The defending champions will be back in action at the iconic Eden Gardens, as the Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mouth watering opening match. After a dominant last season and being crowned the undisputed champions, KKR will be aiming to carry forward from where they left off in the last season. Varun Chakaravarthy, who was the cornerstone of KKR’s success last year, previewed this upcoming game against RCB. Here’s what he had to say (quotes):
Q: You have always found success against RCB whenever you've played against them. What is it that brings the best out of you against them?
A - “Nothing in specific, just the situation of those matches which helped me pick wickets. In all those games the conditions and the situations were completely favourable towards us so I was able to extract the best possible result.”
Q: How do you think the overall KKR squad is building up for the title defence?
A - “The squad looks good. I think it’s about cracking the code and having the best playing XI performing consistently. If we are able to get a set core in the first 3 matches, then we have great chances ahead in this season.”
Q: A lot has changed since last season and you walk into this year’s IPL with such a strong performance for the Indian team. What are the changes you have been able to make through these experiences?
A - “The main thing is working on consistency, which is the toughest thing to master and I’m putting in constant work in order to achieve that. And of course, I’m working on a few other deliveries which I'm hoping will come off nicely in the upcoming games.”
KKR will be looking forward to adding to the winning streak with wins in the last 4 consecutive games against RCB. With a favourable 20-14 head-to-head record, the defending champions will be eager to kick off their title defence with a victory. An absolutely rollicking contest awaits us at the Eden Gardens.
Stats to watch out for:
- Vaibhav Arora is 1 wicket away from 50 wickets in T20s.
- Sunil Narine is 3 sixes away from 100 sixes in IPL.
- Sunil Narine is 2 wickets away from 200 wickets for KKR
- Andre Russell is 16 runs away from 2500 runs in IPL.
