Last year’s IPL finalist, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), started the IPL 2022 on a high note, with three wins in their first four games. The two-time IPL champion entered the season as one of the favourites under the leadership of newly-appointed captain Shreyas Iyer. However, things soon went downhill for the Kolkata-based franchise as they lost five consecutive matches and were completely looked out with their strategies.

Several things went wrong during KKR’s campaign like the failure of opening combinations, key players failing to fire and frequent changes to find the right combinations. These factors dragged Kolkata to the bottom four in the points table. With 6 wins in 14 matches, Kolkata eventually finished seventh in the points table.

KKR used 21 out of their 24 players and being inconsistent in the selection procedure hurt their chances of progressing to the playoff stages. A lot of changes meant the playing combination was never settled and as a result, the team management failed to utilize their promising players to the fullest.

So, in this list, let’s check out these three individuals that were underutilized by KKR:

1. Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh has been a part of the KKR franchise since 2018 but due to the team combination, the 24-year-old didn’t feature in the team regularly. Rinku had the maximum opportunity this season as he played the last seven league matches but this time he counted every single match he got and impressed everyone with his finishing skills.

The Aligarh-born cricketer is arguably the biggest positive for KKR from IPL 2022. The southpaw batted in the lower order for KKR as a finisher and also played some useful innings to take the side to the finish line. His 42 runs off 23 balls against Rajasthan Royals helped KKR end a five-match long losing streak and kept them in the race for the playoffs.

In seven matches in IPL 2022, the middle-order batter smashed 174 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 148.72. His best performances came against the Lucknow Super Giants, where he scored 40 off 15 balls at an impressive strike rate of 266.67. A

Although his innings couldn’t take his team to win,  it showed Rinku’s composure and match awareness, which was praised by many cricket pundits. Rinku did not get as many chances as he deserved and things might be different for KKR if the left-hander had a few more outings.

2. Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi, the T20 captain of the Afghanistan team, has the experience of playing different T20 leagues across the world and despite that he didn’t get a single match in IPL 2022 due to the availability of all-rounders like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The 37-year-old is a proven performer in the shortest form of the game and has been playing in the IPL since 2017.

The all-rounder was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at a base price of INR 1 crore at the 2022 mega auction. With the limitation of overseas players in playing XI, it also became hard for Afghan player to make his spot in the XI. If he had the opportunity to play, the off-spinner might have helped KKR to seal the playoffs stage.

Nabi is one of the under-rated players in the tournament who has played only 17 matches in his IPL career. The off-spinner has a smart cricketing brain with which he can trouble any batter. Along with bowling, he could have also contributed with the bat for KKR this season. He is someone shouldn’t have sat on the bench for long and the franchise could have thought of giving him a chance in place of out-of-form Varun Chakraborty.

3. Sam Billings

The wicketkeeper-batter from England has had a few good outings in the Indian Premier League. He has been in the IPL since 2016 and this season, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 2 crore at the 2022 mega auction. The dashing middle-order batter is known for his free-flowing style of batting and effective glovework.

The English cricketer is regarded as a versatile cricketer who can attack the bowler from the very first ball and has an imaginative range of scoring shots. Billings has been part of the IPL for six seasons and has played under three franchises. Billings has the potential to turn games on its head and could be a asset for KKR if the team management shows faith in him from the first game of next season.

The 31-year-old played eight games in IPL 2022 and scored 169 runs at a strike rate of 122.46. His best performance came against the Lucknow Super Giants where he scored 36 off 24 balls. However, his cameo couldn’t avoid the defeat but it reflects that the franchise could have thought of giving him more chances to bring the best out of him.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a good start in the Indian Premier League 2022 with three wins in the first four league matches. However, they soon lost the plot and sustained five losses on the trot on the back of average performances from both departments of the game. Then the second half witnessed them being inconsistent in terms of every alternate game and could secure only six wins in 14 league matches. As a result, they could not qualify for the playoffs.

Throughout the season, Knight Riders didn’t have a stable opening pair, with most of them failing to provide good starts to the team. The death bowling concerns cost heavily for the two-time champions, as they could not put a brake on the opposition in the back-end of the innings. Going forward, the team management is expected to release some players, based on their team’s combination and form of the players in the latter half of the season.

3 Players KKR likely to release ahead of IPL 2023:

1. Aaron Finch

The Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch became the first player to play for record number of nine franchises in the IPL history. This certainly can be accounted for his lack of enough runs for each team, which he has represented in the tournament. Ahead of the 2022 season, Finch replaced Alex Hales in the KKR squad for his base price of 1.5 crore.

In his first innings of this season, he returned with a score of seven. But, the 35-year batter scored 58 off 28 in the following game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) looking at the best of his abilities. However, his next three scores were read as 3,0, and 14.

The lack of contribution at the opening slot was surely hurting the team, as they dropped Finch in the crucial stages of the tournament. He did not play the last three league matches and is likely to be released by the franchise ahead of the next IPL season.

2. Ajinkya Rahane

Since his debut in IPL, the seasoned campaigner has tried to play a second fiddle to his partner. On most occasions, he surely has succeeded but it has not helped his respective teams to get over the line at end of the game. In the IPL 2022 auction, the 33-year was snapped up by KKR for a base price of 1 Crore.

Rahane started with a knock of 44 off 34 in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which helped the team to seal the victory. However, in his next four innings, he returned with scores of 9,12,7, and 8. These knocks forced the team management to ouster him from the first XI.

In the last two innings, the top-order batter scored a total of 53 runs, which came in 48 balls. The hamstring injury kept him out of the contention for featuring the team’s last league game. With only 133 runs in seven innings, he is another player who is not likely to be retained by Knight Riders.

3. Shivam Mavi

Many young pacers earned the recognition by their performances in IPL 2022. However, few of them were ordinary and could not prove their talent and do well for the team. One of such pacer is Shivam Mavi, who has been a part of the KKR team since the 2018 season.

In the 2021 edition, Mavi had picked up 11 wickets in 10 appearances at a terrific economy of 7.24, and was touted to be the team’s key bowler in this edition as well. Mavi consistently gave away 30+ runs and could pick only four wickets in his first five matches.

In his sixth appearance against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mavi was struck for 50 runs in four overs and could take only one wicket. In one of the overs, he gave 30 runs which included five sixes and was straightaway dropped from the team after that game. He did not feature in the the last three league matches for KKR. Hence, the team management is expected to avail the services of a different player to boost their fast bowling arsenal in the next season.

Kolkata Knight Riders were knocked out of the IPL 2022 after a heartbreaking two-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on May 19. But the head coach Brendon McCullum has confidently said that KKR will invest in the emerging middle-order talent Rinku Singh who has been exceptional this season.

Rinku nearly helped the two-time champions get over the line against LSG with a blistering knock of 40 runs from 15 deliveries. He was dismissed on the penultimate delivery of the contest courtesy of a one-handed stunner from Evin Lewis which eventually proved to be the turning point of the game.

Not too many people are able to bat in the middle-order: Brendon McCullum

“Absolutely he (Rinku) sure has (been the find of the season). Rinku is a player who KKR will invest in, no doubt, over the next few years and we will see him really progress and may even challenge for higher honours in time,” said McCullum at the post-match press conference.

“Not too many people are able to bat in middle-order and sort of be able to try (and) pull games out of the fire like he (Rinku) has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and (I) am really pleased for him”, he added. The former New Zealand skipper who has been appointed as the England Test coach will now be stepping down as the KKR coach and it remains to be seen who will be succeeding him. After Rinku’s dismissal, Umesh Yadav walked out to bat with three runs needed off the final delivery.

However, he was castled while attempting a big shot by a brilliant yorker from Marcus Stoinis as the Lucknow camp erupted in joy while there was stunned silence and heartbreak in the Kolkata camp. Even Rinku Singh was seen crying bitterly after the loss. By the virtue of this win, the KL Rahul-led side became the second team after the Gujarat Titans to qualify for the playoffs.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign in IPL 2022 has come to an end and so has Brendon McCullum’s association with the franchise. As the former New Zealand captain has taken over as England’s new Test coach, he won’t be able to serve KKR from next season onwards. The Shreyas Iyer-led side wasn’t able to give their head coach a fitting farewell as they lost their last league game by two runs against Lucknow Super Giants.

The game went right down to the wire as the Knight Riders did exceptionally well while chasing a mammoth 211. However, their efforts eventually went in vain LSG narrowly pipped them to secure a berth in the playoffs. Following the conclusion of the game, McCullum attended his last press conference as KKR head coach and answered several questions candidly.

I’ve had a great time over the last few years with KKR: Brendon McCullum

While KKR won’t go to the playoffs this year, McCullum lauded his team for playing some quality cricket. “I’ve had a great time over the last few years. I think we’ve played some great cricket this year. I’ll follow this moving forward I know they are in really good hands with the support staff and Shreyas as captain so yeah, watch out for KKR next year,” McCullum said in the post-match press conference on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, McCullum, who smashed 158 on his IPL debut, also served KKR as a player and his records speak volumes of his brilliance. He hailed the gala T20 tournament for providing the youngsters with a great platform. “I have loved it (time in IPL). It’s been three years now and all three years have been in bubbles. I’m personally thankful to all parties involved for hosting IPL in between a pandemic. It has given the fans something to hold on to,” stated McCullum.

“It’s just a wonderful tournament, the biggest league in the world. It gives opportunities to some incredibly good talent. And as a coach to be able to be a part of it and give some of the guys the freedom to go out there and play with a positive attitude is something I’m forever grateful for,” he added.

The 66th match of the IPL 2022 between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders was probably one of the finest games this season, courtesy of the thrilling performances that both the teams put up. While the game caught attention because of openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 210-run partnership, head coach Andy Flower revealed that the duo was given the option to retire from batting, looking at the massive efforts they had put in.

Rahul and De Kock put up a massive show on display when they walked out to bat in the first innings against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (May 18) evening. The duo batted from the start, till the end without losing their wickets and remaining unbeaten throughout the game, thereby posting 210 runs on board. While Quinton De Kock stole the show with his massive 140*(70), Rahul held his game tight with a 68*(51).

“At the end of the 18th over, we sent a message saying, ‘If you guys are too tired hitting the ball hard, you can retire and we’ll send some of our big-hitters in.’ These boys, all of them, from 1 to 9 can hit the ball hard like that,” Flower told Star Sports.

Quinton de Kock hitting balls like that, that’d have given him a lot of satisfaction: Andy Flower

De Kock was dropped on 12, and that dropped catch hurt KKR the most looking at how their game ended. KKR were very close to chasing down the total but fell short by mere two runs, losing on the final ball of the game. But the Proteas wicketkeeper-batter was chivalrous. He faced both the pacers and the spinners with sheer brilliance and pulled out a massive show, thereby registering his second IPL century.

“One boundary is a big boundary, so Quinton hitting balls like that, who’s not renowned for his big-hitting actually, that’d have given him a lot of satisfaction,” Flower added.

De Kock’s inning comprised of 10 fours, and as many sixes, whereas KL Rahul hit three fours and four sixes. The duo showed no mercy on KKR bowlers as each and everyone ended their spell on a pricey note. The openers had targeted Tim Southee, who conceded a whopping 57 runs in his four-over spell. The Knights of Kolkata strived for a wicket, but the Super Giants kept going, thereby winning the game and securing a playoff berth.

Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir unleashed his raw emotions after his side’s thrilling two-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (May 18). Stakes were incredibly high in the game and the proceedings went right down to the wire. Chasing 211 at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai, KKR did exceptionally well to reduce the equation to three needing off the final two deliveries.

However, a sensational one-handed catch from Evin Lewis brought an end to Rinku Singh’s assault. As Marcus Stoinis rattled Umesh Yadav’s stumps on the final delivery, the Super Giants recorded a two-run win to officially secure a berth in the next stage. Gambhir didn’t hold back his emotions after the game as he was seen animatedly celebrating with other LSG members. Needless to mention, the clip of the same went viral in no time.

Gautam Gambhir unleashes the angry young man within him

One of the finest left-handed batters to have represented India, Gambhir is no longer an active cricketer but his attitude and passion for the game remain the same. He had even scolded LSG players when the team didn’t do well. Nevertheless, the southpaw would be pleased with Super Giants’ overall performance this season as KL Rahul’s men have secured an IPL 2022 playoff berth.

Gambhir 👏 🤘 : Man of The Match!#KKRvsLSG @GautamGambhirpic.twitter.com/7wNI1cPYKB

— Gaurav Mishra 🇮🇳 (@IamGmishra) May 18, 2022

Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock was the star of LSG’s triumph as he put up a batting exhibition and scored 140 off just 70 deliveries. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan was the stand-out performer in the bowling department, recording figures of 3/20 in his quota of four overs. Meanwhile, LSG skipper KL Rahul was exhausted with the proceedings as his nerves were tested in the contest.

“Haven’t been many games that have gone down to the last ball, maybe some which went to the last over. Happy to be on the other side. Could easily have been on the losing side and have gone back home thinking we lost due to some poor cricket. Good way to finish the last game of the league season,” the 30-year-old stated after the game.

Fans were entertained with some exciting on-field action on Wednesday (May 18) as the IPL 2022 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants went right down to the wire. Having posted 210/0 while batting first at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai, LSG’s win looked all but certain. However, the Knight Riders were not going down without fighting.

Some sensational batting display from Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings, Nitish Rana and especially Rinku Singh meant the game went right down to the wire. In fact, the equation reduced to KKR needing three of the final two deliveries and their victory seemed a mere formality. However, Marcus Stoinis held his nerves and took two back-to-back wickets, sealing the game for LSG.

Notably, stakes were incredibly high in the contest as KKR have been eliminated from the playoff race with this defeat while the Super Giants have sealed a spot in the next stage. Needless to mention, LSG skipper KL Rahul was delighted with the outcome but his nerves were tested in the crunch situations of the game.

Can’t say we held our nerves better: KL Rahul

“I should probably get paid more for games like this. We had missed games like this, in this season. Haven’t been many games that have gone down to the last ball, maybe some which went to the last over. Happy to be on the other side. Could easily have been on the losing side and have gone back home thinking we lost due to some poor cricket,” stated Rahul after the match.

“Good way to finish the last game of the league season. Credit to both teams to make such a brilliant game of cricket. Can’t say we held our nerves better because it was a matter of three runs. For Stoinis to execute those plans in the last two balls to get us the win, was brilliant,” he added.

Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock was the chief architect of LSG’s win as he slammed an unbeaten 140 off just 70 deliveries. With the ball, Mohsin Khan took a three-fer as LSG advanced to the second place in the team standings.

Some mad batting was on display during the IPL 2022 clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (May 18). It was a crucial contest for both teams as KKR needed a victory to stay alive in the playoff race while LSG were aiming to seal a place in the next stage with a win.

In the end, the Super Giants emerged victorious by two runs, and a lot of credit should go to Evin Lewis’ sensational fielding display. Needing 21 off the last over, KKR’s Rinku Singh smashed Marcus Stoinis for a four and two sixes in the first three deliveries, reducing the equation to five needed off three deliveries. Furthermore, Rinku gathered a couple of runs in the fourth delivery but what happened in the penultimate left the entire cricket world jaw-dropped.

Rinku mistimed the hit while trying to gather another boundary. While the ball seemed to land between two fielders, Lewis ran across from the deep backward point and took an astonishing one-handed catch. It was indeed a big moment in the game as the dangerous Rinku walked back for 40 off just 15 deliveries.

Evin Lewis stuck one hand and I can’t believe it stuck: Marcus Stoinis

Stoinis held his nerves in the last delivery of the game as he rattled Umesh Yadav’s stumps, taking his team to a two-run triumph. It was indeed a heartbreaking defeat for the Knight Riders as they did exceptionally well while chasing a mammoth 211. However, Lewis’ brilliance in the field meant the two-time champions just fell short. Meanwhile, Stoinis’ hailed the Caribbean batter after the game, saying he should be the Player of the Match.

Evin Lewis with a one handed Blinder, my goodness. What a game, what a finish.@klrahul @bishnoi0056 @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/UVwdMLODGz

— VISHU MOHANLAL KARWASRA🇮🇳 (@Vishnukarwasra2) May 18, 2022

“I don’t think he knew it was going to him. And then he just stuck one hand and I can’t believe it stuck. We’re giving him Man of the Match. He chilled all game and he was so looking forward to batting, and then he ends up pulling out a one-handed blinder. That’s the game,” Stoinis told Star Sports.

Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock was the chief architect of LSG’s triumph as he smashed an unbeaten 140 off just 70 deliveries. With the ball, Mohsin Khan took three wickets. With this win, the Super Giants have taken their tally to 18 while KKR have been eliminated.

Quinton de Kock scored a breathtaking century as he tore apart the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling line-up to register the third-highest individual score of 140* off just 70 in the history of IPL. The wicketkeeper-batter slammed ten fours and as many maximums to help Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) post a mammoth total of 210/0. Skipper KL Rahul also made an unbeaten 68 off 51 as the LSG side didn’t lose a single wicket, and subsequently won the thrilling encounter by just two runs in Match 66 of IPL 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Speaking about how the match unfolded, Rahul won the toss, and his team elected to bat first. KKR suffered an absolute carnage right from the start as De Kock went completely berserk. He dismantled the bowling side single-handedly on his way to a brutal century. He shattered a flurry of records in this special knock with Rahul also playing his part in the innings. The pair registered the highest opening stand and the third-highest (210*) for any wicket in the league’s history.

De Kock also surpassed his partner Rahul’s score of 132* to script the highest score by a wicketkeeper in the tournament. The latter had slammed that score against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2020 edition. South African international De Kock also equalled Adam Gilchrist and Rahul for hitting most hundreds (2) as a keeper. Tim Southee bowled the most expensive for KKR in the match with figures of 0/57 in four overs. Chasing a massive total of 211, Venkatesh Iyer’s disastrous campaign continued as he bagged a duck. Abhijeet Tomar, who played his first match of the season, got out for just four runs.

Nitish Rana came out all guns blazing and smashed 42 off 22 with nine fours. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 50 off 29 which included four fours and three sixes. Sam Billings made 36 while Andre Russell couldn’t do much today as he was dismissed for just five runs. Rinku Singh breathed life into the contest as he looked to take the game away from LSG.

He slammed 40 off just 15 but Evin Lewis took a blinder of a catch to dismiss him and end all the hopes of KKR. The two-time champions KKR are eliminated while LSG joined Gujarat Titans in the top two. For his unbelievable and jaw-dropping century, Quinton de Kock won the Player-of-the-Match award.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from Match 66 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2022:

 140* – Quinton de Kock registered his highest score of 140* in the IPL. His previous best was 108 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2016.

210* – De Kock and KL Rahul recorded the highest opening partnership of 210* in the IPL. The previous best was 185 between David Warner and Jonny Bairstow against RCB in 2019.

3 – De Kock and Rahul scripted the third-highest partnership (210*) for any wicket in the league. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli scored 229* against Gujarat Lions in 2016 and the same pair smashed 215* against Mumbai Indians in the year 2015.

2 – Rahul became the second player after David Warner to slam 500-plus runs in five successive seasons. Warner had smashed in six consecutive editions.

3 – De Kock achieved the third-highest individual score of 140* in the tournament. Chris Gayle with 175* against Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2013 and Brendon McCullum 158* against RCB in 2008 are in the top two.

0/60 – Avesh Khan delivered the most expensive spell of 0/60 in his IPL career. He had leaked 0/47 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2018 and 1/47 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2021.

325 – Quinton de Kock has now scored 325 runs in the last five innings at an average of 108.2 with one century and three half-centuries against KKR in the IPL.

303 – Nitish Rana completed 300 fours in the T20 matches.

10 – Ten centuries have now been scored against KKR which is the most against any team. With nine tons against them, Mumbai Indians (MI) are second on the list.

1 – De Kock and Rahul also scripted the highest partnership of 210* for any wicket against KKR. The previous highest was 167* by Rohit Sharma and Herschelle Gibbs in 2012.

1 – LSG became the first team to bat the entire 20 overs without losing a wicket in the history of the IPL.

140* – De Kock also scripted the highest individual score of 140* in this campaign. He surpassed Buttler’s score of 116 which he scored against the Delhi Capitals (DC).

2 – Rahul is now tied with Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan on the second spot for scoring 500-plus runs in most seasons (5). Warner tops the chart for slamming it six times.

105 – De Kock also completed the landmark of 100 maximums in the IPL.

10 – De Kock smashed the most sixes (10) in an innings in IPL 2022. Robin Uthappa and Jos Buttler both had nine maximums each against RCB and DC respectively.

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been knocked out of the competition after losing in their final group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 against the new entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on May 18.

Winning the toss LSG skipper KL Rahul decided to have a bat first. Rahul proved himself right as he and South African batter Quinton de Kock added an unbeaten 210 for the team. De Kock was on fire as he smoked an unbeaten 140 off just 70 deliveries while the LSG skipper played a perfect partner as he scored 68 runs off just 51 deliveries. To note, this was also the highest opening partnership in the history of the IPL. None of the KKR bowlers managed to scalp a wicket.

KKR were 9/2 in their reply but made a resounding comeback

Starting with another new opening combination, KKR openers Venkatesh Iyer and Abhijeet Tomar were sent back to the pavillion at a score of nine. Pacer Mohsin Khan got both wickets. However, the KKR middle order consisting of Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, and Sam Billings gave a good fightback to LSG.

Some late flourish from Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine ensured that KKR put the pressure back on the new entrants. Needing three from just two balls, West Indies batter Evin Lewis grabbed a sensational catch to send Rinku back to the pavillion. With three needed on the last ball, Umesh Yadav came at the crease. However, he missed the delivery bowled by Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and the timber was disturbed. As a result, LSG snatched victory from KKR’s claws and scored two vital points.

Lucknow Super Giants, after winning tonight’s encounter, have qualified for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Men in Purple are now going home. Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals are the other three teams in the top four.

Here’s the updated points table after tonight’s match:

For the Purple Cap list, click here
For the Orange Cap list, click here