Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit asserted that their skipper Nitish Rana’s statement about KKR not getting the home advantage at Eden Gardens has been misconceived. Earlier, KKR Skipper revealed that the team is not getting any advantage playing in their home condition.
“Home-away wala advantage sab team o ke pass hai sivayee KKR ko chod ke (Every team enjoys home advantage except KKR),” Rana said during the presentation which stirred the controversy that things were good between the franchise and CAB.
Speaking to the media ahead of their clash against Lucknow Super Giants, KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit clarified the comments made by their skipper Nitish Rana, as he said that home advantage means winning more games on home soil, which the two-time champions could not capitalize on it and reckons that the pitches India have gone through massive changes over the years.
“When I talk about home advantage, I mean winning games. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to capitalize on the matches we have played at home so far. The pitches across India have undergone significant changes over time.
“If you look at Wankhede or any other ground, the pitches have evolved. Nowadays, there are no guarantees when it comes to pitches,” Chandrakant Pandit said.
Chandrakant Pandit admitted that LSG’s match is important for them to give themselves an outside chance for making it into the playoffs as all teams in the IPL strive hard to make it into the playoffs and reckons that the team is focussing on their next game
“Every team aims for the playoffs, and we are no exception. We mustn’t lose this match. We are striving for a win to avoid slipping further down the table. Our focus is on the planning and process of the game, and we will address that accordingly,” Chandrakant said.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to win the match against LSG to give their side the best chance to qualify for the playoffs in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
Nevertheless, We Remain Hopeful Of Reaching The Playoffs – Chandrakant Pandit
Chandrakant Pandit feels that Indian Premier League is one of the most fierce tournaments in the world, as only one team has qualified for the playoffs in this edition of IPL, with only four games remaining in the league stage, as each match acts as knockouts for the side to make into the last four stages and said that team has performed to best of the potential in this season.
“Consider the entire tournament. There’s still one game remaining, and no team has secured a playoff spot yet. The competition has been fierce. While we could have performed better, we have made good use of our potential. There have been positive aspects. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful of reaching the playoffs,” Chandrakant Pandit added.
Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a huge loss at the start of the season losing their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer due to an injury and has dealt with numerous blows throughout the league stage, but they have many positives in the team with Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer performing for their side in 2023 season.