Indian Premier League – Bond on a special mission to save the day for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010
by Juris Graney
As the richest and most profitable franchise off the field, the Kolkata Knight Riders are by far the poorest performing team on the pitch in the Indian Premier League with just nine wins in two years spanning 26 matches.
Futures Odds to win Indian Premier League 2010:
Delhi Daredevils +400
Chennai Super Kings +450
Deccan Chargers +450
Bangalore Royal Challengers +600
Rajasthan Royals +650
Kings XI Punjab +700
Mumbai Indians +800
Kolkata Knight Riders +800
SQUAD: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Varun Aaron, Ajit Agarkar, Ashok Dinda, Eklak Ahmid, Rohan Gavaskar, Chris Gayle, Brad Hodge, Iqbal Abdulla, Murali Kartik, Harshad Khadiwale, Charl Langeveldt, Brendon McCullum, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Chirag Pathak, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Owais Shah, Ishant Sharma, Laxmi Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Ganapathi Vignesh, Shane Bond, Mashrafe Mortaza, David Hussey.
Considering who they have on their playing roster, it should be the other way around. Their inaugural year was the most successful to date with six wins, last season was an abomination with just three victories and a losing streak of nine on the trot but team owners, which includes Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, cut a swathe through last year’s dead weights to free up money to spend on Kiwi sensation Shane Bond.
Kolkata spent $750,000 for his services at the player auction after releasing Australian captain Ricky Ponting, Morne van Wyk, Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Akhtar and NSW Blues captain Moises Henriques.
Bond and West Indies Kieron Pollard, who was snatched up by Mumbai Indians for the same price making them equal top bids at the auction, will have the weight of their respective countries and their franchises on their shoulders.
Success won’t solely be based on Bond’s performance although new coach Dav Whatmore will be formulating plans around his potential impact, otherwise they could have pocketed the money and bought some Indian Under-23 youngsters.
This year the international contingent is like a who’s who of Twenty20 cricket Chris Gayle, Brad Hodge, Charl Langeveldt, Brendon McCullum, Owais Shah, Mashrafe Mortaza and David Hussey each bring a special element to the team so at their current futures odds, they are a healthy long shot.
Who wouldn’t want to be able to call on Gayle or McCullum early on?
Team cohesion seems to be the real issue for Kolkata – a case of too many chiefs and not enough players willing to listen.
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Captained by Sourav Ganguly, who is prone to let emotions cloud his judgement, Kolkata need a focussed effort if they are to steer a seriously careening ship away from the metaphorical reef of disappointment.
This year could be their year though.
KEY INTERNATIONAL: Shane Bond (New Zealand) – The former police officer has called it quits on Test cricket to extend his life as an international player and more importantly to cash in on the lucrative IPL. His foray into the Indian Cricket League, the rebel sporting group set up to cash in on Twenty20 got him sacked from representing New Zealand and coupled with injuries, Bond is recognised as the most underplayed yet most talented international in recent history. Anyone who thinks that is an overstatement need only look at his statistics. His 138 wickets in 77 limited overs matches come at an economy rate of 4.28 and his Twenty20 internationals have similarly been top-notch affairs – 20 wickets in 15 matches. His first class T20 has yielded 37 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 20 and if all that doesn’t prove my point than consider he does that topping 150km/h and more. All eyes will be on his performance to see if all that money was well spent. Considering the quicks they dumped to accommodate him, he had better live up to all the hype.
SIDE NOTE: Sri Lankan-born Dav Whatmore has taken over the reins of Kolkata from embattled former Australian coach John Buchanan, who routinely butted heads with captain Sourav Ganguly. That should come as no surprise really but how Whatmore handles Captain Cranky will be an interesting sideshow to the main event. Whatmore’s coaching credentials include a revolutionary stint with Bangladesh in which they beat Australia, South Africa and India. That in itself should have been enough for him to snare a job coaching a top tier nation however he narrowly missed out England, India and Pakistan. He has a lot to prove and there is no bigger stage than the IPL.
AREAS TO WATCH: As alluded to, Kolkata has a problem with infighting and getting too wrapped up in the politics of the IPL and not enough time is spent concentrating on what they need to do as a team to win on the pitch. If Kolkata starts hitting the headlines for things outside of what happens on the pitch you may as well shut the book on them as they will simply fall apart.
LOCAL INTERESTS: Sourav Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar are the key Indian players yet they have not impressed and this year could be the death knell for the both of them unless something drastic changes. Ganguly scored just 189 runs in 13 matches last year, his average of 17.18 not only shocking to himself but his team and you can bet, the ones who sign the cheques. Agarkar took just six wickets in 31 overs spread over 11 matches and an economy rate of 9.16 put him as his team’s fourth most expensive bowler.
BOWLING RANKS: Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh) – In a bid to spread the love, team owners bought in Mortaza to try and sure up the Bangladesh support for the Knight Riders. A clever ploy however the $600,000 spent on this youngster now seems to be a waste as he played just one match last year. As investments go, it was a terrible one – more than half a million dollars for a bowler who sent down just 24 deliveries. The 26-year-old shocked everyone by the announcement he was retiring from Test cricket after just 36 matches to ensure he doesn’t get burnt out from over exposure to cricket. I can understand that from a 100-plus match veteran but Mortaza’s decision shows everything that is wrong with the current crop of youngsters coming through the international ranks. Having said that, Mortaza is a good young quick and coupled with the likes of Ishant Sharma and Bond, he could make some serious in-roads.
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