Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host Kolkata Knight Riders on May 17 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Rajat Patidar-led side is currently second on the points table, with 16 points from 11 matches. A win over Kolkata can seal their spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, it will be a do-or-die game for Kolkata. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side has had a topsy-turvy season and another defeat can push them out of the playoffs race.
Ahead of that, senior cricketer Manish Pandey reflected on the campaign and stated that they expected a better performance as a team. Speaking on the same lines, Pandey added that they suffered a few crucial games, but nevertheless, the players are ready to turn up in the remaining matches.
“You know, nothing much to lose from here. Actually, we just thought we could have had a better tournament as a team. We were discussing that, but nevertheless, we lost a few games in the middle. If you think about those crucial games, you wish now that you had won those games. But yeah, definitely two more games to go. Everybody wants to perform,” Pandey said in the press conference.
Pandey also mentioned that the team was in practice despite the break in the middle of the tournament. He added that the players were optimistic that it would restart soon and hence were working on their game.
“It (the mid-tournament break) doesn’t really change much because as professional cricketers, we know what's to be done. We definitely knew that the tournament would resume, but we didn't know how soon. But it was good that we didn't have a lot of break. We were still in the gym and doing our work on the game. The whole team is here and everyone is ready to go and we are looking forward to having a great game,” Pandey said.