IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik optimistic about KKRs chances to qualify for playoffs

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost a couple of matches against the Mumbai Indians (MI) and are precariously placed in the fifth position of the points table. Dinesh Karthik’s men locked horns with Rohit Sharma’s boys at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and were thumped by a mammoth 102 runs. However, despite the drubbing, the skipper of KKR is confident about the franchise’s future in the event.

“I am very disappointed. However, there are three games and we take one game at a time. So, if we win the games, I know we have a great chance of getting to the playoffs. I believe in that and want my teammates to believe in that,” Karthik was quoted as saying in Sportstar.

A massive dent in KKR’s net-run rate

The hefty defeat also meant that the net-run rate of the team has been severely jolted, which won’t work in their favour if the teams are locked on equal points. Meanwhile, Karthik believes that it’s a matter of three good matches for the run-rate to escalate. KKR will play their next match against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

“After this game, our run-rate has taken a hit. We will take a call as the run rate has come to minus now. If we play three good games, it will go up. Ishan Kishan’s 21-ball 62 in the middle overs took the game away from KKR,” he added.

Kuldeep Yadav was touted to be a force to reckon with prior to the event, but he hasn’t quite delivered with his wrist-spin. He hasn’t been able to churn out wickets and most importantly, he has been taken for plenty of runs, which hasn’t helped the Knights’ cause of putting a lid on the belligerent Mumbai batsmen. Karthik also talked about the phase which went against them.

“He is somebody who brings in a lot of control in the middle overs. And when he goes for runs, it’s hard. This game, he went for a few runs and in the middle, they took him down a little bit, but these things happen in a game of cricket,” a disappointed Knights captain mentioned.

Here is Gautam Gambhir’s journey

Stay updated on every ‘cricket news‘ and developments with CricTracker.com.