IPL 2022, KKR vs RR: Kolkata Knight Riders look to stem the rot

Kolkata Knight Riders. Languishing at the bottom half of the points table, the least the Shreyas Iyer-led side has to do now is to win the last five matches to stay in contention for a playoff berth. But it will take no less than a Herculean effort on their part to rise and deliver after suffering five straight losses. Their job will be particularly more difficult against Rajasthan Royals who are operating as a well-oiled unit. KKR, however, can take heart from the fact that an out-of-form Mumbai Indians managed to beat RR on Saturday. They themselves got close before falling short by just seven runs in the earlier encounter this season against the same rivals.

Coach Brendon McCullum, however, is not new to the situation and can draw inspiration from last season when the side won five of their last seven matches to make the playoffs.

But what KKR need to do first is to get their team combination right. In a bid to arrest the slide, the team management perhaps tried out too many things thereby unsettling the side even more. KKR seniors like pacer Tim Southee and skipper Iyer had even stated that constant chopping and changing policy has done no good to the side. However, it also showed KKR’s lack of options. The side was unable to find able replacements once two of their retained players – opener Venkatesh Iyer and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy — flopped. Their problem is compounded by the fact that Andre Russell has not fired consistently and almost all their bowlers are going for runs.