IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill hopes to avoid net run rate trap

Eoin Morgan's team had missed qualification to 2020 playoffs by decimal points

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill had a successful IPL 2020 in UAE. Sportzpics for BCCI

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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Top 10 highest paid cricketers in IPL 2021

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore). IPL salary: 170 million rupees ($2.4m). Sportzpics for BCCI

Chris Morris (Rajasthan Royals). IPL salary: 162.5m rupees ($2.2m). Sportzpics for BCCI

Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders). IPL salary: 155m rupees ($2.1m). Sportzpics for BCCI

MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings). IPL salary: 150m rupees ($2.06m). AFP

Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians). IPL salary: 150m rupees ($2.06m). Sportzpics for BCCI

Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals). IPL salary: 150m rupees ($2.06m). AFP

Kyle Jamieson (Royal Challengers Bangalore). IPL salary: 150m rupees ($2.06m). Getty

Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bangalore). IPL salary: 142.5m rupees ($1.96m). AFP

Jhye Richardson (Punjab Kings). IPL salary: 140m rupees ($1.92m). Getty

David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad). IPL salary: 125m rupees ($1.72m). AFP