Winning games through collective efforts is what the Kolkata Knight Riders always look to do like any other good team. Last year, after they lost a few of initial matches of the league stages, no one really gave them a chance to go all the way.
In spite of everything, they won the tournament in style and they could achieve that because of the all-round skills of their players. Even a Piyush Chawla can chip with the bat whenever his team needs one.
But in the ongoing IPL, KKR has now reached a point from where a win will ensure them a place in the play-off like the Chennai Super Kings. The Rajasthan Royals, against whom KKR will be playing their last match, are in a similar situation.
They have 14 points from 13 encounters and desperately searching for a win to cement their place in the play-offs while KKR are slightly ahead with 15 points from same number of match.
On Thursday night, KKR had the golden opportunity to win the match against the hosts Mumbai Indians and topping the points table once again. But they lost the match by five runs after Kieron Pollard delivered a match-winning over to restrict the KKR batters from scoring those 12crucial runs to win the game.
Now, no one really knows how this match between KKR and the Royals will unfold because they haven’t played each other this year at all. In the home leg match against the Royals, KKR had to be satisfied with one point after the match was abandoned due to rain at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Royals, however, have a better track record over KKR. Out of 14 matches that they have played against each other, the Royals have won eight of them, which included two win in one-over eliminator while KKR has six victories next to their name.
But this is hardly an indication of how these two teams are going to play at the Brabourne stadium on Saturday evening. But what the fans can expect is a big battle between the two most competitive sides.
