Doubts rising from the smouldering embers of three consecutive defeats threaten to cloud the confidence that Kolkata Knight Riders had gathered in the wake of Rinku Singh’s heroics and their other highs in IPL-16. It’s not a good space to be in when a marauding Chennai Super Kings under MS Dhoni come calling. Sunday’s showdown at the Eden Gardens seems a mismatch, and the first task upon KKR, languishing near the bottom of the league ladder, is to cross that mental barrier. It doesn’t help that the Super Kings will take the field flush from Friday’s seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers.

In a format where ‘well begun is half done’ acquires a whole new meaning, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad present an ominous opening pair. The South African born Kiwi is in a rich vein of form and Gaikwad too has been contributing handsomely. Veteran Ajinkya Rahane, brought in after CSK’s first couple of matches, has the second wind on his sail, scoring big and at a scorching pace. With big-hitters Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja in the mix, it presents a daunting prospect.