Mustafizur Rahman, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Matheesha Pathirana all missed matches because of various issues, while marquee signing Cameron Green, returning from injury, was unable to bowl during the initial phase of the tournament.
“It was unexpected, unfamiliar territory,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said during a recent event.
Despite the setbacks, KKR staged an impressive turnaround, winning six of their last seven matches to remain in contention.
For Delhi Capitals, it has largely been a season of missed opportunities. Their batting has depended heavily on KL Rahul, who has amassed 533 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of over 171, including a century and four fifties.
More often than not, DC have struggled in matches where Rahul has failed to provide a solid start.
The return of David Miller has brought some stability to the middle order, with the South African smashing a 28-ball 51 during DC’s unsuccessful chase of 211 against Punjab Kings.
However, Delhi’s bowling unit has lacked consistency throughout the campaign.