India, May 17 -- Finn Allen entered the IPL coming off a run to the T20 World Cup final with New Zealand where the sixes looked effortless, the bat swing uncomplicated and his confidence absolute. For Kolkata Knight Riders, a side that had spent the better part of two seasons searching for sustained aggression at the top, Allen seemed less a signing than an answer. But it wasn't so, at least at the beginning.

The starts were brief, the swings expansive but uncertain. There were flashes-enough to remind everyone why KKR had pursued him so aggressively-but not enough substance to survive the unforgiving nature of franchise cricket. In T20, reputation is made and unmade every night. And so, when Allen was eventually dropped, with him disapp...