After the comprehensive win against Pune on Thursday, we at KKR were convinced that we would be involved in the knockout stages, notwithstanding the outrageous mathematical possibilities.
Now that Kings XI is out of the race, our confidence has been validated.
But this is no time to relax because, given the way the IPL is formatted this year, there is a massive advantage to finishing in the top two and we'll have a good chance of doing that by beating Mumbai Indians in our final game.
By finishing in the top two you have a double chance of making the final. The new system rewards the teams with the best record in the league.
It also makes it harder for those who sneak into third and fourth spot by making them play a straight knockout and then another match against the loser of the match between the first and second place teams.
I've had a few x-rays in my time and, although you pretty much always know whether there is a fracture or break, it's still a relief when it shows up negative. It was a fierce blow which I fielded off my own bowling against Pune and for a while I wasn't able to tell how serious it was.
But by the time the initial pain had worn off and the swelling had gone down, I was confident I'd be fine for the next game. It is a sprained ligament which, to me, means only pain and no damage. I can live with pain!
There are so many people involved in an IPL franchise, so many people working hard every day — some of them all year around — so it was only right for them to enjoy the victory against Pune and start to look forward to their first knockout matches in four years.
Shah Rukh Khan was understandably delighted and relieved that his team would be featuring on the big stage at the end of the tournament for the first time and I can only imagine how excited he would be if we could make it to the final.
Mumbai will have exactly the same motivation as us — a place in the top two. It will be an extremely tough game, nothing held back. The intensity will mirror that of a final. I can't wait.
Hawkeye Communications
