KKR needs RR to lose its final game and beat DC by a huge margin to qualify for the Playoffs. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

With its Playoffs hopes precariously perched, Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar insisted his side’s priority remains firmly on controlling its own performance and maintaining the composure that has fuelled its impressive late-season resurgence.

“I think we are trying to keep things quite simple - control the controllables. If things are meant to happen, they will happen. The consequences of other matches are out of our control. What we can control is that when we walk out tomorrow, we play the best cricket possible,” said Nayar as KKR prepared for its crucial final league encounter.

Nayar credited his side’s remarkable turnaround in the second half of the season to its newly found consistency and the ability to remain calm and focused despite mounting pressure and criticism from outside. “The messaging during the struggling phase and now has not changed much. The trust in the players and the way we viewed them remains the same. It was important for us to stay true to our core values as a team and as individuals,” Nayar explained.

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Ian Bell felt inconsistency has been the defining factor behind his side’s fluctuating IPL campaign, saying the inability to seize crucial moments ultimately proved costly in the playoff race.

“We have shown this season that we can score 264 (against Punjab Kings) and then follow that up by getting bowled out for 75 (against RCB). We also couldn’t defend 264 with the ball. There have been times when we have been brilliant and others when we simply haven’t been good enough,” Bell said. “Turn those results around and, if we win tomorrow, suddenly we are sitting on 18 points and talking about a top-two finish. At times, we have probably been guilty of not closing games out,” he added.

Published on May 23, 2026