Knights need big win to stay alive
17: Kolkata Knight Riders need a big win in their final round-robin match to keep their slim IPL playoff hopes alive, while Lucknow Super Giants will look to seal their position in the top four when the two teams face off here on Wednesday.
With seven losses and six wins, KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin and then hope that other results go their way to salvage any hope of sneaking into the knockout stage.
LSG already have one foot at the play-offs as they are placed at the third spot with 16 points but with a number of teams fighting it out for remaining three berths, they will look to add two more points to avoid any last-minute hiccup.
Two-time former champions, KKR, which had reached the final last year, have managed to keep their theoretical chances alive after coming good in the last two matches against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shreyas Iyer’s men rode on Andre Russell’s allround brilliance and near perfect execution from the bowlers to notch up a comprehensive 54-run win over SRH in their last match. While Russell and Sam Billings lifted KKR to
177/6 to set up the win, the top-order once again couldn’t produce the goods after being reduced to 72 for 3.
Ajinkya Rahane’s struggle finally came to an end after he was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL due to a hamstring injury, while Venkatesh Iyer continued to disappoint in his second season.
Nitish Rana has blown hot and cold, while skipper Iyer’s bat has been silent in the last three games. KKR also lost pace spearhead Pat Cummins, who was ruled out owing to a hip injury but it didn’t matter much as the Kolkata outfit dished out a stellar bowling effort the other day.