Kolkata Knight Riders has the form and confidence to sustain the momentum in Qualifier 1 against Kings XI Punjab, said coach Trevor Bayliss ahead of the Tuesday’s big encounter at the Eden Gardens.
“We have played some very good cricket in last two games, especially in batting and fielding. We are very much at the top of our game and are confident going into the semis (against KXIP),” said Bayliss on Monday as his team skipped the customary practice owing to a wet outfit following heavy showers in the afternoon.
The KKR coach hoped that his team would extend the record of seven straight wins.
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“It is very similar to two years ago (when KKR won the title). We are on a high coming into the semis (Qualifier 1). We are in a good space but that does not necessarily mean that we will win. To give yourself a chance in the semis, you got to be playing good confident cricket,” Bayliss said.
“I am very proud of the boys and the character they have showed. We did make a few small changes and the biggest change we made was in the batting order while trying to find the best combination,” Bayliss said.
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“Over the course of the tournament, we have come up with our best combination, certainly the one that has clicked. Seven wins in a row has proved that but we certainly can still change one or two,” he added.
“Robin (Uthappa) has been fantastic since he has been promoted to the top of the order and his performance at the top of the order certainly merits our good run.”
Bayliss hoped the team plays with the same intensity that it had shown in the previous outings against KXIP.
“We are going to have our game. They (KXIP) are a very good batting team and can quite easily turn around.”
“We like to obviously have the same group of people. We have got a number of guys coming into our team and they have fitted in very well. They have not just contributed to the performance of the team but also to the atmosphere of the team,” Bayliss said.