KKR finally ended their losing streak after Rinku Singh powered them over the line in a gutsy chase against RR. On a used pitch, RR were sluggish with the bat, but with some help from Shimron Hetmyer, they were able to put up a competitive score. The chase was again handled by KKR’s middle order after yet another failure from their openers. We discuss a few key moments from match 47 of the 2022 IPL.
Lack of batting depth hurting RR?
RR replaced Daryl Mitchell with Karun Nair, but that didn’t solve their problem of having a long tail. RR’s lower middle order was so far shielded well by Joss Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer, but there isn’t any quality T20 batter at number seven and below. Ashwin, who is more of a timer of the ball than a basher, might help RR finish an odd game, but he’s not a reliable or an able finisher in the T20s.
This lack of depth has forced Buttler to move away from his naturally aggressive batting and has made him circumspect. His approach of biding his time earlier and then attacking later can backfire when he fails to get going after getting set. It was the case against KKR as Buttler got out after settling in. Since he couldn’t counterattack, his innings of 22 runs off 25 balls had a negative impact on RR and eventually cost them 15-20 runs. It remains to be seen whether RR will support Buttler by adding a bit more batting depth, allowing him to free up from ball one and capitalise on his purple patch.
Shimron Hetmyer’s entry point
When the third wicket fell in the 14th over, it was an ideal time for Shimron Hetmyer to walk in and provide some impetus to RR’s struggling inning. Instead, Riyan Parag walked in ahead of Hetmyer. Parag came in with decent performances in recent games, but with Hetmyer’s form, the move to hold him back was surprising.
In this year’s IPL, from overs 15 to 20, Parag strikes at 171.7, whereas Hetmyer strikes at 180. The difference in strike rate might not be huge, but the impact lies in the difference in their batting average. Hetmyer averages 60, while Parag’s average is a modest 13.2. This means that Hetmyer maintains his power-hitting game for a longer duration (almost thrice than Parag), which translates into a more impactful batting performance.
Parag did play an enterprising cameo of 19 runs off 12 balls, but Hetmyer’s better finishing ability and form yielded him 27 runs off just 13 balls at a strike rate in excess of 200.
KKR’s opening woes
KKR saw yet another pair open the innings for them when Baba Indrajith walked out to bat with the struggling Aaron Finch. KKR have so far used 20 players from their squad. Indrajith was their sixth opening option in as many games. Despite (or due to) these changes, KKR have a poor opening record.
KKR openers averaged 14.2 runs per innings before this match. They barely managed to improve their average as Finch failed yet again, with just 16 runs on the board for KKR. Finch has so far scored just 72 runs in four innings in this year’s IPL, of which 58 came in one inning. He has looked completely out of sorts with his technique against the left-arm bowlers and has been a pale shadow of his former self.
An opening partnership sets the tone for the rest of the players but KKR have struggled badly in this department. It has put added pressure on their middle-order batters, who themselves have been inconsistent. A win against RR might offer the players another go at establishing their position in the XI.