KKR will look to keep their slender hopes of making the playoffs alive when they take on bottom side Pune Warriors in their IPL 2013 game at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium Thursday.
The defending champions have been woeful so far this season, and look like bowing out of the tournament without even making the top-four and having a real go at keeping their IPL title, which they did so well to win last season.
KKR are currently in seventh place with just four wins in 12 games, and with the way the points table is looking at the moment, winning their final four matches might not be enough to qualify for the playoffs. Pune Warriors, are of course, out of the running, having won a mere two games in 12.
Gautam Gambhir's KKR put in an abject performance against the Mumbai Indians in their last game, allowing Sachin Tendulkar and co. to blast their way to 170, before tamely folding up in their own innings without a fight.
"We were one of the teams to look forward to, given what we had achieved in the last two seasons," KKR bowlers L Balaji told IPL's official website. "We haven't lived up to that promise despite having so much potential in the dressing room.
"I believe the main reason is that we haven't combined different aspects of the game well. It's either our bowling that clicks or the batting. We haven't been able to do well in both departments at the same game. We still have four more games to go and we will give our 100 percent to them."
Balaji also insisted the KKR side were united despite a disastrous season. "We don't play our cricket with desperation and always enjoy our cricket," he added. "We enjoy each other's success and stand by each other in times of failures.
"That is a good thing to have in a team. This quality has taken us to the heights that we achieved in the first two seasons."
To watch Pune Warriors vs KKR Live Streaming for U.S. viewers, click here.
