The one point Kolkata Knight Riders earned in the rain-marred game against Punjab Kings on Saturday has come as a “bonus” for the side as they regrouped for their match against Delhi Capitals at the Kotla on Tuesday.
As the Knights look at the bright side, the Capitals would want to shrug off their loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home on Sunday.
Some gross errors like dropping an easy catch to let Krunal Pandya off at a critical phase may add a bit of extra pressure on skipper Axar Patel and his teammates. Besides, the Capitals have been inconsistent lately, losing three of their last five games, and slipping from their top spot in the standings.
So, this is a good time for the Knight Riders to take on the Capitals as they seek
to ensure they don’t slip any further.
But the Knights also have to be cautious. First, they need to ensure they tick the boxes they need to so that they remain in the race to the playoffs.
Bowling-wise, they need to make the new ball count and look for early inroads, though the bowlers haven’t conceded too many runs in the slog overs in their last couple of games.
But batting has certainly been a matter of concern for the Knights. The Kotla track, which was two-paced on Sunday, isn’t likely to be too different, which means the task of captain Ajinkya Rahane and the rest in the KKR batting group won’t be easy. Especially, when it comes to facing chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and former Knight Mitchell Starc, who could well be pumped up for a statement-making spell.
Talking about the Knights’ XI, it remains to be seen whether they bring Moeen Ali and an extra batter back in the XI in place of Rovman Powell and left-arm quick Chetan Sakariya, given the Kotla conditions.
Gambhir ‘aura’
Knights’ pacer Harshit Rana is missing the “aura” and “thrill factor” that former mentor Gautam Gambhir had brought to the team last year.
“The support staff is basically the same, and even (Abhishek) Nayarbhai is back. But yes, there was a thrill factor that I miss a little... He (Gambhir) has an aura in the way he carries the team forward,” the Delhi-born Rana said on Monday.
