Kings XI. They have come within touching distance of victory, but withered away before they could firmly get a hold on it! Momentum gained (on rare occasions) has been frittered away without a fight. The Royal Challengers, though, managed to pull a fantastic turn-around, making a thrilling entry into the semi-finals in the last match against the Deccan Chargers.
So, here’s what worked for the Royals last year... Maybe the Kings could take a few notes...
Formidable Form of Foreign Players
The Royal Challengers were criticised for being an “old team”. But Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher made quite a case for experience in the way they collected runs. And, you could feel the waves of passion and energy pulsating each time Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder stepped out to bat or field. And, Roelof van der Merwe, well, he was quite a handful, both, with the bat and ball. The foreign posse was in fine form, giving the team the flexibility to pick and choose the four players. This meant the team was prepared with a Royal set of players, ready to meet any Challenge.
The Kings’ foreign players have been struggling. Sangakkara and Jayawardene seem to have lost their batting baggage in transit from Sri Lanka. Abdulla, in the few matches he played, didn’t deliver enough value for the dollars that were shelled out for him. Bopara and Theron have been mercurial at best. With the expertise these players bring, the Kings can’t afford them to remain non-performing assets! On the positive side, though, there is some hope in the way Sangakkara and Bopara fired in the match against the Royals...
Desi Heroes
When the Royal Challengers came back from the doldrums last year, they didn’t do so only riding on the backs of the foreigners’ form. After all, the foreign players are only barely one third of the team. After a series of four losses, the team made a royal come-back, defeating the beleaguered Knights. It was Sreevats Goswami’s fiery forty-something that was crucial to their innings in that match. Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli flexed their muscles, regularly sending the ball sailing over the boundary. Praveen Kumar was a steadfast bowler, sometimes even chipping in with the bat when required.
It was Manish Pandey and Balchandra Akhil who can be largely credited for the Royal Challenge that the team posed to Hyderabad’s Chargers, charging into the semi-finals. The desi-princes in the Kings team seem to have lost focus and form. Yuvraj has misfired in most of his matches, Kaif’s much touted comeback has been to no avail, Powar has been powerless, and Sreesanth has been underutilised. The Indian crop has failed so miserably that I wonder if anyone even remembers their names anymore!
Pathan is the only one who has provided some hope to the team but his performance in yesterday’s match was only mediocre. If the team has to win, they have to give up their reliance on the foreign players. Sure, Lee and Marsh are back, but a set of 2 players can’t drive a victory against the opposing team of 11. Let’s hope Yuvi’s new-found form is here to stay...
Captain Courageous
When (thankfully) Kevin Pietersen had to go back to fulfil his national duty, Anil Kumble took over the reins of a demotivated team. And, he was a task-master; he exacted perfection from his players. If looks could kill, the players who mis-fielded would’ve been dead! He took calculated risks, with the batting order, the field placements, and the bowling changes. He gave the youngsters a chance to play and perform. But, more importantly, he led from the front. He bowled economical overs and took regular wickets.
Sangakkara cannot preach to his team about performance if he himself continues to bat miserably, and drop catches. And, he has to learn to take a few risks (not the kind Yuvi takes, thoughtlessly sending the ball soaring into the hands of waiting fielders!). Sticking to the formula doesn’t always result in the best results and extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. He has the task of not only locating his lost form, but also rebuilding confidence in his team.
Of course, other than this, they cannot forget the golden rule of “In order to win, one needs to bat and bowl well in the same match. Oh! And hold on to that Catch!” (Ok! I made that up, but it’s true!). The Royal Challengers made a royal return after successive losses. The Kings may more or less be out of the reckoning unless they win all their matches going forward and pray that some of the other teams lose all of theirs. But they can learn a few lessons and regain some semblance of nobility and dignity that is associated with Kings!
When the Royal Challengers came back from the doldrums last year, they didn’t do so only riding on the backs of the foreigners’ form. After all, the foreign players are only barely one third of the team. After a series of four losses, the team made a royal come-back, defeating the beleaguered Knights. It was Sreevats Goswami’s fiery forty-something that was crucial to their innings in that match. Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli flexed their muscles, regularly sending the ball sailing over the boundary. Praveen Kumar was a steadfast bowler, sometimes even chipping in with the bat when required.
It was Manish Pandey and Balchandra Akhil who can be largely credited for the Royal Challenge that the team posed to Hyderabad’s Chargers, charging into the semi-finals. The desi-princes in the Kings team seem to have lost focus and form. Yuvraj has misfired in most of his matches, Kaif’s much touted comeback has been to no avail, Powar has been powerless, and Sreesanth has been underutilised. The Indian crop has failed so miserably that I wonder if anyone even remembers their names anymore!
Pathan is the only one who has provided some hope to the team but his performance in yesterday’s match was only mediocre. If the team has to win, they have to give up their reliance on the foreign players. Sure, Lee and Marsh are back, but a set of 2 players can’t drive a victory against the opposing team of 11. Let’s hope Yuvi’s new-found form is here to stay...
Captain Courageous
When (thankfully) Kevin Pietersen had to go back to fulfil his national duty, Anil Kumble took over the reins of a demotivated team. And, he was a task-master; he exacted perfection from his players. If looks could kill, the players who mis-fielded would’ve been dead! He took calculated risks, with the batting order, the field placements, and the bowling changes. He gave the youngsters a chance to play and perform. But, more importantly, he led from the front. He bowled economical overs and took regular wickets.
Sangakkara cannot preach to his team about performance if he himself continues to bat miserably, and drop catches. And, he has to learn to take a few risks (not the kind Yuvi takes, thoughtlessly sending the ball soaring into the hands of waiting fielders!). Sticking to the formula doesn’t always result in the best results and extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. He has the task of not only locating his lost form, but also rebuilding confidence in his team.
Of course, other than this, they cannot forget the golden rule of “In order to win, one needs to bat and bowl well in the same match. Oh! And hold on to that Catch!” (Ok! I made that up, but it’s true!). The Royal Challengers made a royal return after successive losses. The Kings may more or less be out of the reckoning unless they win all their matches going forward and pray that some of the other teams lose all of theirs. But they can learn a few lessons and regain some semblance of nobility and dignity that is associated with Kings!
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