Kolkata Knight Riders can struggle with just three wins in eight matches at this time, but spin-bouling all-rounder Moin Ali believes what the defending champion has to make a turnaround and make the IPL 2025 playoffs. With six matches, they should win at least five to give them a chance to make a playoffs. “Surely (we can make a playoffs). Even if you look at history, it was also the beginning of Mumbai and now they have won four in a line and they are flying. We need the same mindset. We are halfway, we have to win most of our games,” Moin said here on the eve of his struggle against Punjab Kings.
“This squad has shown that it can go to one run. But to do so it is going to take a lot of determination and trust.” KKR’s batting failures are struggling to finish the team with Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh.
In his last match against PBK in Mulanpur, he was hovering at 62/2 in a chase of 112/2 runs, but collapsed, lost eight wickets for only 33 runs.
Earlier, chasing 239 against Lucknow super veterans, KKR was reduced to just four runs after a dramatic collapse from a strong position.
“It was not long ago where we chased around 240, so we did a good game in the middle. It’s about the mindset where you fool yourself thinking that you are playing well and just going out,” Moin said.
“Because the way we batted in the last two matches, we are not going to win many. We need to go there, we need to express ourselves, and just a little more fun. Sometimes from outside, from outside, it seems that the pressure on the players is very high, but it is about showing and showing your skills.” Despite discrepancies, Moeen is optimistic about the team’s ability.
“The real strength is that we have people who can go ultra-invasive like Sunil Narin, and also classical players like Ajinkya (Rahane) who are in red-hot form. Angkrish (Raghuvanshi) are doing brilliantly, and then Venki (Venkatesh Year), Rinku (Leo), themselves (and everything.
“We have really one of the strong batting lineups in the competition. Some players such as Angkrish and Ajinkya have done well, but as a unit, we have not clicked. It is just a matter of beating it.” After being inside and out of the side, Moeen admitted that his career has a better approach to this stage.
“To be honest, if I was small and still regularly playing international cricket, it would be very difficult. But now, it’s about the mindset. I prepare as I am playing every game. When I get a call, I am ready. Before I came here, I don’t expect to play a lot of games anyway, so four have already played a positive.” While reflecting his previous loss to PBKS, Moin said that collapse boils in a bad stage.
“It was truly half an hour or 40 minutes bad.” Yuzvendra Chahal was a match-winner with four wickets in that game, triggering a KKR collapse as he was out for 95 in 112 chase.
“People played and did well many times. He had a great day, and we did not play it well. But you either go thinking that he will destroy you again, or you will take him with confidence.
“Hopefully, we do the latter. He is a very, very good bowler, but before that game, he was also struggling a little. The confidence can turn into an innings, so perhaps it will change our path this time.”
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
Subjects mentioned in this article
