Aaron Finch and Cheteshwar Pujara criticized Venkatesh Iyer for showing a lack of intent during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ KKR 199-run chase against Gujarat Titans GT. Coming in at No. 4 with KKR at 43 for 2 in the sixth over, IPL Final, Venkatesh failed to build momentum against GT’s spinners and was eventually dismissed by Sai Kishore after scoring just 14 runs off 19 balls.
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He failed to hit a single boundary, and with the rest of the batting line-up also failing to fire, KKR slumped to a 39-run defeat. You need to show intent against spin, Finch said. You can’t hit a six or a boundary if you’re not even trying if your first instinct is just to nudge it into the leg side for a single, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Then you’re on a beating to nobody and it was just enthralling, the absence of determination. KKR boasted a deep batting line-up with Angkrish Raghuvanshi coming in at No. 9. But apart from captain Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 50 off 36 balls, none of the other batters managed to cross the 30-run mark.
Though Raghuvanshi coming in as Influence Player has been lacking up and down the order. Venkatesh was sent forward of him as a left-hand selection to counter GT’s spinners. Pujara fingered the announcement from the training staff to Venkatesh.
How he wanted to go about his innings should have been rich too. There are times when, as a batter, you feel that the conditions are a little challenging, Pujara said. You just want to hit it around but when you have a break.
Indian Premier League Final: KKR’s Strategy Misfires Again as Chase Falls Apart
The trainers and the provision staff come in and you make additional plans. This is somewhat which is not occupied, we are sendoff too many innings behind. I do decide that Venkatesh didn’t play the part that he should have frolicked.
However, at the same time, was he instructed to simply rotate the strike when Rashid was bowling and not take him on? I’m unsure what the communication was. KKR entered the game after failing to chase down 112 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur.
At 62 for 2, they were the beloveds in the pursuit, but they intensely collapsed contrary to Yuzvendra Chahal. Here, KKR were 68 for 2 after ten overs, and the mandatory rate stuffed to 13.10. Were they wary of going hard contrary to GT spinners, given what had occurred in contradiction to PBKS?
Or did they simply misjudge the chase? Either way, Finch felt the game was effectively over by then. They had nine batters in their team, Finch said. That automatically suggests they should have been ultra-aggressive from the start, aiming to either catch up to or surpass the required run rate.
So that when the wicket worsens, there’s room for mistakes. For me, that was just a poor control of how to go about a run chase of 200. There are nine batters, you don’t need to reconstruct everything. The game was over after ten overs, wasn’t it?” Finch said. They let the required run rate spiral completely out of control.
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IPL Tickets: KKR’s Playoff Hopes Hanging by a Thread After Fifth Loss
It was strange to watch them just content with knocking it around. A very odd innings, Finch said. They seemed to go out with the mindset of not losing by 100 runs. It was almost like, Let’s aim for 160 and walk off; we’ll be fine with that. It was a dreadful batting display.
Pujara noted that KKR’s bowling was also below par. It wasn’t the kind of pitch where you can afford to leave too many runs behind, he said. It wasn’t a flat pitch where you could score 60-70 runs in the last five overs. This seems they didn’t bowl well in the first innings, especially considering there was enough turn on the pitch.
They should have been aiming for around 180, Pujara said. On that pitch, if you’re yielding more than ten runs per over in the last ten, you’re always playing catch-up. You need to be close to 90 runs in the first ten overs at the very least.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ chances of reaching the IPL 2025 playoffs were dealt a massive blow. As the Ajinkya Rahane-led side drooped to a 39-run loss contrary to Gujarat Titans in Kolkata on Monday.
It was KKR’s fifth overthrow in 8 matches as they are now seventh in the IPL table with 6 points. After this loss, KKR will have to win all of their outstanding six matches to promise their spot in the contests. However, they can still succeed if they win 5 out of their residual 6 matches.
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Indian Premier League: KKR’s Playoff Hopes Hang by a Thread After Fifth Loss
Nevertheless, in that situation, the net run rate and other team’s consequences may play a vast role. If KKR victory 4 more matches in IPL 2025, they will be all nonetheless out of the contest’s race but a small chance will remain exactly. Kolkata Knight Riders’ overthrow contrary to Gujarat Titans has not only elevated thoughtful concerns about their method to strenuous chases.
But also cast doubt on their playoff hopes for IPL 2025. The lack of intent from key batters like Venkatesh Iyer, combined with questionable tactical decisions. And underwhelming bowling performances have left the team needing near-perfect results in their remaining matches.
With only six games left and little room for error, KKR must address their strategic and mental approach quickly if they hope to stay alive in the tournament. Despite having a deep batting lineup, the team failed to adapt to the match situation and allowed the required run rate to spiral out of control.
Their decision-making was passive, and their chase lacked direction and aggression, particularly against spin something that should have been anticipated and countered. The loss also exposed gaps in their bowling unit, which allowed GT to post a total that proved too steep on a pitch offering turn.
With five losses in eight games, KKR is now on the brink. To have a realistic shot at making the playoffs, they must not only win most of their remaining matches but also keep a keen eye on net run rate and other results.
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