11 May,2023 07:58 AM IST | Kolkata | Arup Chatterjee
Kolkata Knight Riders’s players celebrate a Punjab Kings wicket at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday. Pics/BCCI; IPL
Two done, three to go. Kolkata Knight Riders, pushed into a dungeon of must-win matches, have kept breathing life into the smouldering embers of their playoff hopes. Back-to-back victories, over Sunrisers and Punjab Kings, have kept them in the hunt but it can only get tougher from here as the Knights try to win each of their remaining three fixtures. One slip and the door will shut on them.
Next up are Rajasthan Royals, the second of KKR's two successive home matches, and Nitish Rana & Co will be hoping they get it right on Thursday. It was too close for comfort on Monday, as well as a week ago in Hyderabad.
The Royals come to the Eden Gardens suitably softened by three consecutive defeats that have taken them to a must-win zone similar to that of the Knights. RR have twice failed to defend 200-plus totals and once crumbled against the Afghan spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. It's essentially spin that KKR will rely on in efforts to dismantle Sanju Samson and his men. Sunil Narine may have gone off the boil but Varun Chakravarthy has risen to the occasion time and again with young Suyash Sharma proving to be the perfect foil. Skipper Nitish too has rolled his arms to good effect.
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Rajasthan have four of the most experienced spinners of the IPL in Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Adam Zampa. It will be interesting to find out who they field on a track that is expected to lend itself nicely to their craft. An intriguing battle between two potent spin units is in the offing. KKR's batsmen have all had a big innings or two but, barring Rinku Singh and Jason Roy, consistency has eluded them. In Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, they have a destructive opening pair but the Afghan needs to curb impulsiveness and ensure a longer stay.
Andre Russell has finally come into his own, but not without a whiff of vulnerability. While the big Jamaican is about back end boost, Rajasthan will again bank on Jos Buttler for a flying start.
Also Read: IPL 2023: Resurgent KKR face struggling RR, aim to break into top-4
