Past ‘sins’ have finally caught up with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and they look beyond atonement. Even a win over the better-placed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday is most unlikely to take KKR further in IPL-16. Debilitating defeats had long placed their Playoff hopes in the hands of other teams on the homestretch of the league. They now find themselves betrayed by results of those matches.
Saturday at the Eden Gardens will be more about playing for pride and prejudice than any tangible targets. In contrast, LSG, having tamed Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, will be keen on confirming a Playoff berth with victory over KKR. They may actually end up in Qualifier 1.
Nothing to lose
While their relative positions on the league ladder may suggest ‘Advantage LSG’, the underperforming KKR remain a difficult proposition given the several match-winning batsmen and mystery spinners. That they go in with almost nothing to lose renders them more dangerous.
Mohsin Khan bowled a fine final over as LSG denied Mumbai on Tuesday, and the LSG attack will have its task cut out in the face of Andre Russell & Co. Even though it’s been weakened by the ruling out of skipper KL Rahul, LSG’s batting remains their strength with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran all capable of winning a contest on their own. They will, of course, have to contend with Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma among others on a wicket that is likely to favour the much-vaunted spin trio. The danger to the home team is the possibility of LSG duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Amit Mishra sneaking in to make the most of these conditions with their clever mix of leg-spin and googly.
A lot to play for
The 52-day, 70-match league stage of Season 16 is down to its last couple of days as both teams arrive with significant wins under the belt, but with widely
differing circumstances. LSG have a lot to play for while KKR, having tamed the Chennai Super Kings at the lion’s den last Sunday, will be pondering what might have been.
Also Read: IPL 2023: `There`s nothing wrong in the Eden Gardens pitch,` says KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit
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