Getting bowled out for their lowest-ever total while chasing 111 will have a debilitating effect on any team.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered an ignominious 16-run defeat to Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match played in New Chandigarh a few days back, getting bowled out for 95 in an abject surrender by their batters.
As KKR look to bounce back from that heart-breaking defeat, their spin bowling coach, Carl Crowe highlighted the importance of staying in the present as the TATA IPL 2025 season progresses.
Ahead of the defending champions’ crucial encounter against the Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens on Monday, the spin bowling coach shared, “It’s important not to get too high or too low with wins or losses. If you look at that game (against PBKS), we bowled incredibly well and restricted them to 112, and halfway past our innings we were still well on top. So, for us, it’s important to remain consistent in terms of our approach and stay positive in terms of our mindset.”
Looking forward to the game and analyzing the importance of his spinners in the KKR team, Crowe stated, “Spin is clearly going to be a big part as it always is at Eden Gardens. We’re happy with the spinners we’ve got. They work incredibly hard, you can see it in their economy rate, strike rate, and wickets taken.”
They’ve consistently done well for us and are a key part of the team we’ve put together. They’ve bowled throughout different stages of the game, and the captain has used them well throughout the competition.
KKR are currently in the sixth position in the points table with three wins and four losses in seven matches. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, are currently occupying the top spot on net run rate with 10 points from seven games.
Gujarat Titans are clubbed with Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants on 10 points and will hope to open up a gap at the top by winning Monday's match at Eden Gardens.
While GT are the form team with five wins, they have opener B. Sai Sudharsan occupying the second spot in the race for the Orange Cup with 365 runs from seven innings, trailing Nicholas Pooran by three runs. Sudharsan has struck four half-centuries so far with a top score of 82. Jos Buttler, in his first season with GT, has also done well, amassing 315 runs while skipper Shubman Gill has scored 215 runs so far.
Gill has also marshaled his bowlers excellently. Prasidh Krishna has currently dons the Purple Cap with 14 wickets in seven matches while left-arm spinner Sai Kishore and experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj have claimed 11 wickets apiece.
KKR, on the other hand, have been inconsistent and have failed to put up their 'A' game in many matches. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane has been their top batter with 221 runs from seven innings while Angkrish Raghuvanshi has managed 170 runs in six innings.
They have done marginally well on the bowling front with Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana claiming 10 wickets each so far.
KKR will be hoping for a much-improved performance from their players against Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens where the pitch is expected to support spin bowling.
Probable playing XIs: Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (capt), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
