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It is the last week of the Indian Premier League and the fans across the globe are anticipating as to who will win the crown on May 27 at the Wankhede stadium. The Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are the four teams who have made the playoffs this season.
The Knight Riders will be looking to erase their last season's disappointment after missing out the finals spot narrowly, under Gautam Gambhir. With 16 points from 14 games, Dinesh Karthik's men finished third in the points table and qualified for the playoffs. With both the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad losing their league games against the Knight Riders at Kolkata, it is advantage KKR in the playoffs.
They face the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator on May 23rd, and a victory against the 2008 champions will see them competing against the table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier-2 ( a virtual semi-final) for a place in the Sunday's final at the Wankhede stadium. Let us now look at why the Knight Riders will make the summit-clash this season.
#1 Home advantage
A crunch game in front of 66,000 vociferous KKR fans at Eden Gardens - it couldn't have been any better for Dinesh Karthik's men, who are gunning for a place in the IPL finals, after missing out narrowly last season. In terms of the stadium atmosphere, the Eden Gardens is certainly one of the best in the IPL.
The Knight Riders won five out of their seven homes in the league stages of this season. They lost just three games at home - against table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (by 5 wickets), Mumbai Indians (by 102 runs) and Kings XI Punjab.
The Knight Riders last played an IPL playoff at home during the 2014 IPL (Qualifier-1) where they won by 28 runs against the Kings XI Punjab en-route to their second IPL title. They will absolutely cherish the prospect of playing in front of their fans.
#2 The 'fabulous trio'
With their star players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn recovering from injuries just weeks before the season, not many fancied KKR to get a spot in the 2018 IPL playoffs. But these players have proved why they are the best in the business with their exceptional performances this season.
Narine's elevation as an opener has paid rich dividends for KKR once again, as he has been brilliant with his cameos at the top, laying a strong foundation for their middle-order.
His journey from a mystery spinner to a priceless all-rounder for KKR has been tremendous. In 14 league games, Narine has scored 327 runs at an enormous strike-rate of 189.01, with his highest score being 75. He has also proved his mettle with the ball, scalping 16 wickets at an economy of 7.62 with his best figures being 3/18.
Chris Lynn, who was bought for Rs. 9.6 crore, has been in a brilliant form at the top. His massive opening partnerships with Narine have been the key to KKR's good run in terms of batting. Lynn has scored 425 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 131.17, with his highest score being 74.
Another Caribbean star, Andre Russell, has always been a pivotal member of the KKR squad. His all-round prowess is second to none and has been their most valuable player in the past editions.
Russell, who was retained by KKR prior to the auctions has scored 264 runs at a strike-rate of 189.92. He has taken 13 wickets at an economy of 9.57, with his best figures being 3/31. The overseas trio will look to continue their good run in the playoffs and help their side go all the way this season.
#1 'Captain fantastic' Dinesh Karthik - leading from the front
Before the start of the season, the fans were taken by surprise in Kolkata's decision of appointing Dinesh Karthik as their skipper. But the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman has proved his critics wrong with his impressive batting and even more impressive captaincy.
Karthik has led from the front, contributing for his team in almost every match. The KKR skipper, who was bought for a whopping Rs. 7.4 crore at the auctions, has scored 438 runs in 14 league games at a strike-rate of 149.48, with his highest score being 50.
His cameos right at the end of the innings have given his side a much-needed boost. His captaincy has also been top notch - be it with strategy or delivering under pressure with the bat.
He has also been brilliant behind the stumps with 13 catches and 3 stumpings during the league stages of this season. He guided them to 8 wins out of the 14 league games, which propelled them to third place in the points table and a spot in the playoffs. Karthik's role in the playoffs will be vital for KKR's progress to the Grand finale.
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