Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik still eyeing IPL 2018 play-off spot
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik was disappointed at his side’s loss to Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, but he believes KKR can survive the league stage of the IPL 2018 and make the play-offs.
It was a surrender so abject that Shah Rukh Khan tweeted an apology to fans of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Skipper Dinesh Karthik shared his boss’s disappointment but, displaying remarkable sangfroid, said KKR can survive the league stage of the IPL 2018. (MATCH REPORT)
“Do I feel the playoffs are possible? Definitely yes. We have three games and we take one game at a time. If we win them, we can go through. I believe in that and I want my teammates to believe in that. At this point, that is the important thing,” said Karthik after the 102-run loss to Mumbai Indians here on Wednesday. (HIGHLIGHTS) (SCORECARD)
For the first time this term, KKR are out of the top four and have a negative nett run rate. The best way to rectify that is to notch up good wins, said Karthik. For that KKR have to show the nous and the nerve to live down a performance that wasn’t short of a nightmare.
They have managed that once, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore two days after being mauled by Delhi Daredevils. They now have three days to do that again, away to Kings XI Punjab.
READ | Ishan Kishan blitz powers Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders
“That’s the biggest challenge, isn’t it for a sportsperson? You are going to get nights like these where you have been outplayed. You have got to give credit to Mumbai Indians; they played some real good cricket, they batted really well in the middle and that changed the course of the match. As a sportsman, these are the challenges you face: how quickly you are able to forget this and move on to the next match,” said Karthik.
And Karthik made it clear that he won’t ring in wholesale changes to the line-up. As it is with a 19-member squad, KKR are not exactly spoilt for choice but Karthik said it is important for him to trust his playing 11. “One of my strengths as a captain if that I have an 11, I have trusted it. That is something very important as a leader. I would like to believe in my team,” he said.
Karthik will hope some of that belief will rub on Kuldeep Yadav. Part of the KKR spin troika, the chinaman bowler got hit for five sixes by Ishan Kishan, four of them coming in successive deliveries. “He’s somebody who has given us a lot of control in the middle overs and when he goes for runs, it’s hard. But these things happen,” said Karthik.
READ | Dwayne Bravo to play for Middlesex in T20 Blast
The KKR skipper felt 190 was the par score here. “It was the 20 runs over that made a lot of difference. We succumbed to pressure, played a few bad shots and lost too many wickets in the power play. Then, obviously it is going to be hard,” said Karthik.
The KKR skipper said batsman Shubman Gill woke up with a sore knee on Wednesday but should be available on Saturday.
