Abu Dhabi: Hit hard by the woeful form of its captain Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders would look for a turnaround in their fortunes when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.
Kolkata is struggling in their batting department with Gambhir having been dismissed for a duck thrice in the four matches he has led the team so far. He scored just one in
Kolkata's last match against leaders Kings XI Punjab, which his side lost by 23 runs.
The 2012 edition champions have one of the strongest batting line-ups among the eight IPL teams but none of their batsmen, except Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, have been consistent so far. Their batting problem was compounded by the disappointing form of big hitter Yusuf Pathan, who has scored just 17 in the four outings till now.
After a bright start in the tournament with a victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians, Kolkata have been finding it difficult to click as a team. Had it not been the stunning catch by Chris Lynn to dismiss A B de Villiers, Kolkata would have lost their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 24 in Sharjah.
Kolkata though still have time to come back with a bang as it is early days in the tournament and despite their inconsistent form, they are still in the third place in the league table with two wins from four matches.
With the likes of mystery spinner Sunil Narine, highest wicket-taker so far this season with nine scalps to his credit, in fine touch and the bowling department comparatively doing well, Kolkata would be hoping to end the UAE leg of their campaign on a winning note tomorrow.
Just like Kolkata, Rajasthan also began their campaign with a victory but suffered two consecutive losses before winning their last match against Bangalore. They also have same points with Kolkata on four.
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