KKR need Mumbai Indians to beat Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while also needing to beat DC by huge margin to clinch a last-minute entry into the playoffs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After winning the toss, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty simple. We know the scenario depending on what\u2019s going to happen in the previous game, which is happening right now. But regardless of that, we don\u2019t know what the result will be.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAlso, the wicket looks really good. So yes, it\u2019s very simple. It\u2019s still a game of cricket to be played, and the last six games have been fantastic for us. We still want to compete and win this game. As I said, we don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen, but whenever you play a game of cricket, you always look to win.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked about his thoughts on KKR\u2019s campaign so far, Rahane said, \u201cReally proud of the unit, especially because it\u2019s not easy to come back from the situation we were in. It takes courage, character, and attitude to bounce back as a team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIPL is a funny tournament with 24\u201325 players and support staff, maintaining that atmosphere, intensity and carrying it forward every time is fantastic. So yes, I\u2019m really proud of each and every one.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
KKR face a steep net run rate challenge - if DC post 180, KKR will need to chase it down in just about 12 overs to stay alive in the playoffs race. Should DC set a target of 200, KKR will have to complete the chase between 12.1 and 12.4 overs to overtake Punjab Kings on NRR.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
DC skipper Axar Patel said Kuldeep Yadav and Auqib Nabi return to their playing eleven, adding that he would have looked to bowl first as well. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep will come in DC\u2019s bowling innings as the Impact Player, while Finn Allen is likely to come into KKR\u2019s chase.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously I would have bowled first because, the way this tournament has gone, we\u2019ve done well while chasing. So yes, looking at that, we would\u2019ve bowled first. But it\u2019s not bad because the wicket looks good and even if we look ahead to next year, though that\u2019s still far away, if we bat first, our batsmen will get an opportunity to understand how to approach batting first as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked on his reflections over DC\u2019s inconsistent campaign, Axar said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think we should see it like a bad dream. Obviously, there\u2019s a lot of reflection and thought about what we could\u2019ve done better or changed. But honestly, I don\u2019t think we played bad cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019d say we were unfortunate at crucial moments, we dropped catches at key times. Cricket is like that, when opportunities come, if you don\u2019t grab them, you fall behind. Those opportunities were ours, and the mistakes were ours too. So I think we should learn from them and move forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSometimes when you\u2019re winning, even if you make small mistakes, they get ignored because you don\u2019t focus too much on them. But when those same small moments hurt you badly, then you realize that if we hadn\u2019t made those mistakes, we could\u2019ve been in a completely different position.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s cricket, after every season, there are always regrets. What matters is whether you executed the plans your team made. If the answer is yes, then I think you should move on and look ahead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Playing XIs:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, and Lungi Ngidi<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Impact Substitutes: Tripurana Vijay, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Nitish Rana and Kuldeep Yadav<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, and Lungi Ngidi<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Impact Substitutes: Finn Allen, Sarthak Ranjan, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh and Rahul Tripathi<\/p>\r\n\r\n