The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League that was held in the UAE was memorable in more ways than one.
That a tournament of such magnitude was played during a global pandemic without a hitch was nothing short of a miracle. The action on the field was equally incredible, with Mumbai Indians proving once again that they are the best T20 outfit in the world.
But everyone can't be a winner. Kolkata Knight Riders finished the 2020 season on 14 points – level with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, Kolkata missed qualification to the playoffs because of inferior net run rate. So, how close did they get?
Bangalore qualified on a net run rate of -0.172, Kolkata missed the boat with an NRR of -0.214. It was one of the closest qualification battles in IPL and Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill wants to avoid such a finish again as his team begins the 2021 season against Sunrisers on Sunday.
"Missing qualification on net run rate, by the barest of margins, always hurts. But there is always room for improvement. And that's what we will try to do this year and not leave it to the net run rate," Gill told The National.
Kolkata, who start the new season in India under the full-time captaincy of Eoin Morgan, will be relying on Gill for runs at the top of the order. He finished the UAE season as the top run-getter for his team. He accumulated 440 runs from 14 games and then had a career-defining Test series in Australia, which the Indian team famously won.
However, a quiet home Test series against England – that included just one fifty and two ducks in seven innings – has meant that Gill does not have enough game time under his belt as he enters the T20 carnival. The 21-year-old did not feature in the white-ball series against England as well.
However, the right-hand batsman says he has trained sufficiently for 20-over cricket.
"You get to practice before any tournament starts, that's where you kind of adjust. You get enough time in practice sessions and match simulation, practice matches. So that is enough time to adjust," Gill said.
And while Indian cricket fans might see his underwhelming Test series against England as a failure, Gill believes he has been in good form over the last six months – including the IPL in UAE and Australia tour – which has put him in the right frame of mind.
"The way I see it, it has been a good six seven months. The last time I played IPL, and after that I have played plenty of cricket which has given me a lot of confidence."
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