A recovery built on hurt and belief

olkata Knight Riders were cruising to victory against Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad: they were 121 for 0 and needed 50 in six overs. Gautam Gambhir's dismissal, however, triggered one of the worst collapses in the IPL. Six wickets tumbled for two runs and Knight Riders eventually lost by 10. It was their fourth successive loss and their fifth in seven matches. In the dressing room, no one spoke but there was no recrimination. People were angry but did not lose hope. "Everyone was hurting bad," Robin Uthappa, the Knight Riders batsman, says. "It was a morose atmosphere. Everyone's self respect was hurt. We could see it in every player's eyes: each wanted to play for his own pride and wanted to make the most in every subsequent match. There was a different energy post that defeat." Uthappa finished the IPL wearing the Orange Cap given to the tournament's highest run-maker. Vijay Dahiya, one of Knight Riders' assistant coaches, remembers the defeat as a huge disappointment. "It was unacceptable. I would be lying if I don't say it was a big, huge disappointment. I remember Trevor Bayliss (head coach) saying it was good to see players hurting. They were angry that they could not finish it. That shows the character of this team." Dahiya says it was not a case of the opposition winning convincingly; Knight Riders who were not playing smart cricket. A week before the Ahmedabad collapse, they had lost to Royals in Abu Dhabi, where they had needed 16 off 12 balls with six wickets in hand before tying the game and the Super Over but going down on boundary count.