The road to the playoffs has become even tougher for Kolkata Knight Riders following their 2-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings at the Eden on Wednesday. But the side, now on 11 points, is still optimistic.
“I think on 15 points, we can still qualify. We’ve still got to think positively. We have two games left, one against (Sunrisers) Hyderabad and then against (Royal Challengers) Bengaluru,” captain Ajinkya Rahane said at the news conference after their last league-phase game at home.
For the 2024 champions to make the playoffs, they not only need to win their remaining two matches but also win them by a big margin to boost their net run rate. That’s not all, though. Mumbai Indians need to lose their remaining two games to remain on 14 points, while the Delhi Capitals shouldn’t cross 15.
It will then come down to a net run-rate battle between KKR and the Capitals.
The Knights reached Hyderabad on Thursday evening for their clash against the Sunrisers on Saturday. Before their final league game against RCB at the Chinnaswamy on May 17, they are scheduled to return to Calcutta for a few practice sessions.
According to the skipper, his team’s mindset should be about winning these last two matches. “As a team, we have to be positive and think about how we can win the next two games. “Our last three games were really good. This one (versus CSK) didn’t go according to our plan. But again, as a team, we are coming back,” Rahane emphasised.
The Knights hope they can sneak into the last-four, as they had done in the past, especially in 2021 when they finished runners-up despite being on the brink of early elimination.
“We need a quick turnaround. We’ve done this before. We’ve sneaked in through the back door. So, it’s for every individual to go back and reflect, and actually believe we can do it again,” assistant coachAbhishek Nayar said in a video posted on the KKR Instagram handle.