The Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) defending champions, found themselves in urgent trouble. Their dreams of making it into the end-of-season playoffs have been dashed. As they prepare for their last two games of the regular season, this development only puts them under more pressure. Now they find themselves in an uphill battle to move on having been sitting in sixth place last week.
The team now sits just a single point ahead of the Gujarat Titans, who occupy 7th place in the standings. Importantly, the Titans have a better net run-rate, plus they have a game in hand. This leaves them in a considerably better position. Kolkata’s soon to be slate of matches could be make or break. They must win each of those two matches to have any chance of advancing beyond pool play.
This year has been particularly stormy for the IPL. Earlier this month, the competition was paused for a week due to rising hostilities between India and Pakistan over the contested region of Kashmir. The match in Bengaluru was to be the long awaited return of the league after this suspension. It’s been Kolkata’s failure to gain some key wins that’s tainted their title defense.
The Knight Riders’ current situation is especially jarring considering they were back-to-back champions not too long ago. Their sixth-place finish reflects significant struggles throughout the season, and the pressure now mounts as they head into their final games. Kolkata has only two matches remaining. They need to capitalize on their chances to maintain their playoff hopes!
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