Five key reasons for Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL title glory

Dubai: The Kolkata Knight Riders walked away with the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy for the first time on Sunday night. A lot of thinking had gone into breaching the dominance of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and emerging as the new champions. Gulf News lists five factors that stands out behind Kolkata's triumph.

1. Planning and implementation

Tactical planning and quick implementation of their decisions have played a vital role. The team management was intelligent enough to learn from their past mistakes when they finished sixth in the first edition, sank to the bottom in the second and then climbed to the middle of the table by the third edition.

The team management realised that the team's superstar Sourav Ganguly should be kept out if all the players had to collectively contribute to the team's success by fully adhering to the instructions of the coaches.

A new masterplan was drawn up for IPL IV by overhauling the entire team and appointing Gautam Gambhir as captain, they ushered in new energy into the team without resorting to appointing an experienced or foreign player as their leader. The first lesson, as Gambhir revealed after their victory, was to teach every player that individuals do not matter but collective effort is of paramount importance.

2. Mental skills coach

The second factor was the appointment of Dr Rudi Webster as the team's mental skills coach. This was done mainly to instill confidence in the players despite their talent. His first statement after being appointed was: "Twenty20 is a very fast game with a lot of pressure. I will look to bring them as a unit and focus on a common cause and then they will do better as a team.

The third factor was the quick appointment of Trevor Bayliss as the new coach without even allowing the team to be affected by the departure of Dav Whatmore who took over as Pakistan team coach. The selection of Bayliss was simply superb as he carried with him the experience of guiding Sydney Sixes to triumph in the Australian Big Bash Twenty20 league recently.

4. Showman Khan

The fourth factor was the restraints on film star and team owner Shah Rukh Khan from interfering with the team. This gave the coaches and support staff absolute power. Though that restraint may have led to Khan, the great showman that he is, in creating trouble off the field like he did in Mumbai, the team benefited a lot by being guided by professionals. It is here that the role of Wasim Akram as bowling coach played a vital role. This legendary pacer could pass on his knowledge and experience to his players without interference.

5. Cool Kallis

The fifth factor was the presence of the cool Jacques Kallis. Though it is Bisla who emerged as the hero, the role that Kallis played is vital. Kallis is a silent performer without dramatics which indirectly lessens the pressure on the team. When Bisla was in full flow he performed the supporting role with brilliance and when Chennai thrashed the Kolkata bowlers, he checked the run flow. It should be noted that Kallis with 16 half centuries shares the honour of maximum fifties in IPL with Gambhir. These two were backed by their brilliant mystery spinner Sunil Narine who picked 24 wickets to bag the player of the tournament award.