Playoffs assured, the Kolkata Knight Riders will certainly be looking to wrap up the league phase of this IPL with wins over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Monday and against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on May 19.
The playoffs and the knockout phases of a competition always tend to be trickier. So, a win in both these games will do well to keep the Knight Riders in a good, healthy frame of mind alongside taking their already-high confidence level a few nothces higher going into the playoffs.
Now that they have achieved their first goal, a little bit of complacency creeping into the Knights cannot be ruled out.
Particularly as there has been just a day’s gap between their celebrations after confirming the playoffs berth in the wee hours of Sunday and taking the field at the Motera to face Shubman Gill and Co.
The intensity with which the Knights will be playing against the Titans will thus be quite important for them, although the pressure should be more on the home team as it’s their must-win game to keep the last-four hopes alive.
To keep the in-form Gill and Sai Sudharsan at bay, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine would obviously be the Knights’ best bets, though their job will get easier if Mitchell Starc can get rid of the Titans opening duo early. Unless of course, KKR decide to rest Starc.