Sanjay Manjrekar credited the batting duo of Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi for the resurgence of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in UAE. The attacking starts that they have provided at the top of the order have helped the side put up decent totals on the board.
KKR won just two out of their first seven matches in the first leg. They started the second leg in whirlwind fashion, however, winning their first two matches comprehensively. They then went down to the table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a closely fought contest in the third match, which was decided in the last ball.
Sanjay Manjrekar Concerned About KKR’s Death Overs Bowling
The free-flowing batting of openers Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi has helped reduce KKR’s dependence on the senior batsmen in the side, reckons Sanjay Manjrekar.
“Kolkata, it’s been quite a story in this Indian T20 league. The resurgence of Kolkata in the second half. It’s really on the back of two players. One cost them (INR) 20 lakhs, the other (INR) 60 lakhs. I am talking about Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi. These guys have set to light the whole platform for Kolkata to the extent that they have not had to rely so much on the likes of Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, or Morgan,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on Instagram.
Sanjay Manjrekar lauded the bowling unit of KKR, especially the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.
“Bowling is looking really formidable. Both spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, showing class in the last couple of games. Lockie Ferguson, good death bowler. If Russell is fit, he bowls in the death as well. And they will be hoping that he is fit.”
Sanjay Manjrekar shared his concerns about pacer Prasidh Krishna’s bowling at the death overs. The expensive penultimate over against CSK cost his side the match on Sunday (September 26). Sanjay Manjrekar felt KKR could use their spinners more at the death.
“Maybe Kolkata could look to use Prasidh Krishna in the first 16-17 overs. And if he doesn’t bowl his full quota of four overs, maybe they could not use him at the death and have Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine to bowl at the death, because these are bowlers capable of bowling in the death. A lot of power hitters aren’t so good at death when it comes to hitting the spin.”
Prasidh Krishna has been expensive as his economy rate is above 9. Right from his debut IPL season in 2018, he has leaked more than 9 runs per over every time. His IPL career average is also above 35, so he may be rested for the next few games and the likes of Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Sandeep Warrier may be tried out.
Sanjay Manjrekar: Delhi Capitals Is A Formidable Side And The Best Team In IPL 2021
Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Delhi Capitals (DC) is the best side in the IPL based on their current form. He pointed out that their bench strength allows the Delhi Capitals to be at their best even when a regular player misses out on a game citing the example when Marcus Stoinis wasn’t fit, DC played only 3 instead of 4 overseas players and yet won.
“Delhi is a formidable side. As of today or in current form, it is the best team in this T20 league. When you call a big team, that is a team that doesn’t have any major weaknesses. In the last game, when Stoinis wasn’t fit, they played Lalit Yadav and it didn’t affect their performance. When they miss a player, it doesn’t affect their team drastically,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.
The only weakness the Delhi Capitals have, according to the commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, would be their dependence on two finger spinners. He wants Rishabh Pant to play wrist-spinner Amit Mishra to change that up.
“If at all there is a little weakness, maybe two finger spinners is a gamble. If you get a flat pitch and a power-hitting batting unit in the opposition, that can be a bit of a risk. So maybe Amit Mishra could get some games on occasion, because, every time he has played for Delhi, he has made quite a mark,” Sanjay Manjrekar signed off.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra remains a vital cog in the Delhi Capitals’ machinery. The wily leg-spinner, who has the most hat-tricks in the tournament, has 166 IPL wickets against his name. While the injury cut short his IPL 2020 journey, the veteran spinner picked six wickets in 4 games averaging 18.16 before contracting the virus, which eventually led to the postponement of IPL 2021 in India.
DC are placed second in the pecking order with eight wins and 16 points from 10 outings, while two-time winners KKR find themselves in the fourth position with four wins and six defeats.
Predicted Playing 11s
KKR Predicted 11: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell/ Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna/ Shivam Mavi
DC Predicted 11: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis/Lalit Yadav, R Ashwin/ Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan