[IPL] Review: KKR Cap Stunning Turnaround With Title

From languishing near the bottom of the table after the first leg in the UAE to qualifying for the play-offs by finishing second in the points table, Kolkata Knight Riders capped off their IPL 7 campaign as champions for the second time in three years. Despite a slow start, KKR struck form during the second half of the tournament, and after a shocking loss to Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad, they returned by winning their next nine games, including the first Qualifier and final, culminating in a memorable win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

KKR's fortunes changed immediately after they addressed their problems with their batting, as their bowling remained frugal thanks to their spin department. Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir opened the innings at the cost of Jacques Kallis, and Uthappa's stunning run of form turned them into masters of the chase, as out of their nine straight victories, seven came while batting second.

IPL 7 record: Played 16, won 11, lost 5, points 18 (second in table)

KKR began the tournament with a convincing win over defending champions Mumbai Indians, but narrow defeats to Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals (via Super Over) meant they left from the UAE in a precarious situation, especially with Gambhir's opening form being a worry. And once they lost two more after returning to India, they had to turn things around and quickly.

Tough decisions were taken; to leave a player of Jacques Kallis' pedigree was a big gamble but it worked. Robin Uthappa's elevation to the opening slot was a masterstroke as he found his rhythm, as did Gambhir in his company. And once victory came in Delhi, they went from strength to strength, eventually peaking at the right time to launch an unstoppable winning run.

High point

Despite securing their passage to the play-offs with a game in hand, KKR showed the hunger to do even better in their last league game. KKR were third in the points table, and another victory – but by a huge margin – would have taken them to No 2, and against Sunrisers Hyderabad on their home turf, they went for it with nothing to lose.

KKR needed 161 to win but inside 15.2 overs, and Yusuf Pathan chose the moment to announce his return to form, belting 72 from just 22 balls – included 26 from a Dale Steyn over – as the hosts completed the chase with six balls remaining. The win not only gave them two chances to enter the final, but ensured they played the first Qualifier in front of their home fans at the Eden Gardens.

Low point

Not surprisingly, KKR's lowest ebb came during the first half of the tournament, and their twin defeats to Rajasthan Royals had thrown their campaign off course. In Abu Dhabi, KKR managed to tie a thrilling game to take it to a Super Over, but RR managed to tie the game to win it on a higher boundary count.

But their second defeat to RR was worse, as despite cruising at one stage at 121 for no loss, KKR's batting imploded to eventually fall 10 runs short. Six batsmen were out in the space of two overs and two runs. That they bounced back to win nine games in a row showed how much that loss had hurt.

Captaincy verdict

Despite getting off to his worst start across all editions with three ducks in a row, which was followed by a score of 1, Gautam Gambhir showcased his shrewd side as captain even when faced with his own loss of form. He dropped himself to No 3, and even though the experiment didn't work, it showed Gambhir's desperation to put his team in winning positions.

Gambhir – and indeed the team management – made tough choices in resting Kallis and deciding to open with Uthappa, a move that not only signaled KKR addressing their batting issues, but Uthappa's run of form that saw him become the leading run-getter after that vindicated the move.

The KKR skipper was clever while handling his bowlers, and his decision to bowl Sunil Narine during the back end of the innings proved vital in the team's success in the last five overs. The bowling unit at Gambhir's disposal was thus the most economical throughout the tournament.

Most valuable player

Robin Uthappa began the tournament with decent scores in the middle order, but Kallis and Gambhir's inability to keep the scoreboard ticking at a good rate allowed him to open the innings. Uthappa relished the opportunity, and his spectacular returns – more than 40 in ten straight innings leading up to the final – saw him become the leading run-getter of the tournament. Uthappa finished the tournament with 660 runs at a strike-rate of 137 with five half-centuries, and earned a recall to the national side for the series against Bangladesh.

Major disappointment

The veteran South African had announced his retirement from Test cricket not too long ago, and the rustiness of not having played the shorter formats frequently showed up during the first leg of the tournament in UAE. His 72 in KKR's opening game was his best across both skills, but Kallis' contributions dropped after that. In eight games, he managed 151 runs at a strike-rate of 117 and four wickets with an economy of 8.45. Kallis' waning form prompted KKR to push Uthappa to open, and his good run coupled with the finishing skills of Shakib Al Hasan and Ryan ten Doeschate meant Kallis could never return to the XI.

Verdict

By winning their second IPL title in three years, KKR became the second team to win the championship twice along with Chennai Super Kings. KKR's successes were highlighted by the team playing around their key players. Different batsmen put their hand up to win games – Yusuf Pathan and Manish Pandey deserve a special mention – while the bowling attack revolved around the excellent spin trio of Narine, Shakib and Piyush Chawla. The highest run-getter was a KKR batsman (Uthappa) while Narine was two wickets shy of becoming the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

Must do for 2015

No team likes to disrupt a winning combination and KKR won't be any different, but it will be interesting to see if Jacques Kallis returns for another year as an IPL player. Kallis has retired from Test cricket and with the 2015 World Cup not too far away, the legendary allrounder will draw curtains on a glittering career. At 39, fitness would be a key battle Kallis would have to fight to find a place among the four overseas players. What would be more interesting is who they replace the greatest allrounder of the modern game with.

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