The Kolkata Knight Riders’ come-from-behind win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad was a much-needed lifeline for the team. This win was a must-win game, and the Knights need to continue this momentum if they want to stay in the race for playoffs. The team needs to capitalize on this opportunity and put in their best effort to win against the Punjab Kings in their upcoming clash at Eden Gardens. However, both teams need to keep an eye on the weather as there is a forecast of rain on Monday.
The win against the Sunrisers in Hyderabad was a morale-booster for the Knight Riders, especially since it was in a pressure-cooker situation. However, the team needs to get their batting right, and Nitish Rana and his teammates need to step up. Unless there’s a last-moment injury or a new opening combination, Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are expected to lead the batting lineup. If both of them perform well, the Knight Riders have an excellent opportunity to make use of the Powerplay.
It’s essential for Roy to click as the team’s batting primarily revolves around him. If Roy performs well, it will be challenging for the shaky Punjab bowling attack. An interesting battle could be on the cards if Punjab brings Kagiso Rabada back into their XI to strengthen their bowling. None of Punjab’s bowlers, including Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran, have been consistent enough in this season.
The Knight Riders should aim to exploit this weakness in the Punjab bowling attack on a good batting wicket, which is a bit on the drier side at the Eden Gardens. The likes of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine had been practicing and trying to perfect the scoop shot in Saturday’s training session. However, the team needs to be more judicious in terms of shot selection to avoid their downfall in previous games.
If the batters do their job properly, the load should certainly get lighter for the Knight Riders bowlers. Spin-wise, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma are far more reliable weapons than Punjab’s Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar. Even Anukul Roy did a decent job with his left-arm spin in the narrow win over the Sunrisers, picking up the key scalp of Harry Brook.
Captain Dhawan’s Kings have been a better-performing unit than the Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers, but they recently suffered a defeat to Mumbai Indians at home. Dhawan and his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh, the in-form Liam Livingstone, all-rounder Curran, and keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma will not make it easy for the KKR bowlers.
However, Skipper Rana needs to ensure that he doesn’t delay in bringing the spinners on, as this almost cost the Knights the last game. There’s no room for error at this stage, and the Knight Riders need to put their best foot forward to win against the Punjab Kings.
