Kolkata Knight Riders – Indian Premier League 5 – Team Assessment
And finally, Kolkata Knight Riders triumphed. The Knights’ image had been in tatters, following the public boycott of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447, they had a leader, ready
to carry forward the ideas of their ambitious owners and fans, delivering in the best possible way by overpowering two-time champions Chennai Super Kings on their home turf.
Their money was well spent, especially when you scoop up a player for a relatively decent price tag, $700,000, and he turns out to be the Player of the Tournament. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869’s rise is well documented and is evident for everyone to admire. His success
overshadowed the underperformance of other signings, notably http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129.
Top Players
Firstly, It has to be the skipper. Gambhir stood tall in every stretch of the imagination. He was their highest run getter, scoring 590 runs at an impressive strike rate of 143, with six half-centuries. He was astute as a leader, backing his players, acknowledging
their contributions, while putting team above any individual – even himself.
That attitude paid dividends, especially in the last two games where his form took a slight dip. Yusuf Pathan’s average season saw him play one pivotal innings, coming against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 Daredevils in the first play-off, while his faith in the squad helped someone
like Manvinder Bisla come and play the innings of a life time in the final.
Jacques Kallis’ season was hardly up to scratch but his experience, coupled with his all-round abilities arguably made him indispensible to the team. The fact that he could easily been replaced, in preference for someone like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shakib-Al-Hasan-c89559, never occurred
in the management’s mind and he dispelled any such suggestions with a ice-cool knock in the final. Overall, his tally looks impressive, 409 runs and 15 wickets.
And then there is Sunil Narine. The mystery spinner remained a mystery for most of his opponents and was Gambhir’s go-to man all season. His stats are astounding, where he claimed 24 wickets at an average of 13.50 with an eye catching economy rate of 5.47.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lakshmipathy-Balaji-c72130 was another crucial member of the side.
Disappointment and joy
While lifting the IPL trophy is a match for any disappointment, KKR indeed had an impressive season all along. After defeats in the opening two games, they settled in well and won all important games on offer. Individually, one could argue that players still
failed to recreate their magic – the front runners being McCullum and Pathan. Both had hefty price tags on their backs but looked considerably out of sorts.
Nonetheless, there were plenty of individual moments of brilliance, including the game changing partnership between Kallis and Bisla in the final.
One would need to mention Shah-Rukh http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319. The man indeed held his bargain well, complimenting his team all along, irrespective of his troubles after his side’s victories. He will certainly be a satisfied owner after all the criticsm he, and his team had
to suffer in the past.
Final Assessment
Deserved Champions – having won the support of the Bengali crowd was another pleasing aspect and few could argue that they not worthy winners. Having won 10 of their final 13 matches was a pleasing enough stat, allowing Gambhir to finally say – mission accomplished.
"It was a team effort, a captain is only as good as his team, this has been my stand throughout," Gambhir said. "A successful team makes a captain, a successful captain doesn't make a team. I always said, if we play to potential, we can't be beaten. There
were a lot of questions asked about the middle order not clicking. I always had a strong belief that it would click at the right time."
"Only one word comes to mind, mission accomplished," added Gambhir.
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