Two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the 3rd most successful side in the history of the cash-rich league. The side owned by the Badshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan is an extremely popular side in IPL.
However, off late KKR haven’t been in the best of form. They last qualified for the playoffs in IPL 2021 and finished in the 7th position in both IPL 2022 and 2023. KKR last won the IPL in 2014 and they haven’t been able to display consistency ever since.
KKR fans have become quite frustrated and are demanding some strong measures from the team management.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why KKR have witnessed a sharp decline in recent times in the IPL:
1. Lack of a charismatic leader
Leadership plays an extremely important role in the IPL and KKR have not been able to tick that box in the IPL. KKR had an astute captain in Gautam Gambhir in the IPL and he took them to 5 playoffs and 2 finals.
His presence was quite inspiring for everyone in the dugout and he was regarded as a very charismatic leader.
However, after Gambhir wasn’t retained ahead of the IPL 2018 mega-auction, KKR made Dinesh Karthik the captain. The wicket-keeper batter took KKR to 1 playoff but couldn’t leave a lasting impact.
Captains like Eoin Morgan, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana too were good but they couldn’t replicate the same performances like Gautam Gambhir.
2. Too much chopping and changing
Back in the Gautam Gambhir era, KKR’s core was pretty much the same. From Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel and Piyush Chawla in the bowling department to Yusuf Pathan, Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa in the batting department, the Knights didn’t make too many changes.
But post that, Kolkata Knight Riders have been making several changes to their playing XI. That negatively affects a team’s morale and has a drastic effect on the confidence levels of the players.
3. Lack of a fixed opening pair
Franchises that have excelled in IPL have had some sort of consistency in terms of their players in the opening pair. And KKR back in the day had the likes of Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir/Jacques Kallis, who were fixed in the opening department.
But off late, KKR’s opening pair has been a major grey area. Last season KKR tried Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer and Aaron Finch to name a few but they didn’t perform well.
In IPL 2023 as well, KKR tried several opening pairs. They used 6 opening pairs in IPL 2023 and this again highlights the lack of consistency and trust.
Also read: From Rohit Sharma To Manish Pandey: A Look At The Man Of The Match Winners In IPL Finals
