Kolkata Knight Riders – A victory thoroughly deserved
After four ordinary seasons of Indian Premier League (IPL) and going through a lot of changes and criticism, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have at last tasted success as they clinched the title in their fifth effort.
KKR struggled in the initial years under the leadership of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bengal-c771, but had gone past his best cricketing years by 2008, which was the inaugural year of the league.
The management took a harsh decision after the third season and replaced Ganguly by another left-handed batsman, Gautam Gambhir, as the skipper. It turned out to be a master-stroke by the owners as there was an evident improvement in the side in the fourth
season. KKR qualified for the play-offs but could not reach the final of the tournament.
The franchise made some more changes in personnel for the fifth season and bought new players like Sunil Narine and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129. The former proved to be a great pick as the mystery spinner changed the fortunes for KKR.
KKR did not start well in the current season either and lost their first couple of games. However, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447 and company got their act together pretty soon and finished the league stage at number two with 21 points after 16 matches.
Gambhir led his team from the front and scored 590 runs in the tournament. Narine, the 23-year-old off-spinner from Trinidad & Tobago turned out to be a sensation for KKR and picked up 24 wickets this season with an economy-rate of 5.47 runs per over. These
two remained the stand-out performers for their side but the real strength of the Knight Riders was their team combination and spirit.
Most of the players were not at their best throughout the tournament but they made it count when it mattered most for their team.
Gambhir displayed exceptional leadership skills as he showed complete faith in his men and did not make any major changes in the playing eleven, even though he was criticised in the initial part of the tournament for persisting with the senior players.
A captain has a major role to play in any team’s success in cricket but like a true leader, Gambhir has refused to take all the credit by himself and expressed after the final that KKR’s triumph is a total team effort.
The Delhi-born cricketer praised the whole batting line-up for chasing down a massive total in the final against Chennai Super Kings.
"It's not about me or that I got out early. It is about eleven people who took the field. The way Bisla batted, the maturity and experience that Jacques showed and the cameos from Shakib and Tiwary at the end. It's not about how you start, it's how you finish.
Those performances won the game for us," said Gambhir.
Kolkata’s captain has emphasised throughout the tournament that he believes in a team effort and his approach is surely reflected by the results as well.
"Since the first press conference I did, I've said I hate to talk about individuals. It was not about http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869. KKR has never been about one individual, whether that's me or someone else,” he further added.
KKR has emerged as a massive force in the current season of the league and it remains to be seen that they can remain consistent in the years to come or not. However, KKR’s victory in the final was thoroughly deserved.
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