Kolkata Knight Riders’ seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022 on Monday brought a breath of fresh air to the purple and gold dressing room after a string of five consecutive losses despite a promising start. While the win helped KKR stay in the hunt, they have a mountain to climb.
It was a must-win situation for KKR on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. And the Shahrukh Khan-owned side didn’t disappoint with Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana keeping their calm and composure and lead the Knights to an easy victory with five balls to spare.
When Shreyas Iyer was handed the KKR captaincy, expectations grew from the dynamic and stylish Mumbaikar considering his captaincy record at Delhi Capitals. But his chopping and changing policy, having used as many as 19 players before the Rajasthan game, put a question mark on his leadership credentials.
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“A lot of chopping and changing is happening (at the top of the order), it's been difficult to set up the right combination, with all injuries not helping as well,” Iyer had said after their loss against Delhi Capitals.
KKR were in a similar kind of position last year but made it to the playoffs with six wins in their last eight round-robin games. With eight points from 10 matches, KKR are seventh in the IPL 2022 points table. While the chances for the Shreyas Iyer-led side are slim, they also have to rely on other teams.
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How Can KKR Qualify For IPL 2022 Playoffs?
First and foremost, Kolkata Knight Riders need to win all their remaining games to give themselves a chance. KKR have four games left and winning all would take them to 16 points. But then also KKR would be hoping teams at the bottom of the table win against the top-half in their respective matches.
For table-toppers and debutants Gujarat Titans, who are on 16 points from nine games, a win against Punjab Kings on Tuesday would seal their playoff spot. Second-placed Lucknow Super Giants (14 points) are expected to win atleast two of their remaining four games to enter the play-offs.
With Mumbai Indians already out of the playoffs contention, the fight for third and fourth spots will get intense as seven franchises will battle to sneak themselves in. Kolkata Knight Riders will face Lucknow Super Giants twice on May 7 and 18, Mumbai Indians on May 9 and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 14.
Reasons For KKR’s Below-Par Show In IPL 2022
The biggest reason for KKR’s dismal run in IPL 2022 is their inconsistency in both batting and bowling. They never had a settled opening pair with last year’s hero Venkatesh Iyer turning out to be a super flop. Against RR on Monday, KKR experimented with their fifth different opening pair.
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KKR did try with Ajinkya Rahane during the initial stages but later opted for Australian Aaron Finch but the result came out in their favour. Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana and Andre Russell also shone in patches.
In the bowling department, baring Umesh Yadav, no bowler features in top 10 of the most wicket-takers list. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who was retained after a stellar performance last year also drew black.
