Former Indian batsman Deep Dasgupta has applauded the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) brilliant efforts to qualify for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League this season. He has shared that no one would have thought of Kolkata to finish in the top four before the resumption of the second league in the UAE as well.
Notably, KKR were second from the bottom of the points table before the tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in India. But, they have done well in the second leg also. Deep Dasgupta, while reviewing their performance, praised the Morgan-led team as well. He said that after KKR’s stunning display during the second phase, they now have the much-needed confidence and momentum going forward.
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Dasgupta said: “They (KKR) are pretty much in form the way they’re playing right now. The biggest issue is the unavailability of Andre Russell. It remains to be seen whether he will be available for the knockouts. But it looks like they’re a solid team, have momentum on their side and have instilled confidence. Before the resumption of the second half of the IPL, not many would have thought they would end up in the top 4. And the fact that they have qualified, tells you that they are in very good form.”
However, they will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on October 11. Meanwhile, he also opened up on Rajasthan Royals’ performance.
He said: “They finished seventh in the table and you have to feel bad for them. They missed out on their big names. Rajasthan’s philosophy has always been to find success around their overseas players like Archer, Buttler, Stokes. Unfortunately, Jofra was not available for the franchise during the first leg, who was one of their best players last season. Unfortunately again in the second half, there was no Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes available as well.”
Deep Dasgupta also said that the consistent form of their captain, Sanju Samson, was the biggest positive for them. The 26-year-old smashed 484 runs at an average of 40 runs per match in 14 games for his side as well. Samson was also the first player to score a century this season also.
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“But the biggest positive for them was their captain Sanju’s consistent performance. Down the years the main issue with him was his inconsistency but this season, we’ve seen his maturity. His consistency is good news for Indian cricket as well. The only thing is that they were let down massively from their overseas contingent due to the unavailability,” Deep Dasgupta concluded.