Kolkata Knight Riders haven’t been able to find the right combination in the ongoing season and thus there has been a lot of chopping and changing in their playing XI.
However, their middle-order batter Nitish Rana feels the team has found the right combination after they won against Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday.
Rana scored an unbeaten match-winning knock of 48 runs off just 37 balls whereas Rinku Singh added 42 runs off just 23 balls to provide the finishing touches for their team. The left-handed duo added 66 runs to get their team over the line.
Rana added that they didn’t even require the services of Andre Russell and with this convincing win they might have found the right combination for the upcoming matches.
“We feel we have found the right combination. The comfortable way in which we won without any big players means that our playing XI is set. He (Rinku) has been on and off since he made his debut in 2018 and the knock he played has lent stability to our lineup.
“It’s understandable for people to raise questions about the playing XI, especially after defeats. Even we face doubts, but if we keep winning games, then any XI is the best,” Rana was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.
Rana, who has done a decent job for KKR in the ongoing season, added he tries to play according to the match situation after analyzing everything.
“My approach depends from game to game. I take into account the target, the bowling attack of opponents, the position I’m batting in and try to mould my game as per that. It’s been quite a while since I started playing the IPL and I’m trying to play the role of an anchor,” he added.
KKR will look to continue the winning impetus in their upcoming matches in order to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the playoff stages. KKR will next face Lucknow Super Giants at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Saturday.
