KKR Optimistic on Eve of Tussle while Rishabh Pant Struggles with Poor Footwork

The IPL 2025 campaign is full flow and teams are beginning to reveal their real potential. One player who is yet to get going is Rishabh Pant. The Lucknow Super Giants captain is going through a poor run with the bat and now might shift himself higher in the batting order in order to change fortunes. But the Kolkata Knight Riders appear to be ready for whatever strategy he has to offer. Their assistant coach Ottis Gibson made a cheeky comment and said they hope his poor form carries on this week too. He further stated that their side is geared up for any eventuality whether Pant plays at the top of the order or alters his position in the batting lineup.

The KKR bowling attack is seeming strong this year particularly with the emergence of Vaibhav Arora. Without major international players such as Mitchell Starc Arora has risen to the occasion and performed. His performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad was a major highlight. He took three wickets for only twenty nine runs and assisted his team in winning a major eighty run game. His wickets involved important batsmen such as Travis Head and Ishan Kishan which were crucial in that game.

Both Arora and Harshit Rana have been performing well according to Gibson.

Their performance is valued so much that the team even omitted international bowler Spencer Johnson to bowl against them. Johnson has not had a good outing so far. He has picked just one wicket in three games and been leaking ten runs an over. But the faith reposed in Arora and Harshit is yielding dividends. They together with Andre Russell have formed a decent pace attack for KKR. In the game against SRH they picked six wickets in combination and contributed significantly towards bowling the other side out for just one hundred and twenty runs.

Vaibhav Arora now boasts six wickets this season and is now the joint top wicket taker of KKR with Varun Chakravarthy. Gibson added that the hard work of Arora with bowling mentor Dwayne Bravo is paying dividends. He added Bravo has been assisting Arora on strategy and planning his overs better. This pairing is proving successful and the team is hoping that Arora will continue to perform well in the future matches.

When questioned as to whether speed or spin is actually the true forte of the KKR bowling attack Gibson provided a neutral response. According to him bowling in itself is the forté of the team. When they take wickets early using pace they get quite lethal towards the middle overs with their spinner, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine. And even if the wickets do not fall early on they still possess the spinners to take hold of the match later. He also spoke of Moeen Ali who performed great in one of the matches but did not receive a chance of bowling in another match. That is how superior their bowling class is at this moment.

Gibson also discussed Andre Russell and his performance as a bowler. He conceded that Russell may go for a few runs at times but he always gets an important wicket. He is regarded as a partnership breaker and hence the team makes use of him. If Russell can break a crucial stand the team can then introduce another top bowler to capitalize on the situation.

A point of concern that has been raised by people is concerning Sunil Narine and his failure to score runs at the top of the order. But Gibson has confirmed that there is no cause for alarm. According to him, it is too early in the competition and Narine has a history of tearing bowling attacks apart when he picks up the pace. Their support staff believes in him and awaits that one match when he performs and makes his presence felt big time with the bat.

Having all this factored in, the Kolkata Knight Riders appear a team that's well-balanced and confident. Their combination of young Indian bowling talent and international veterans provides the cutting edge. They are not relying on just one player but instead have many who can step up and deliver when needed. While Rishabh Pant and the Lucknow Super Giants will be looking to bounce back KKR will be looking to extend their winning streak and maintain their momentum high in IPL 2025.