IPL 2024: Second-placed KKR look to dethrone RR from pole position
But it’s easier said than done as the Rajasthan Royals have been ruthless throughout the tournament, barring a minor blip against Gujarat Titans.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir felt his side played too many dot balls after the Powerplay and this cost them the match against Kings XI Punjab.
KKR lost by 14 runs but have already made the playoffs. Punjab, on the other hand were bolstered by the victory and now have two more games to make the grade.
"I thought we started off very well. After six overs, me, Robin (Uthappa) and Manish (Pandey) obviously played too many dot balls.
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"That was the turning point. We could have rotated the strike better. Credit to Kings XI, they hung in there. They didn't give us easy runs and they were always attacking," Gambhir said after the match.
"The dots ball made a lot of difference. I could have opened and Robin could have batted at three at his original position. But Sunil (Narine) has been hitting the ball well and we thought that he could provide the momentum upfront," he said.
Gambhir suggested that this could be the end of the Narine opening experiment.
"We have one more game to go. Me and (Chris) Lynn might open and Robin will be back at three. Maybe we could think about that combinations in the coming games. At one point of time, the required rate was around 7.5 to 8, taking it to to 11, that was the turning point."
KKR play Mumbai Indians at home on Saturday to wrap up their league engagements.
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