Teams Status

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders’ UAE leg of IPL 2021 has been going pretty well. In fact, they’d have been unbeaten, had it now been for a final-ball defeat to Chennai last Sunday.

That slim defeat aside, KKR have beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals – all heavyweights in their own rights.

In that last win over Delhi, however, they were made to work harder than they’d have liked – especially when the target was of just 128 runs.

KKR’s UAE form means that they now have their playoffs destiny in their own hands, and are the favourites among the four sides battling for the final playoffs spot.

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have played the same number of matches as Kolkata but have two points less, which is why they have a fight on their hands to extend their season beyond the round-robin stage.

Of their three outings in the desert, they’ve lost two and won one – hardly impressive stats. That sole victory came against bottom dwellers Sunrisers Hyderabad, while they were soundly beaten by Mumbai Indians in their last game.

The Kings would argue that their loss to Rajasthan in leg-opener was more a last-second mishap than a total failure but then a loss is a loss.

Against Mumbai on Tuesday, their batting misfired and managed just 135-6, which the defending champions tracked down with relative ease.