IPL 2020: How Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals are shaping up this tournament
We are nine games in to the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and it’s been a dramatic start to the tournament. We’ve already seen Super Over finishes, chaotic collapses, a heist being pulled off and a couple of one-sided fixtures.
Every team has played at least two games by now and it is the Delhi Capitals (DC) who are at the top of the table having won both their games. Rajasthan Royals (RR) are second with as many wins while Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) are placed third despite one win from three games but thanks to their healthy net run rate (+1.498), they are above the rest of the teams who are on two points.
Kings XI Punjab look good but same old problems arise
Kings XI Punjab Image Courtesy: iplt20.com
KXIP will be kicking themselves. KL Rahul and his men should’ve really made it three in three. They had each of the three games in their pockets and somehow, they’ve managed to lose two of them. Yes, as KL Rahul said after the loss against RR, these things happen in cricket but KXIP have only themselves to blame.
And it’s their death bowling that has cost them both those games. That Super Over loss against the Delhi Capitals might be put down to nerves as they couldn’t wrap up the chase with one run needed off the last three balls. However, KXIP’s death bowling was shoddy in that game as well. Chris Jordan and Sheldon Cottrell were smashed for 57 runs in the last three overs as Marcus Stoinis got stuck into them.
Meanwhile, the game against RR was one they should’ve won comfortably. There is no way RR should’ve chased down 224. They needed 84 off the last five overs and no team had ever chased that many in the last five. Yet, Kings XI Punjab lost the game and it was their bowling at the death which cost them.
Since 2018, they are the third-worst bowling team in the IPL. They concede runs at an economy of 11.20 in the last four overs of the innings.
Rajasthan traditionally concede too much in the death and score at one of the lowest rates with the bat.
Today, they pulled one over #KXIP with some
death batting.
Only thrice before has >51 runs been scored to win in IPL in the last 3 overs in a run-chase. #RRvKXIP pic.twitter.com/szwrTXhndm
— Stat Doctor
(@stat_doctor) September 27, 2020
This year, it’s been the last three overs that’s haunted them badly. In the two matches they’ve bowled in overs 18-20, Kings XI Punjab have conceded a staggering 110 runs and are going at a mind-boggling economy of 20.75. Chris Jordan bowled a couple of overs in that first game and went the distance. Sheldon Cottrell didn’t fare any better. Mohammed Shami was poor.
For Kings XI Punjab, it’s been a stark contrast with the new ball and at the death. While Shami and Cottrell have been excellent at the top, they’ve travelled the distance at the death. Jordan is KXIP’s designated death bowler but after a poor first game, he was dropped.
So, what’s the solution? Jordan is a decent death bowler and has the ability to hit the yorkers consistently and has done that for England for a few years now. He can be backed. Another underrated option could be Ishan Porel who is sitting on the bench. The Bengal fast bowler had an economy of 5.66 as he took seven wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year.
However, there are a lot of positives to take out of the three games so far. KL Rahul has continued his excellent white-ball form and has been the best batsman of the tournament. You could well say that about Mayank Agarwal as well. He has been in magnificent form as well and the two Karnataka boys are fighting it out for the Orange Cap early in the season, having amassed in excess of 200 runs each.
They may once again tend to seem top-heavy but it might be slightly early to pass that judgement. Rahul and Agarwal have done the bulk of the scoring. The likes of Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell and the others in the middle-order haven’t really got a big chance and have faced only a few deliveries.
ALSO READ: Best run-chases in IPL
Ravi Bishnoi has been very impressive and has picked up four wickets so far. Moreover, even on a ground where it rained sixes and his teammates and counter-parts went for more than 10 runs an over, Bishnoi bowled well and conceded runs at 8.5. His combination with Murugan Ashwin has been good.
Thus, Punjab are looking good and seem to be shaping up well this season. The only thing is that they need to sort out their death bowling woes real soon. Over the last couple of seasons, they’ve started well but fell off towards the end. This season, they’ve lost two out of three and they were games they should’ve won.
Rajasthan Royals and six-hitting fests
Rajasthan Royals Image Courtesy: iplt20.com
Like KXIP, Rajasthan Royals have been top-heavy for the last few seasons. In fact, there is a stark contrast between their top three and the middle-order (positions 4 to 7) in the last two seasons. Before the start of this season, their middle-order had the worst average (17.06) and second-worst strike-rate (124.66) since the start of 2018. Another issue was their death bowling. They’ve been one of the worst teams bowling at the death and had the worst economy-rate in 2019.
This season hasn’t been too different. The top three have scored plenty and the bowlers have been disappearing.
However, RR have played both their games in Sharjah and have been involved in run-fests or rather six-fests. They are the only team that has conceded two 200+ totals so far. Jofra Archer who is conceding runs at 9.00 is their most-economical bowler.
But if they’ve conceded 200+ both times, they’ve scored well more than 200 both times as well. Their top-order seems to be in blazing form. Steve Smith is relishing the new role as an opener and has got back-to-back fifties and so has Sanju Samson at No. 3.
In fact, Samson has backed up his good form in two successive games and for the first time in his IPL career, got two consecutive half-centuries. He has been the real match-winner and has a stunning strike-rate of 214.86. The Kerala batsman has smoked 16 sixes in just two sixes and has showed he can be a power-hitter too.
Jos Buttler played in the second game and his presence is a definite boost. He may have failed but he is one of the top T20 openers going around in world cricket at the moment.
However, RR’s middle-order doesn’t inspire too much confidence. Yes, Rahul Tewatia played a blinder and turned the game upside down against KXIP. He went from being a zero to a hero in no time. However, consistency will be the key. Archer has been striking it well too and has hit six sixes in the 11 balls he’s faced. There is promise but the question will be how often and how consistently can the likes of Archer and Tewatia do it? The rest of the middle-order (the likes of Riyan Parag and Robin Uthappa) haven’t really stepped up.
The availability of Ben Stokes is unknown and there are reports the England all-rounder might join the Rajasthan Royals squad in the first week of October. His inclusion might just bolster that weak middle-order. Their bowling needs to up their game as well and not every time will the batting come to save the day, especially on bigger grounds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
It seemed like Rajasthan Royals liked playing in Sharjah but they have just one more game scheduled there and that is against Delhi Capitals on the 9th of October. They will be happy with the start they’ve got. Their challenge will be to adapt and change their plans when they play on the other venues.