IPL 2022, RR vs KKR: How good has Chahal been and why did KKR mess up their plans against Jos Buttler? – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

A high-scoring thriller at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on the 14th anniversary of the first-ever IPL game saw Rajasthan Royals hold on till the end to eke out a win by seven runs against Kolkata Knight Riders. In a game that swung back and forth till the very end, there were quite a few decisions that warrant a longer discussion. Here we ask a few burning questions to dissect the game.

Why did KKR not bowl Sunil Narine until the 8th over?

Jos Buttler’s showing this IPL has been manic, but in general, in T20s in the last couple of years, Buttler has found a way to single out the weakest link in an attack, and more often than not play out the best bowler in an attack. The mantra has worked like a charm for him in 2022 so far and it continued on Monday night with him playing out Sunil Narine for just five runs in nine balls.

But by the time Narine came into the attack in the eighth over of the innings, Buttler had already compiled his half-century and Rajasthan Royals had gotten off to a flier. With KKR unable to make early inroads and conceding runs at a rapid rate, it was odd to see Narine not being used against Buttler. This year, Buttler has an economy rate of 6.64 in the powerplay overs, something that could have helped KKR disturb Buttler’s rampage.

Is Umesh Yadav’s early-season sheen coming off?

Umesh Yadav has picked just one wicket in last three matches. Image: Sportzpics

After impressing with his new ball spells in the first few games of the season, Umesh Yadav’s numbers are starting to come apart. In his last three games, Umesh Yadav’s impact has been greatly reduced with him picking up just one wicket in three games.

Umesh Yadav first four matches in IPL 2022

4-0-20-2 vs CSK
4-0-16-2 vs RCB
4-1-23-4 vs PBKS
4-0-25-1 vs MI

Umesh Yadav last three matches in IPL 2022

4-0-48-1 vs DC
4-0-31-0 vs SRH
4-0-44-0 vs RR

In the last three matches, Umesh has gone at a rate of 7.57 in the powerplay overs with zero wickets. This is in complete contrast to his figures in the first four matches where he took six wickets and conceded runs at a rate of 4.64 in the powerplay overs.

Why Prasidh Krishna needs to justify his price tag

Prasidh Krishna’s ability was never in question. He was bought for a whopping fee of ₹10 crore with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants going on a bidding war for the quick bowler. Prasidh has, however, not justified the tag yet. This year, despite making it to the Indian team, and showing impressive bursts of pace, Prasidh’s economy rate hasn’t come down much from the nine runs per over he clicked last year.

This year, Prasidh has conceded runs at a rate of 8.6 and has only picked up five wickets in six matches. The fast bowler delivered a crucial 19th over, conceding just seven runs to Umesh Yadav and Sheldon Jackson, but his overall death overs numbers this year have been poor – an economy rate of 11.88 with zero wickets, which is even worse than last year. It’s time Prasidh stepped up for Rajasthan, especially in the middle overs and end overs where RR are short of quality options.

Why is Pat Cummins still in KKR’s XI?

Pat Cummins’ return with wickets isn’t justified with plenty of runs coming off his bowling. Image: Sportzpics

Pat Cummins has now conceded more than 40 runs in his quota of overs in each of the four matches he has played this season. While his incredible heist against Mumbai Indians has salvaged his place in the team, that should no longer be the case with Kolkata Knight Riders having conceded 200-plus totals twice in the last three games.

Cummins has been very ordinary across phases with the ball for Kolkata Knight Riders. Since 2020, he concedes runs at 12.43 in the end overs while picking up wickets at an average of 38.7. In the powerplay this year, Cummins has gone at a rate of 10.80 with just one wicket in the bag. In the middle overs again, he has gone at a rate of nine runs per over for just one wicket this year.

With Tim Southee on the sidelines and showing impressive skills with the ball earlier in the season, KKR should look to bench Cummins or go ahead and use him in a pinch-hitting role with Southee coming in for Aaron Finch to strengthen the bowling.

How good has Yuzvendra Chahal been compared to previous years?

Yuzvendra Chahal took five wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders including a hat-trick. Image: Sportzpics

Yuzvendra Chahal took 18 wickets in IPL 2021, averaging 20.8 with the ball. This year, he already has 17 wickets after six matches with the average cut in half (10.4) and his economy rate remaining impressive on surfaces that have been more in favour of batting than in UAE. The leg-spinner has cut down scoring areas of batters, but more importantly has become a key figure in the last five overs of the innings.

This year, 11 of his 17 wickets have come in the 15-20 overs slot where he has been super impressive, bowling at an economy rate of 6.29 in seven overs. This is a continuation of something RCB tried last year with Chahal. The leg-spinner also took seven wickets in this phase at an economy rate of 5.7 last year. Notably, in the years prior to that, Chahal has conceded runs at a rate of 9.35 in the final six overs. Using him in an attacking manner against pace hitters down the order has reaped rewards for him and Rajasthan Royals.

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