Hope KKR can kick on from here: Shakib

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan hoped that the comfortable eight-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils here Wednesday would help them get their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign back on track.

Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa’s century stand at the Feroze Shah Kotla helped bring to an end a run of four straight losses for the Knight Riders on Wednesday.

“It was a much needed win for us, hopefully we can kick on from here and achieve better things,” Shakib told reporters after the match.

Shakib also said that the team had enough firepower to hold on to their current fourth place and book a spot in the qualifiers.

KKR, though, will have to be wary with what’s happening behind them.

Having played eight matches, they have six points, same as Royal Challengers Bangalore, in fifth, who have played a match less.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians after losing their first five matches are on four points having played seven matches.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are also on the same number of points, though they have played only six games, two games less than KKR.

Shakib, who was the pick of the KKR bowlers with figures of one for 13 in four overs, praised his captain.

He said the out of favour India opener’s hard work was paying off and his return to form could only mean good things for the team.

“Gambhir works really hard and now his hard work in the nets is paying off. This is his home ground and he loves it here so it wasn’t surprising to see him score here. He has been terrific for us,” said the Bangladeshi all-rounder.

KKR have lost most of their matches from winning positions but Shakib said the team had been tough enough to bounce back from those losses, especially the last game which saw them lose six wickets for two runs that gave Rajasthan Royals an unlikely win.

“We played bad cricket for two-three overs and that cost us the game against Rajasthan. But as a squad we are tough enough and we believe it’s possible to reach the last four.

“It’s not going to be easy but with the squad we have, we can pull off the miracle,” added Shakib.