IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders' Players' Performance Ratings

Kolkata Knight Riders fell on the wrong side of luck as SunRisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians on Tuesday in Sharjah to seal their IPL 2020 playoffs spot. Even a convincing 60-run win over the Rajasthan Royals in the Knight Riders’ last IPL 2020 fixture was not enough to carry them to the knockouts. For the second consecutive year, the two-time champions could not reach the playoffs.

Kolkata Knight Riders also remained inconsistent, including changing their captain from Dinesh Karthik to Eoin Morgan midway through the edition. The Knight Riders’ net run-rate affected massively due to their game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore when they managed only 84 in 20 overs. Furthermore, the form of Andre Russell being lean this year was also one of the significant reasons for their underwhelming performance.

We take a look at Kolkata Knight Riders’ player ratings for IPL 2020:

Eoin Morgan – 8/10:

Eoin Morgan came in IPL 2020 as one of the best limited-overs batsmen and having a deep understanding of the game. Kolkata Knight Riders handed over the captaincy from Dinesh Karthik to Morgan, considering he ushered England to a World Cup title a year ago. In seven games as captain, the Irishman led to three victories and four losses while scored 418 runs in 14 games with the bat. Hence, a rating of 8 is what he earned.

Tom Banton – 2/10:

Kolkata Knight Riders went for Tom Banton due to his reputation of playing aggressively at the top. Nevertheless, it seemed like an amount of one crore paid no rich dividends. In the two matches, Banton played, he managed only 18 runs at a strike rate of 90. It will not be a surprise if the Knight Riders release him ahead of IPL 2021.

Pat Cummins – 7/10:

Pat Cummins, who fetched a record-breaking amount of INR 15.5 crores, could not produce massive dividends; however, did not do badly either. In 14 matches, Cummins took 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.87. The 26-year old also registered a best of 53* with the bat. His best performance with the ball was against the Rajasthan Royals in the Knight Riders’ last game when he took four wickets for 34 runs in four overs.

Lockie Ferguson – 5/10:

Lockie Ferguson’s best performance in IPL 2020 was against SunRisers Hyderabad when he took three wickets for 15 runs in the match and bowled out the opposition cheaply in the super over. It was his first game of the edition; however, the speedster managed only five more in the next four fixtures to end up with an average of 24.67.

Chris Green – 1/10:

Australian off-spinner Chris Green could get only one game in IPL 2020, which was against the Mumbai Indians. Chris Green bowled two overs against the defending champions in Abu Dhabi, leaking 24 runs in 2.5 overs without a wicket. He did deserve more matches under his belt and could be more effective on the Indian pitches.

Dinesh Karthik – 4/10:

Dinesh Karthik had a highly disappointing IPL 2020 as he failed to fulfil his role as a powerful striker of the ball. In 14 matches, Karthik managed only 169 runs at an awful average of 14.69 and striking at 126 and only one fifty. However, he managed to keep wickets, taking nine catches behind the stumps.

Kuldeep Yadav – 2/10:

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav endured yet another forgettable season of IPL as he got only five games. In those five fixtures, Kuldeep Yadav could not do anything monumental, managing only one wicket at 92 with an economy rate of 7.67. The meteoric rise of Varun Chakravarthy further made the left-arm tweaker out of favour.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti – 5/10:

Seamer Kamlesh Nagarkoti overcame his string of injuries and played the first season of IPL. While Kamlesh Nagarkoti could not remain actively amongst the wickets, the 20-year old was outstanding in his ground fielding. He took five wickets in ten games at 46.20.

Nikhil Naik – 0.5/10:

Keeper-batsman Nikhil Naik got only one game in IPL 2020 and he was not able to use to significant effect. The 25-year old played only against Mumbai Indians and scraped through to a single. With Dinesh Karthik serving as a regular gloveman, the Knight Riders could release him ahead of IPL 2021.

Sunil Narine – 4/10:

West Indian cricketer Sunil Narine had a disappointing season by his standards. Sunil Narine’s bowling action came under scrutiny, forcing him to miss four matches of IPL 2020 and in the remaining games, he put up inconsistent performances. In ten fixtures, he managed only five wickets and 121 runs with one fifty.

Prasidh Krishna – 5/10:

Promising young seamer Prasidh Krishna endured yet another poor IPL season as his six matches yielded only four wickets at 41. Prasidh Krishna’s best performance in IPL 2020 was against Kings XI Punjab, taking three wickets to deliver a victory from the jaws of defeat. Barring that, there were nothing of note and the Knight Riders banked more on the overseas recruits.

Nitish Rana – 7/10:

Nitish Rana could not get going in the first half of IPL 2020; however, began producing the runs once promoted to open. Nitish Rana played five innings at the top of the order, striking three fifties at 47.20. In 14 matches in IPL 2020, the left-hander mustered 352 runs. However, in the Knight Riders’ last fixture, Rana had to depart for a first-ball duck.

Andre Russell – 3/10:

The man on whom the Knight Riders pinned their hopes of the 2019 IPL season, Andre Russell earned the man of the tournament award last year. The same candidate fared poorly with the bat, dragging himself to 117 runs in ten games at 13. With the ball, the 32-year old did perform slightly better than the statistics suggest, bowling outstandingly at death. Russell’s strike rate in IPL, which was 186, has now dipped to 182.

Sandeep Warrier – 1/10:

Sandeep Warrier played only the opening match of IPL 2020 for the Knight Riders, which was against the Mumbai Indians. However, the defending champions’ batsmen took Sandeep Warrier to the cleaners, belting him for 34 runs in three overs. Warrier also went wicketless, leading him not to get a game further.

Shivam Mavi – 7/10:

Shivam Mavi was amongst the best young pace bowlers seen in IPL 2020. Shivam Mavi not only bowled with pace but also with ample seam movement to trouble the batsmen. Mavi picked up nine wickets in eight fixtures at 23.56 and an economy rate of 8.15. The two-time champions would most likely retain the 21-year old.

Shubman Gill – 7/10:

Shubman Gill had a satisfactory IPL 2020, hammering three fifties in 14 matches in a 440-run tally, averaging 33.85. However, as an opener, Shubman Gill maintained a strike rate of only 117.85. The 20-year old will have to increase the same from the next edition.

Rinku Singh – 2/10:

Rinku Singh, who is a batsman with massive potential, could play only one match in IPL 2020, managing 11 runs. However, Rinku Singh is a highly athletic fielder, especially at the boundary. With plenty of talented batsman with the Knight Riders already, Kolkata could release him.

Rahul Tripathi – 5/10:

Rahul Tripathi maintained a reasonably high scoring rate; however, he could not translate those into big scores consistently. Rahul Tripathi began his IPL 2020 with a valuable knock of 81 against Chennai Super Kings that eventually handed the Knight Riders a victory by ten runs. In 11 games, the right-handed batsman managed only 230 runs at 23 with a strike rate of 127.07.

Varun Chakravarthy – 10/10:

Varun Chakravarthy was perhaps one of the finds of IPL 2020 and the most valuable player for the Knight Riders. The leg-spinner not only bowled excellent line and lengths but also generated pace with his bowling. Varun took 17 wickets in 14 games at 20.94 with an impressive economy rate of 6.85 and is so far the only bowler in IPL 2020 with a fifer. The performances also earned him a call-up to the national team.

Also Read: Mumbai Indians Are The Team To Beat In IPL 2020: Shane Bond