A confident Kolkata Knight Riders will take on a spirited Lahore Lions while Hobart Hurricanes and Cape Cobras, both of whom suffered defeats in the first round of the main draw, will hope to stay in contention at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday.
Hurricanes all-rounder Aiden Blizzard said: “The message to the batsmen is clear — score as many runs as possible. We have to strike the right balance in this key game.”
No Cobras official or player was available for comments.
Mohammed Hafeez, the Lahore Lions captain, said his team was ready for the challenge.
“The best teams are out there now. So, we have to be at our best. We played good cricket right through and hope to continue that,” he said before the ‘nets’.
KKR head coach Trevor Bayliss admitted that the Lions players were lesser known compared to the other teams here.
“No, I don’t think there are any favourites in this format. One or two guys can have a good day and that is enough to change the course of the game,” he said.
On Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis who missed the opener, the coach said he had to see how they train before the match.
