'There's an element of fear, & I think there's a lot of upside with the ball': KKR coach after loss

In an electrifying IPL showdown, the Knight Riders (KKR) posted a formidable 261/6 in 20 overs, led by Phil Salt's aggressive 75 off 37 and Sunil Narine's quick 71 off 32, but Kings (PBKS) chased down the target with remarkable efficiency, winning by 8 wickets with 8 balls left, thanks to Jonny Bairstow's exceptional unbeaten 108 off 48 balls, earning him the Player of the Match title. Arshdeep Singh's 2/45 (4) and Sunil Narine's 1/24 (4) added excitement to the game, culminating in Kings' stunning victory at Eden Gardens.

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KKR coach believes bowlers are having a hard time in the IPL 2024 

Against KKR, PBKS achieved an unparalleled accomplishment by successfully chasing down a massive target of 262 runs. Following this incredible performance, Ryan ten Doeschate, the coach of KKR, voiced concern about his bowlers' obvious dread of the opposition batters' unrelenting attack during the Indian Premier League 2024 season.

On Friday, April 26, a spectacular chase took place at Eden Gardens, as PBKS brutally destroyed the KKR bowlers, leaving their marks on the history of Twenty20 cricket. With eight wickets remaining, they reached the impossible mark in just 18.4 overs, sending KKR reeling.

Speaking to the press at the match's conclusion, ten Doeschate advised his bowlers to be more fearless in their approach. Although on any other day KKR would have embraced 260 as a respectable total, he recognised that the bowlers have faced significant obstacles because to the surfaces' nature and the team's unwavering batting displays. Ryan ten Doeschate said: 

"I think the way batting is going across the competition. There's if anything, there's an element of fear, and I think there's a lot of upside with the ball if the guys is going to be brave enough to take on that battle. But I think it's a pretty new phenomenon, the way batters are batting, everyone looks like they're just taking a step back. Like you say, Sunil is fantastic, other guys will be disappointed as we are with that performance," 

“We need to find ways to stop batters, taking the game away like they're doing across the competition,”

"I think if you told us we're gonna score 262 tonight. Uh, you almost couldn't fathom a team chasing that down. And it's the same for us when you're batting first. You know, you've got an extra batter in the shade so you can go pretty hard. So I guess A - the mindset of the batters has to be that you're prepared to go hard the whole time for the whole 20 overs until the situation changes. And like I said with the ball, I think there's a lot of upside into being brave and really going at the batters instead of just sitting back and waiting till we find a way to stop this stream of runs that's been coming in," 

"I think bowling across the competition is wouldn't say a concern. But like I said, guys are taking a long time to figure out a way of stopping this. Uh, it's something we'll keep working on. We're not concerned,"

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The KKR coach discussed the noticeable change in batting mindset that occurred in the 2024 Indian Premier League, highlighting the rise of a high-risk, high-reward strategy used by hitters. He credited this change to the addition of an Impact Player, or extra batter in the dugout, which allowed teams to bat aggressively from the start.

Although the batting ability has certainly been a highlight, questions have been made about the bowling's efficacy. Ten Doeschate, however, suggests that these worries might be exaggerated. As a former player for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he offered the opinion that teams need to swiftly adjust to the conditions in this event. This year, batters have dominated game speed at a never-before-seen level, so teams looking to stay ahead of the competition must recognise these circumstances and respond quickly to take advantage of them.