The dry pitch at Eden Gardens, a result of the prevailing sultry conditions in Calcutta, have come as a boon for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Their spin trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma made most of the turn on offer before Andre Russell and Rinku Singh provided the theatrics to notch up a last-ball win against Punjab Kings on Monday.
As KKR face another must-win match against Rajasthan Royals at home on Thursday, the conditions will once again suit them. With rain forecast in the coming days, the groundstaff have been cautious about watering the surface adequately.
This has resulted in dryness of the wicket which has afforded turn. It is likely to remain that way for the next few days. The Knights will have no reason to complain since it suits their strengths.
The Royals too have a decent spin attack, comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa. But KKR will still enjoy the comfort of playing in their own backyard.
Home advantage has always been a determining factor in the IPL. Both CSK (61 wins at home in 92 matches before IPL 2023) and Mumbai Indians (56 out of 96 before IPL 2023) have been the pioneer in this aspect which has resulted in their winning four and five titles, respectively.
Rajasthan Royals maintained a clean slate at home on way to be crowned champions under Shane Warne in the inaugural season in 2008. Mumbai Indians repeated the same feat at home when they won the title in 2013.
Monday’s victory over Punjab Kings was only their second in the five matches at Eden Gardens this season. In 2014, the last time when KKR won the IPL, they had an all-win record in their four matches at home. Since 2015 and till the start of IPL 2023, KKR won 21 of the 36 matches at the Eden, a 58.33 percentage win record.
KKR had won only three of their seven matches at home in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic which resulted in matches being suspended on a home-and-away basis for three years. When they last played the playoffs in 2018 in a similar format, KKR had won five of their home matches.
The next two matches at home could well decide KKR’s fate. If KKR win on Thursday and against LSG on May 20, they could still be in the reckoning for a playoffs berth, the result against CSK in Chennai on Sunday notwithstanding.
This is because four teams are still locked on 10 points and one among them could advance with a total of 14 and an improved net run-rate. Winning their remaining ties at the Eden will thus be crucial.
Not without reason were two of KKR’s honchos locked in an on-field discussion with CAB mandarins after Monday’s thriller. KKR do need to maximise home advantage, besides luck, to prosper.
