Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manish Pandey stated the workforce was specializing in training and match preparations even when the IPL was halted as a consequence of Indo-Pak navy battle as they had been assured of the league’s resumption and reckons that maybe the pressured mini-break may really assist them rediscover their contact.
KKR will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a must-win match right here on Saturday to maintain their playoffs hopes alive.
“It [the mid-tournament break] doesn’t really change much because as professional cricketers, we know what’s to be done. We definitely knew that the tournament would resume, but we didn’t know how soon. But it was good that we didn’t have a lot of break,” stated Pandey within the pre-match press convention right here on Friday.
“We were still in the gym and doing our work on the game. The whole team is here and everyone is ready to go and we are looking forward to having a great game,” he added.
However, a defeat against the RCB will put paid to KKR’s knockout stage ambitions, but Pandey did not view it as a pressure point.
“You know, nothing a lot to lose from right here. Actually, we simply thought we may have had a greater event as a workforce. We had been discussing that, however however, we misplaced just a few video games within the center.
“If you think about those crucial games, you wish now that you had won those games. But yeah, definitely two more games to go. Everybody is wanting to perform,” he stated.
The KKR are a powerful aspect on the paper, however they haven’t been in a position to carry out constantly this season.
Pandey attributed the debacle to their incapability to sew collectively a collection of wins like they did the final 12 months.
“Last time we were winning games, a lot of games, which is very important in a tournament like IPL. This time we were winning one, but were losing one. The whole tournament was like that.
“Our batting has been high-quality. We have been bowling rather well. It has been a 12 months the place it has been slightly patchy by way of each the performances, batting and bowling. Hopefully, we will have the same robust core for subsequent 12 months as nicely and may win video games like we had been doing final 12 months,” he said.
On a positive note, Pandey hoped the unexpected mid-event break would help KKR to regain some mojo in their last two games.
“But a break like this might positively assist. I’m fairly positive guys would have gone again residence and seen their movies and tried to work on just a few issues that they did not have the chance to do.
So, I feel it needs to be a great break. As I stated, the one factor I’m hoping for is to win the final two video games and finish on a excessive,” he stated.
Published – May 17, 2025 03:04 am IST
