KKR wants to beat top-seeded Rajasthan on Tuesday to become number one, Gambhir's worry fatigue
KKR played against Lucknow last Sunday. Rajasthan is the opponent again on Tuesday. Shreysera is not thinking without winning even against the team that is at the top of the points list of IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders will enter the field again after defeating Lucknow Super Giants. Shrews Iyer’s opponent is Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. In other words, the “second boys” will have to give a test against the “first boys” in the IPL this time.
Matches in one day gap. KKR did not practice on Monday to rest the cricketers. Chandrakant Pandit, Gautam Gambhirera gave more importance to rest than practice to cope with the pressure of consecutive matches. The KKR camp is thinking about this in the heat of Calcutta. A tactical change could be made after KKR retained the nucleus of their starting XI after the impressive win against Lucknow. Mitchell Starc’s return to form in Eden’s 22 yards against Lucknow will give relief to KKR.
Phil Salt’s unbeaten innings of 89 runs against Lucknow will also provide relief. Again there may be concerns about Benktesh Iyer getting runs. Captain Shreyas Iyer’s form is also a concern. Shreyas is not able to get quick runs according to the demands of T20 cricket. Playing catch up a bit. It reduces the team’s 15-20 runs. Against Rajasthan which could be crucial.
Serious people do not think without winning. Kolkata will top the IPL points table if they beat Rajasthan. In that case both teams will get 10 points. Kolkata will come out on top with a better net run rate and one match less to play. In the league format, the advantage is always given to the bottom team if they beat the top team in the points table. The Gambhirs want to exploit the opportunity in front of the Eden visitors.
Rajasthan Royals have cricketers like Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yasaswi Jaiswal, Ryan Parag, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Rovman Powell. All except Yasswi are in familiar form. If Yassavi also gets runs at Eden, Rajasthan will surely become more dangerous.
Buttler, Ryan, Hetmyer, Boult, Chahal alone can change the color of the match. The balance of the Rajasthan team is also quite good. Sanjura will also want to continue the winning streak at the Eden. KKR will not leave an inch of ground without a fight. Such a strong team cannot be taken lightly. The KKR camp is also giving a lot of importance to Tuesday’s opponent and the match.
With Gambhir coming in as a serious mentor, the KKR camp is much more confident this time. Shreyas has aggression in the game. There is also control. There is pressure to play consecutive matches. The “Second Boys” are desperate to get 2 points against the “First Boys”.
