The reigning Champions, Kolkata Knight Riders host the Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
Kolkata currently find themselves in third position in the table, with just over a third of the qualifying matches completed, while Sunday’s visitors are still riding high at the very top of the ladder, despite losing their last two fixtures.
The Champions do have two games in hand over the Royals and will be confident of heaping more misery on a side that had looked such serious contenders on the early stages of the 2015 tournament.
However, the Knight Riders have suffered a serious blow, with the loss of their West Indian mystery spinner, Sunil Narine, who they have sent for further tests on his bowling action. The match officials in Wednesday’s game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad had expressed their concerns over just how many deliveries delivered by the West Indian had been legal.
Kolkata are taking no chances with a player who is so integral to their success, as if he is called for a second time, he will be not be permitted to bowl any more in the 2015 IPL. During Wednesday’s match, Narine had bowled his four overs at a cost of 38 runs, and had failed to take a wicket.
The Royals latest defeat came by nine wickets to the struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had nearly four overs of their allotted 20 still remaining.
They may count themselves unlucky that they had to contend with Australian Mitchell Starc, the player of the tournament at the recent World Cup, who has finally put on the Bangalore colours, and who finished with 3 for 22 in his four overs, as the table toppers were restricted to a mere 130 for 9 when batting first.