Dubai: Kolkata Knight Riders are enjoying a good form from the beginning of the second phase of IP 2021, securing victories in three of four games till date. They are currently fourth in the table and will look to hold onto their spot when they meet a struggling Punjab Kings on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
KKR need to win all their remaining three games from here to secure their playoff spot.
Eoin Morgan’s troops last game against Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets. Seamers bowled a disciplined spell keeping Delhi restricted to just 127 before the batters collectively chased down the total in 18.2 despite losing a few wickets in the middle.
Andre Russell suffered with an injury during a fielding effort on the boundary line against Chennai Super Kings. He was ultimately ruled out in their last game against Delhi Capitals, with Tim Southee taking his place which can a be a good decision as the Kiwi seamer can provide much efficiency with the leather as compare to the Jamaican.
Punjab though had forgettable day in the last game suffering a six wicket defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians. Barring Aiden Markram(42) none of thei batsmen delivered as the side only managed to score 135. However, Mumbai had to dig deep to chase down the total as Ravi Bishnoi(2/25) and Nathan Ellis bowled tight spell to stretch the game to wire although their effort went in vain as they didn’t have enough runs on the board.
PBKS have lot to sort out if they want to give themselves a chance to qualify for the play-offs. Mayank Agarwal He was replaced by Mandeep Singh in the opening order but the batsman failed to provide a brisk start to the innings, scoring 15 off 14 deliveries. KL Rahul’s currently are sitting at sixth position, with 4 wins in 11 matches. Every game is a must-win for them from here. Another loss would have them knocked out of the race. Bishnoi, the spinner along with seamer Arshdeep Singh have been the two positives for the side so far.
