Two of the big teams in the IPL will lock horns when Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a crucial IPL 2013 game Tuesday.
Mumbai Indians are coming off a crushing win over the high-flying Chennai super Kings and are currently in third with seven wins in 11 games. A victory on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, will take them up to second, just two points behind leaders CSK.
KKR, on the other hand, are basically in a must-win situation, having won just four of their first 11 games in IPL 2013. The defending champions were impressive in their last match - an eight-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals - and will look to keep the momentum going as they look to sneak into the playoffs on the back of a winning run.
"We are very much in the race," KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir insisted. "I haven't heard anyone say that we're out. A lot of people are saying that we need to win five out of five games. But if you see the last three years, teams have qualified in the top four with eight wins."
However, that will still mean KKR need to win four of their last five matches, which is well within the realms of possibility but far from a foregone conclusion.
"Whether it's the start or the end of a tournament, we always go out there to win," Gambhir added. "The desperation is always there.
"Till now we have approached every game with the same hunger and desperation and it's not that only because we are in a position like this that we are desperate to win. We have to look at the remaining games like any other game rather than think it's a must-win game."
KKR's strength is their slower bowlers, perfect for the slow and low pitches at the Eden Gardens, but not so suited for the faster tracks at the Wankhede. Gambhir, though, is convinced his bowlers can adapt accordingly.
"Fast bowlers have been more successful on this wicket because of the bounce and the swing later in the evening. But I believe that when you have quality, you have quality. Good spinners don't require helpful surfaces to succeed. Both our spinners have many variation and tricks up their sleeve. So, you never know, we might end up picking them both even on this track."
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