'We're good enough to be in the semi-finals' - Coach Brendon McCullum backs KKR after four consecutive losses

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum believes that the two-time are still ‘good enough’ to qualify for play-offs of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. To note, KKR is placed in the seventh spot in the points table with just three wins in eight matches so far.

The Knight Riders have won against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, and Mumbai Indians. However, they have suffered defeats at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and their latest one against Gujarat Titans (GT).

In their previous match against GT, KKR was not able to chase a target of 157 runs. The two-time champions lost their top four batters early. Uncapped Rinku Singh, playing his first game this edition, made 35 and stitched a 45-run partnership with all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer before West Indies hard-hitter Andre Russell’s 25-ball 48 got them closer to the target in the last over. However, pacer Alzarri Joseph managed to defend 18 runs in the final over and hand KKR their fourth successive defeat in the tournament.

Our batters have been very good so far in the campaign: KKR head coach

Speaking at the post-match press conference, head coach McCullum said, “Our batters have been very good so far in the campaign. We got 210 in our last game [against Rajasthan Royals] and 175 batting first in the other [against Sunrisers Hyderabad]. I think our batters have been predominantly very good, keeping in mind that it’s not necessarily just our top-order, your batting group is top seven or eight batters as a collective. Overall, we have been batting pretty well.”

“We still believe we are good enough to be in the semi-finals and be there at the thick end of the competition. We’ll just keep working hard and hopefully, things will work out, ” he added.

Meanwhile, KKR will take on Delhi Capitals in their next group stage encounter to be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on April 28 (Thursday).