Even while waiting for just one win to seal its place in the play-offs, Gujarat Titans (GT) is not taking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lightly ahead of their Saturday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) engagement at the Eden Gardens here.

GT’s Director of Cricket, Vikram Solanki, said his team had a lot of respect for the host. “KKR have had their injury issues. The fact is that out of the last five matches they have won four, so they are obviously playing good cricket. We must respect that,” Solanki said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

Responding to a question about GT middle order batters’ contributions, Solanki said, “Our bowlers have bowled well and the top order has played well at times. Washington Sunder has played exceptional innings. In the last match, he made a valuable contribution as did Nishant Sindhu. Rahul Tewatia has shown signs of finding boundaries towards the end. It’s a bit of generalisation to suggest that the middle order is not playing its part. Of course, not all members of the team will be contributing at the same time.”

About Jason Holder’s role, Solanki said, “Jason has done a great job, particularly with the ball. He has maintained that sort of pressure…very skilfully but also with a lot of experience in a calm sense. Jason understands his game very well. He’s somebody who brings all that experience whether it be with the ball, whether it be just his presence and speaking to people around the team or if he gets the opportunity to bat as well.”

According to KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi, his team has been focusing on playing its remaining three matches well without thinking about its slim chances of qualification. “We are focusing on how we have to play against which opponent,” said Tyagi.

Chennai Super Kings will be acutely aware of the need to avoid complacency when it takes on Lucknow Super Giants for the second time in five days, this time at the Ekana Stadium here on Friday.

On Sunday in Chennai, CSK prevailed by five wickets, thereby putting LSG out of playoff contention in IPL 2026.

It was Super Kings’ third victory on the bounce, and the Yellow Army has built momentum at the right time in the fight for a top-four spot.

Still, the Chennai outfit, which has 12 points, needs to win at least two, if not all three, of its remaining games to give itself the best shot of progressing to the knockouts.

On the eve of the match, the team received another injury blow after all-rounder Jamie Overton, one of its standout performers this season, was ruled out of the competition due to a thigh injury. Even in the previous encounter, it was the Englishman who stopped LSG from posting a daunting total with his twin strike in the 10th over, including that of the well-set Josh Inglis.

The setback comes at a time when there are still areas of concern for the five-time champion on the batting front. In the chase of 204, Urvil Patel’s stunning 23-ball 65 had brought the asking rate down to under seven at one point. But once he was dismissed, the middle-order made heavy weather of a straightforward chase, stretching it to the final over.

Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis have looked out of sorts so far, and the duo needs to step up before it proves costly.

For the hosts, the focus shifts to testing their bench strength and building towards the future. Unburdened by expectations, can Rishabh Pant’s men give their fans something to cheer for?