Pune stand in way of KKR and playoffs TV

Kolkata, May 2: Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to put behind the disappointment of a heavy defeat when they face a resurgent Rising Pune Supergiant in an Indian Premier League clash here Wednesday. While KKR suffered their heaviest defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, Pune seem to have found their mojo in the business end of the tournament, having registered consecutive wins in their last two matches. Looking unstoppable with a hattrick of wins and enjoying a two-point lead over Mumbai Indians, KKR’s winning streak was stopped by Sunrisers.

KKR will now be under pressure to secure the magic number 16 and seal their place in the knock-out stage after Mumbai became the first team to secure a play-off berth.

The manner of KKR’s defeat in the rain-interrupted match could be a reality check for the Kolkata outfit that looked heavily reliant on their toporder batting.

Opting to bowl, KKR first had to deal with the combined assault of centurion David Warner and Kane Williamson to concede 200 for the first time this season.

In reply, KKR’s batsmen had no answer to SRH’s 209 and were eventually restricted to 161 for seven as the team slumped to its third defeat of the season.

Barring Robin Uthappa, who made a valiant half-century, no other KKR batsmen lived up to the challenge, exposing the chinks in their middle and lower order.

The confidence of skipper Gautam Gambhir is bound to take a hit and he will be forced to ring in changes.

— PTI