Kolkata, May 18 -- 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 KKR, a side that had spent the better part of two seasons searching for sustained aggression at the top, Allen seemed the answer. But the starts were brief. 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. However Allen's last three scores - 100, 18 and 93 - tell a story bigger than form. To score 211 runs off 90 balls is transformative and in line with what other franchises have been betting on. And in finally hitting the stride, KKR have rediscovered rhythm, structure and, perhaps most importantly, belief. "It depended on the wicket," he said, after starring in KKR's 29-run win against Gujarat Titans with a 35-ball 93 on Saturday. For weeks KKR looked like a side playing permanently on fast forward. Too frantic with the bat, too eager to force the momentum. This version of KKR's batting is still aggressive. But there is patience before destruction. Against seam movement and bounce in Kolkata, Allen resisted the temptation to dominate. Once Ajinkya Rahane fell, he recognised that the innings needed something different. "I knew I had to take a bit more responsibility and stay there for a long time," he said. That maturity has altered KKR's batting shape. Allen batting deep into the innings has allowed the middle order to play with freedom. Suddenly, the line-up looks coherent. Ankrish Raghuvanshi is coming good, as is Cameron Green. Allen insists the fundamentals of his batting haven't changed too much. "If the ball is there, I'll try to hit it for four or six, and if it's not, I'll just try to rotate strike," he said. "The idea is to keep things simple." The most revealing part of Allen's resurgence, however, is mental rather than tactical. "At the start of the tournament, I was putting far too much pressure on myself to perform and it was all self-inflicted," he admitted. "I love playing cricket and batting, but I probably wasn't enjoying it as much because of the pressure I was putting on myself." Allen arrived as a headline signing and, inevitably, began trying to justify every prediction attached to him. The fear of failure often disguises itself as aggression and not surprisingly, Allen's early innings increasingly felt that way too. Being dropped, uncomfortable as it was, provided him distance from the noise. "Those few games off really helped me and it's been a great learning experience," he said. Allen now looks lighter at the crease, not passive but present, relaxed enough to recognise situations instead of merely reacting to them. "When I'm relaxed, I watch the ball better, get into better positions and become a better cricketer," he explained. Which is why KKR now look like a team rediscovering itself around him. The season that once threatened to drift away feels alive again. T20 campaigns can pivot quickly around one player finding form, but this is about more than runs. Allen's resurgence has restored balance to KKR's batting and calm to their dressing room. And in a tournament where confidence can alter everything within a week, it could very well help unlock KKR's season....