IPL 2018 | Kolkata Knight Riders eye for top-two finish, says Jacques Kallis

IPL 2018 has come up to the halfway stage and the competition for playoff spots have taken its peak. Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have played exceptionally well to bag 12 points, each won six games out of eight so far and placed themselves in number one and two respectively. Kings XI Punjab, with 10 points, have been placed at the third position and seem like qualifying for the playoffs without much fuss. These three teams are almost looking set for playoffs but the number four position is wide open for all other teams practically and mathematically.

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who have four wins and four losses from eight games and currently sitting at fourth place, need to win at least four of their remaining six matches to stay ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils (six points) each,  and defending champions Mumbai Indians( four points).

According to KKR coach Jacques Kallis, the franchise is pushing for a top-two finish, which is completely possible and the match against Chennai Super Kings at home today will be an important game for them. Kolkata Knight Riders have lost their second game playing against CSK at Chepauk despite scoring 202. Today’s match will be their second encounter against CSK this season.

"It is always a huge game against Chennai. MS has been grabbing the headlines on a regular basis but the team is so much more than him. A top-two finish is still our priority but the old cliché is truer than ever - one game at a time. But there is no need to keep anything in the tank now - it's time to start pushing with everything we have," the South-African legend wrote in his column for Times of India.

Banking on his previous experience on IPL and as well as KKR, he added that there have been times when Kolkata Knight Riders have consecutively won five-six matches in different editions, so it looks quite possible because of the kind of squad that KKR have at their disposal. 

"Naturally, every team prefers to have a healthy win/loss ratio but I'm not too unhappy with a 4:4 record at this stage of the tournament. I regard it as a solid platform from which we can push for a top-two finish. On many occasions I have been part of KKR teams which have won four, five or even six consecutive games, so we all know it is possible - and I have no doubt that this squad is capable of doing exactly that,” noted Kallis.

Notably, KKR have suffered big-time in their pace bowling department this season after their two important quick bowlers ruled out of the IPL. Before the beginning of the tournament, Mitchell Starc was ruled out, for whom KKR shelled out 9.4 crores from their purse during the auction and during the IPL, Under-19 sensation Kamlesh Nagarkoti was also left the squad. However, Kallis opined that injuries are part and parcel of the game and can not be termed as an excuse.

"We have injury concerns but so do most other teams. The moment you start regretting the loss of players, or start making excuses, is the moment you run the risk of losing the plot. Everybody has to get on with it - injuries are a test of the contingency plans you have put in place," he wrote. "I have said it many times before, but the intensity of the IPL and the pressure it places on players and their support staff is just as much of a challenge as taking wickets and scoring runs. If you complain then you have failed the challenge," penned the head coach of KKR.

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