Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed a top two spot after the washout in Ahmedabad as they shared points with the Gujarat Titans, who won't be able to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in three years in their short stint in the IPL thus far. Knight Riders, who became the first team to seal their qualification in their last game against the Mumbai Indians, already have 19 points in their kitty with one game still left in the league stage.
The Knight Riders will miss their opener Phil Salt for the remaining games with the wicketkeeper-batter leaving for national duty. However, KKR have a readymade replacement in the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the Afghan stumper who impressed in a few outings for the franchise last year.
KKR have sealed a top two spot in the IPL after 10 years, the first time since 2014. KKR finished in the top two in 2012 and 2014 and both times they won the title. KKR finished with 21 points with 10 wins and five losses in the 2012 season with each team playing 16 matches. KKR won the first qualifier against the then Delhi Daredevils and beat the Chennai Super Kings in the final to clinch their first trophy.
Two years later, KKR finished second again with 18 points and defeated the table-toppers, the then Kings XI Punjab in the first qualifier before thrashing them again in the final to win their second title.
The Shreyas Iyer-led side looks good to repeat the Gautam Gambhir and Co's feat with the then KKR skipper now in the dugout as a mentor. Yes, they will miss Phil Salt because of the tremendous starts he gave alongside Sunil Narine at the top of the order but the rest of the line-up is intact and with the bowling unit apart from Mitchell Starc coming to the fore in defending totals or restricting the opposition while bowling first, the two-time champions will look to replicate their feat after 10 years.
