IPL 2022 KKR vs RR: Brendon McCullum highlights Kolkata Knight Riders' opening conundrum in the season

KKR have struggled to solve their opening order in the IPL 2022 which has largely impacted their performance.

Aaron Finch for KKR vs RR in IPL 2022 (Courtesy: iplt20.com)
By Samrat Chakraborty | May 3, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Kolkata Knight Riders registered a clinical seven wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2022 match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday. Chasing a decent target of 159 runs, captain Shreyas Iyer (34) and seasoned campaigners Nitish Rana (48 not out) and Rinku Singh (42 not out) played pivotal roles to guide the side past the finishing line. It was a crucial win for the Kolkata franchise as it helped them stay alive in the crunch race to the IPL 2022 playoffs. 

“Really pleased obviously (with the win). (Losing) Five games on the bounce, it’s not easy. I need to compliment all the guys for the way they played tonight. The guys have stuck together and been realistic. Tonight was a fantastic performance, from two guys who are very good friends (Rana and Rinku). Selection role is really important for me. Couple of guys have lost their form and confidence, there have been a few injuries, so we had to force a couple of changes. We wanted five bowlers and with the pitch on the slower side, Anukul (Roy) came in,” KKR head coach Brendon McCullum said after the match. 

“We wanted Mavi in the team. He (Rinku) has been in the franchise for a long period of time. Lucky enough to spend some time with him. He needed to make a statement and he made it in the first game itself. Rana was out in the middle and that gave him (Rinku) a lot of confidence in his company. Anukul was brilliant, he has been around in the IPL for a long time. He is also similar to Rinku, who carries himself well and has a good future ahead of him,” he added, while speaking about their victory. 

READ MORE: IPL 2022: Virender Sehwag believes MS Dhoni can take CSK to IPL 2022 playoffs

Kolkata Knight Rides: Decoding the problem

KKR have used 20 players in the IPL 2022 season. The franchise had tried out the pair of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane as their openers in the initial matches. But it was switched to Iyer partnering with Australia limited-overs captain Aaron Finch after a poor run of form for the Indian Test veteran while Sunil Narine continued to play the role of a floater batter at top of the order. English all-rounder Sam Billings was also tried as an opener but even that didn’t click for the franchise with Baba Indrajith and Finch their latest opening combo. 

The number of changes made by the two-time champions highlight that the Kolkata franchise are yet to resolve their opening order woes which has made them pay heavy dividends throughout the season. The franchise has failed to make a solid start at the top which has resulted in their unstable run this season and McCullum highlighted that it remains an area of concern. “It (opening) is an area where we need to tidy up. We have been off in the powerplay compared to the other teams”. 





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