Despite having two heroic wins in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) find themselves in a precarious situation. The Knights have lost 4 matches on the bounce and nothing is going right for them in IPL 2023.
KKR are not being able to produce the performances which are needed for a win and they are struggling with every passing game. Yesterday, the team suffered a humongous defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at their home ground, Eden Gardens.
If things are not sorted for them quite soon, they will not be able to qualify for the playoffs even in this season.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why KKR is not performing well in IPL 2023:
1. Too much chopping and changing
KKR are experimenting too much and this is acting as an obstacle in the path of success for KKR. With every passing game, skipper Nitish Rana is implanting changes and this is leading to the players wanting to play for their position in the team.
For instance, Litton Das was dropped after just one game. Lockie Ferguson was dropped after he failed to do something substantial in a couple of games. Skipper Rana should back his players instead of chopping and changing the team so much.
2. Over dependence on Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell
KKR are relying on individual performances rather than team performances. And this is causing the team to be dependent on a few players. As Rinku Singh is in red-hot and blistering form, KKR is expecting a tad too much from him.
The story of over-reliance on Andre Russell and Sunil Narine has been happening for quite some seasons now. If the West Indian duo is not able to perform in a game, the team finds themselves in a big grave.
3. No fixed opening combination
In 7 IPL 2023 matches so far, KKR has tried 5 different opening pairs. The need for a solid and compact opening pair in the powerplay underlines the strength of an IPL team. If there is no good opening partnership or pair, then the team finds itself in a loophole.
KKR haven’t had any fixed opening combination and this is heavily backfiring on them. The first and foremost thing which KKR needs to do is find an opening pair that can be used for a prolonged period of time and not just a few games.
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