Kolkata, May 16:
Back home after nearly a month on the road and with their campaign hanging by a thread, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to stay alive in the IPL when they face a rampaging Gujarat Titans side chasing a top-two finish, here on Saturday.
It has been another inconsistent and underwhelming season for KKR under veteran Ajinkya Rahane, whose appointment as captain itself had raised questions after the franchise finished a disappointing eighth under him last year.
KKR had to wait till their seventh match (halfway stage) of the season to register their first win and have looked far from a settled side throughout the campaign, with questionable team selections and batting-order hurting their rhythm.
Their brief revival, which brought four consecutive wins starting with the victory over Rajasthan Royals in their last home match on April 19, ended with a defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru after sloppy fielding and a batting masterclass by Virat Kohli.
KKR now have three matches remaining and can reach a maximum of 15 points if they win all of them, but even that may not guarantee a playoff berth as qualification would then depend on other results.
Another defeat, however, would virtually end their campaign and could also intensify scrutiny on Rahaneâs future with the franchise.
Their four-match winning run was built largely around the return to form of spin twins Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, along with consistent contributions from vice-captain Rinku Singh.But Chakravarthyâs absence against RCB because of a fractured left leg proved costly.
There is some relief for KKR though, with head coach Abhishek Nayar hinting at the spinnerâs return.âWeâre always excited to go back (home). We have our fans there, and weâre looking to make sure when Varun comes back in the next game, we get our strong bowling side back together and use home conditions to our advantage,â Nayar had said after the six-wicket defeat to RCB.
KKRâs batting has lacked consistency all season and even former captain Sourav Ganguly publicly questioned the team managementâs handling of Rinku, saying at an event that the left-hander bats âtoo lowâ.
Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been one of the few bright spots with 340 runs, including four fifties, at a strike rate of 139.44, while Rinku has scored 286 runs at 148.95 with two half-centuries.
The duo will have key roles to play in KKRâs remaining home fixtures against Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.