Mumbai: Their play-off chances hung, Kolkata Knight Riders will keep no stone unturned as they take on Mumbai Indians with a prayer on their lips in a must-win Indian Premier League game on Sunday.
KKR defeated Kings XI Punjab to keep their play-off hopes alive till the last leage game but if Sunrisers Hyderabad manage to sneak past RCB on Saturday, it might take a Herculean effort in terms of improving the net run-rate. Placed fourth, SRH have a net run-rate of +0.653, which is comparatively better than fifth placed KKR’s +0.173. In case, SRH lose to RCB, it will be like a quarter-final for KKR as a win will do the job. However MI would like to carry on the winning momentum as 18 points and a better net run-rate than both first placed Chennai Super Kings and third placed Delhi Capitals will give them two shots at qualifying for the final. With Chris Lynn and Shubhman Gill coming good and the marauding Andre Russell to follow at No 4, skipper Dinesh Karthik would fancy his chances at the batting-friendly Wankhede. Gill’s confidence would have boosted after his back-to-back half-centuries against Mumbai Indians (at home) and Kings Xi Punjab. His unbeaten 65 off 49 balls steered KKR to a seven-wicket victory against KXIP in Mohali on Friday.
Already assured of a playoff berth, table toppers Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab in their last IPL group league encounter here Sunday. After a defeat against Mumbai Indians in an earlier match, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK bounced back with a massive 80-run win over Delhi Capitals in their last game, to once again capture the No.1 spot. Heavy loss against Mumbai Indians saw their net run-rate falling and now with just a game left in the league stage, the defending champions need a win to maintain their dominance and cement their position at the top. With 18 points from 13 games, a win will give them 20 points, which is unlikely to be achieved by any other team. In contrast, Kings XI Punjab, who are already out of the play-offs race, would be playing only for pride. With 10 points from 13 games, they are at seventh spot, a rung above bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore.Not being in the reckoning for playoffs will be a disappointment for the home crowd in Sunday’s match. (PTI)
