Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders desperate for victory

CUTTACK: With the Chennai Super Kings snatching a thrilling win over Rajasthan Royals in Ranchi on Tuesday and all but sealing a play-off berth and Delhi Daredevils (4 points from 9 games) virtually out of the race, the fight for the remaining three play-off spots in IPL 7 is now a five-horse race with the Kings XI Punjab (14 pts from 9 matches) and RR (14 pts from 10 matches) holding a distinct advantage.
In the given scenario, Wednesday's clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians here at the Barabati stadium is a crucial one for both sides.
By beating Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, the Mumbai Indians not only kept themselves in the fray but also did KKR a favour. The loss was a major setback for SRH, who now find themselves pegged on eight points from nine games --- on a par with KKR, who, however, enjoy a slightly superior net run-rate.
Both, KKR and MI, will be high on confidence after tasting success in their last outings. KKR, who began with a victory against the reigning champions in the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi, slipped badly after that. But the Knights appear to have picked up the momentum with back-to-back wins over DD & KXIP.
The good thing is that KKR's batting has come good in their last two matches with skipper Gautam Gambhir - who had scores of 0,0,0 and 1 in his first four innings - turning it around in style. Three consecutive half-centuries from the KKR skipper have brought two wins for his team.
With one of the most potent attacks in the tournament under his command and the likes of Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Surya Yadav also among runs, Gambhir has every reason to be optimistic about KKR's chances of sealing a play-off berth.
KKR's only concern is a brittle middle-order and the lack of a finisher down the order where Baroda 'bomber' Yusuf Pathan (59 runs from six innings) continues to disappoint. It remains to be seen how KKR cope with the situation if they lose early wickets on Wednesday.
MI, on the other hand, having lost their first five matches, must win all their remaining games to keep themselves in the reckoning. In spite of the presence of numerous match-winners like Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and skipper Rohit Sharma in their ranks, MI have struggled to get their act together. KKR will, however, be wary of an MI side desperate for victory.
KKR would like nothing better than to win this 'home' match that had to be shifted to Cuttack because of security issues before returning to the Eden Gardens next week for a final flourish.