Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a crucial match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday (May 6). If the hosts lose this match they will significantly lose their chance to make it to the playoffs. Ahead of the game, KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit has advised the players to remain focused on their own game irrespective of the spectators rooting for Captain MS Dhoni and his team.
Chandrakant Pandit’s advice
“When there is support for a cricketer from the opposition, in these kinds of matches every player and every team always focuses on its own game,” Chandrakant Pandit expressed.
“There is so much noise around. If you ask that batter, he will probably say, ‘I didn’t hear anything’. Sometimes, we just ignore that noise,” he added.
Pandit also spoke about the team’s approach of looking at one match at a time and not thinking much about the future.
“You always have to be optimistic,” he said.
“We always believe that we have the best batting line-up. It is unfortunate it didn’t click in the initial matches,” Pandit added.
CSK coach’s update on MS Dhoni
Earlier, MS Dhoni missed the team’s practice session for two consecutive days and questions were raised on him playing the upcoming game. However, CSK bowling coach Eric Simons confirmed that the skipper will be playing the upcoming game against KKR.
KKR on Points Table
Kolkata Knight Riders are currently in the sixth position on the IPL 2025 points table. They have won five of the 11 matches played and one match got abandoned due to rain. They have won their previous matches back-to-back. They have 11 points and an NRR of +0.249. The teams above KKR are Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals.
KKR’s way to the Playoffs
With three matches remaining, KKR can reach a maximum of 17 points. Historically a team that scores 16 points increases its chance to make it to the Playoffs significantly. However, in the ongoing season, RCB and GT have already bagged 16 points and have three matches remaining. There are other teams who can finish with 16 or more points. In order to make it to the top four, KKR must win all their remaining matches with huge margins and expect at least three teams to end up with 16 or fewer points.
Kolkata Knight Riders probable Playing XII against Chennai Super Kings
Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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