IPL 2020: KKR vs RCB Game Plan 1 – Let’s pick some wickets, Cummins and Saini?
The thirty-ninth match of the IPL 2020 tournament between the blockbuster teams, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, could all be about match-ups. Here, we take a look at a key game plan that could play a role in the thirty-ninth game of IPL 2020 – KKR vs RCB.
NOTE: Stats are updated till 19 October (Match No. 37 of IPL 2020)
A fast-bowler, capable of operating in 140s, is generally seen as an attacking bowler, who has a ‘knack’ of picking up wickets. Pat Cummins, of KKR, and Navdeep Saini, of RCB, fall in this category. However, in IPL 2020, they have failed to pick up enough wickets. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 100 balls, Cummins and Saini have the worst bowling strike rates.
Cummins (2nd) and Saini (4th) also find themselves among the five worst bowlers if the bowling average is the benchmark.
Whilst both pacers are yet to pick up a wicket in the middle-overs, Saini averages over 45 in the other two phases and Cummins over 70. The Aussie pacer has bowled 66.67% of his total overs in the powerplay, a phase in which wickets matter a lot, and, still, he has scalped just two wickets in the phase.
KKR vs RCB: ATTACK THE STUMPS A BIT MORE:
One of the best ways to pick up wickets is targeting the stumps, especially the off and middle stump. However, Saini and Cummins haven’t done it enough.
For all the pacers, who have picked up at least 10 wickets in the IPL 2020 so far, the percentage of the balls bowled in the off and the middle stump line is 15.27%. For, Saini, it is 7.84%, and for Cummins, 4.04%. On the good-length, the percentage of the balls bowled by ‘successful’ pacers is over 14%, for Cummins, it is a bit more than 3%, for Saini, a bit more than 5%.
Saini and Cummins haven’t targeted the stumps enough, and, hence, they have failed to pick up enough wickets. The ‘successful’ pacers have picked up about 21% of their wickets while bowling in the off and middle stump line while Saini & Cummins, zero.
KKR vs RCB: CAN SAINI CHANGE THE STORY AGAINST KKR?
While Cummins has failed to justify his price-tag so far, it is hard to say that Saini has been poor. However, he has been defensive. Being defensive is quite important to succeed in T20s, however, Saini has been more than required.
Whilst his economy has been very good, he has picked up just one wicket since Morris made his debut for RCB. And, he has bowled just two overs in the death-overs since Chris Morris’ first game this season, so Saini has to be a bit more attacking in other two phases.
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Saini has a good record against KKR. Among IPL teams against whom he has played at least three games, his average (20.50) and strike rate (16.50) against KKR are the best while the economy rate (7.45), second-best.
Saini should be able to handle Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana. Rana is susceptible to hard-lengths as well as short balls. Against right-arm fast-bowlers (excluding medium-pacers) in the IPL since 2017, Rana averages 23.3 and has a strike rate of under 115.
Facing eight short balls of over 135 kph this season, Rana has scored at 4.5 RPO. Against six bouncers, he has scored at 5 RPO and got out once. However, Saini hasn’t tried enough bouncers this season. Just 2.94% of his balls have been bouncers, for the ‘successful’ bowlers, it has been 6.22%. Thus, against Rana, from over the wicket, short-balls and bouncers along with hard-lengths should work for Saini.
The same ploy should work against Morgan, given Saini cramps Morgan for room and sets the field accordingly. The speedster is yet to pick up a wicket while bowling short-balls or bouncers this season so far, and this match would be a good time to do so.
Andre Russell is the main threat for RCB. Whilst Morris, the other hit-the-deck-hard RCB pacer, nearly got him out in the previous meeting, Saini is also a decent bet against the Jamaican. While facing 14 short-of-the-length balls from pacers this season, Russell has got out thrice and scored at 7.29 RPO. Against five bouncers, Russell has got out once and scored at 1.20 RPO.
Russell’s dismissal off Bumrah should be a good example for Saini.
KKR vs RCB: WHAT SHOULD CUMMINS DO?
As already mentioned, Cummins should attack the stumps a bit more. Against Devdutt Padikkal, he should bowl short balls and bouncers. Bowling wide outside of the off-stump, from over the wicket, should also work.
As mentioned many times in the previous game-plans, Aaron Finch is susceptible to the moving ball. Thus, while attacking the stumps, Cummins should look to move the ball against Finch.
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Cummins has not been very accurate with his planning against batsmen so far. In the match against DC, he didn’t bowl even one short ball against Pant and Iyer while against Rohit, against MI, he bowled five short balls and conceded runs at 20.40 RPO.
Cummins should bring energy in his bowling, he should be aggressive, look to hit the pitch hard by bending his back. The addition of Ferguson, as his partner, should only help Cummins as well as KKR.