IPL 2024: How have Gautam Gambhir-mentored KKR fared this season?

The upcoming IPL 2024 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad SRH at Narendra Modi Stadium here promises to be a runfest with the match taking place between two trailblazers of the season who made a habit of hitting fours and sixes putting up huge totals for funKKR has finished at the top with nine wins three losses and two no results with a total of 20 points They also finished with a net run rate of 1428 the highest by any team in the IPL history SRH is at the second spot with eight wins five losses and one no result giving them 16 pointsKKR and SRH have posted six 200plus totals in this season the most by any team SRH has crossed the 250run mark thrice also making the highest IPL total over 2873 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCB while the KKR has done it twiceWhat has worked for KKR in IPL 2024KKRs batting in death overs KKR leads the table in death overs hitting smashing at a runrate of 1302 in the overs 1720 KKR has scored 432 fours in 199 balls in death overs with 32 and 29 sixes KKR has played just 59 dots in this phaseSunil Narines success Under the mentorship of former captain Gautam Gambhir Narine is enjoying one of his greatest seasons as an allrounder in IPL history In 13 matches he has scored 461 runs at an average of 3841 and a strike rate of over 182 with a century and three halfcenturies His best score is 109 He has also taken 15 wickets at an average of 2080 with an economy rate of 663 He is in contention for both Orange and Purple Caps and has led the sides strong campaign along with opener Phil Salt 435 runs at an average of 3954 with a strike rate of 18200 and four fifties With Salt not available due to Englands series against Pakistan it would be interesting how Narine plays alongside Afghanistans Rahmanullah GurbazGautam Gambhirs return Gambhirs return to the side has done wonders for KKR Having captained the team to 2012 and 2014 titles his return has changed the sides fortunes bringing them from the lower half of the points table in the past two seasons to the top this season The team looks like a cohesive unit united by the message of playing positive and attacking cricket and with their eyes on the trophyAndre Russells efficiency with the ball Andre Russell is known for his hardhitting batting and sixes that travel miles into the stands But a very underrated aspect of his game is his pace bowling Though he has scored 222 runs in nine innings at an average of over 31 and a strike rate above 185 Russells bowling has outshined his batting He has taken 15 wickets at an average of 1740 with an economy rate of 1030 and best figures of 325Presence of an inform finisher in Ramandeep Though the teams designated finisher Rinku Singh has not hit much form this season he can still land a few big blows In his absence bighitting Ramandeep Singh has stood up as a finisher with 125 runs in nine innings at an average of 3125 and a strike rate of 20161 He has smashed 12 sixes this seasonAlso Read They did not look united Harbhajan Singh dissects why MI fell apart in IPLVarun Chakravarthy Narine making a killer spin duo Varun Chakravarty 18 wickets in 13 games and Narine 15 in 13 balls are brilliant spin partners for KKR Together they have taken 33 wickets at an average of 2057 and a strike rate of 1654What has worked against KKRAbsence of Phil Salt Phil Salt and Narines success has helped KKR the most often pulling off stunning starts in the powerplay and making the job easy for KKRs middleorder With Salt not around Gurbaz will be Narines partner at the top Gurbaz has relatively weaker stats than Salt though he is a capable hardhitter too In 11 T20Is he has made 227 runs at an average of 2064 and a strike rate of 13353 with two fiftiesPoor form of Rinku Singh With just 168 runs in 11 innings at an average of 1866 and a best score of 26 Rinkus IPL 2024 has been a disappointment and can be due to either lack of form or lack of opportunities down the order Rinku has a chance to redeem himself with a strong performance in the knockout games and let everyone know that the finisher is not going anywhereMitchell Starcs erratic bowling Starc is an Australian and a bigmatch player and fans will have huge expectations from him But KKRs big buy at Rs 2475 crore has been extremely erratic on his return to IPL Though he has 12 wickets his average is 3300 and his economy rate a massive 1136 His bowling stats are boosted by figures of 433 against MI