Complacency often leads to a lack of intensity when an in-form team meets an opposition who are on a losing streak.
On paper, the second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves in a much, much better position than the second-from-bottom Punjab Kings, their opponents at Eden Gardens on Friday.
The Kings go into this contest after four straight defeats, while they will once again be missing regular captain Shikhar Dhawan on Friday, their spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi confirmed. Dhawan is expected to play in the Kings' next game, an away tie against Chennai Super Kings, on May 1.
However, given the fickleness of T20s, the Knight Riders cannot really afford to relax. Their bowling, especially under lights at the Eden, continues to be a concern.
Mitchell Starc, the bowler the Knights had banked upon the most alongside Sunil Narine, has struggled in his comeback IPL season. Six wickets from his seven appearances so far, the left-arm speedster’s bowling average is 47.83, and what’s more worrying is his economy rate (11.48) which doesn’t bode well for KKR nor for a bowler of Starc’s calibre.
On Thursday too, Starc, having sustained an injury in his bowling hand in the previous game against RCB, didn’t bowl during the optional training session. If Starc doesn't make the XI, KKR do have options in the form of Sri Lankan quick Dushmantha Chameera and West Indies batter all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford. Or, they can go in with pacers Chetan Sakariya and Sakib Hussain with an overseas player less.
Captain Shreyas Iyer, towards the close of Thursday's training, was seen to be undergoing what appeared like a fitness test. Incidentally, Shreyas didn't bat at nets on the game eve. The Knights wouldn't want to miss their skipper in this crucial phase of the competition.
