IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir picks his winner of the Eliminator between KKR and RR

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) haven’t had the smoothest of campaigns in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL). They stuttered at different phases of the round-robin matches. However, KKR managed to win three matches on the trot against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) respectively to cement their berth for the playoffs.

The franchise will now cross swords versus the Royals at the Eden Gardens where they have previously beaten Ajinkya Rahane’s men. Nevertheless, the journey for the Men in Gold and Purple won’t be a cakewalk as they will have to win another three successive encounters to lift the prestigious T20 championship.

Gambhir’s optimism for KKR

Dinesh Karthik took over the reins from Gautam Gambhir as the skipper of the team and he has done a fairly reasonable job. He is their leading run-scorer and has been a vital cog of the Knight Riders batting side as well. Meanwhile, Gambhir touted Karthik’s men favourites to win the Eliminator against RR as he believes that they possess the experience of performing in crunch matches.

“Well, I am firmly in the KKR camp. Besides my emotional attachment with my erstwhile team, I think the ‘purples’ have the experience of playing big games. I have liked the way Dinesh Karthik has led the group. He has absorbed pressures well. I have loved the way he has handled Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. I get a feeling it could once again be their day,” Gambhir wrote in his column for Hindustan Times.

The 36-year old player also praised RR wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson and feels that he can be a bone in the flesh of KKR’s bowling.

“Rajasthan has my favourite player, Sanju Samson. Sanju knows this ground well and can counter the KKR bowling,” the veteran cricketer added.

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