IPL 2020, Match 12: Reasons why RR were defeated by KKR

Rajasthan Royals (RR) registered their first loss of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They failed to reach a par total of 174 at the Dubai International Stadium. 

An expected competitive match turned to be a one-sided encounter, as Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) young guns had put out their best show. KKR managed to win the match against RR by 37 runs at the Dubai International Stadium.
Let’s just look at some points that impeded RR’s winning streak.

Poor fielding cost heavy
It’s true that catches win matches, where the dropped ones cost massively. And, this was the prime reason for their loss on Wednesday. The team leaked nearly 22 runs due to their casual fielding. The match could have been theirs if Uthappa, Tewatia, and Curran would have been caught by Narine, Russell, and Morgan, respectively, on time.

Expensive Bowlers
Except for Archer, nearly all bowlers went expensive. Rajpoot, Curran, Gopal, and Parag were extremely uneconomical against the KKR. They should have roped in Unadkat (14 runs in two overs) and Tewatia (six runs in on over) to bowl, both of whom even scalped a wicket each.

Inconsistent batting order
RR batsmen, who chased 223 runs against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), were horrible against KKR. All the star batsmen fluked and they were 43/5 after eight overs. It was Tom Curran, who saved the RR face on Wednesday. He struck 54 runs off 36 balls and took them to 137 at the end of their innings, which looked unlikely before.

KKR’s spectacular bowling
The young guns of KKR were absolutely economical. Besides the exceptional catches, they undertook Mavi, Nagarkoti, and Chakravarthy, who claimed RR’s six major wickets.