JOIN USConfident KKR ready to take on Warriors
The Gautam Gambhir-led franchise was imperious throughout the match save for a few overs of Daniel Vettori blitz. Chasing 170 on the home ground of RCB could be a daunting task, but the Knights made it look ridiculously simple, winning a crucial tie with plenty to spare.
The individual and collective confidence they showed in a pressure match was truly remarkable. A defeat against the Royal Challengers would have put paid to their semifinal aspirations, but they didn’t allow the tight situation to affect them while stitching together a marvellous chase. On Saturday, they need an encore against the Warriors — the most impressive side in this tournament so far with two commanding victories from as many matches.
The Knights will have a lot of comforting factors going into this must-win engagement. To start with, Gambhir showed a welcome return to form with a quick fifty. The innings had all the ingredients that characterise a Gambhir innings -- twinkling footwork, excellent timing, elegant drives through covers and those trademark chip shots over the circle. If those weren’t enough Jacques Kallis was at his imposing best, opening his barn-door of a shoulder with devastating effect when the situation demanded so, otherwise rotating the strike with finesse en route to his unbeaten fifty.
With Gambhir and Kallis returning to form, pressure will be less on Yusuf Pathan, on whom the Knights depended till now to get the acceleration. A free-flowing Pathan could be a great asset in for the Knights in batting, bowling and fielding.
The other point that will keep the Knights a happy bunch is the form of pacer Brett Lee and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla. Lee and Abdulla had struggled for penetration, but the duo found their touch in thundering fashion claiming four wickets among them. Now they need to glue together all those positive shards against Warriors on the day to be in the range of a semis berth.
However, that won’t be easy against the South Africans. Their victories in the CLT20 is an outcome of blending experience with youth in the right proportions. The firepower of young names like Jon Jon Smuts and Rusty Theron has gelled well with the pragmatism of Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher. So, brace for an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Group A
Team P W L NR Pts NRR
Mumbai Indians 2 2 0 0 4 +0.077
Cape Cobras 2 1 1 0 2 +0.443
Chennai Super Kings 2 1 1 0 2 +0.032
New South Wales 2 1 1 0 2 -0.516
Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 2 0 0 -0.025
Group B
Team P W L NR Pts NRR
Warriors 2 2 0 0 4 +1.275
Somerset 1 1 0 0 2 +0.289
Kolkata Knight Riders 3 1 2 0 2 -0.019
South Australia 2 1 1 0 2 -0.775
Royal Challengers 2 0 2 0 0 -0.648
Read under Played, Won, Lost, No Result, Points and Nett Run Rate.