IPL 2022: Kevin Pietersen wants Kolkata Knight Riders to give its players a long run

Bengaluru, May 18: Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen reckons Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are too good a team to be languishing at the bottom half of the points table in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.

The Shreyas Iyer-led side started IPL 2022 with promise but its form tapered down as the tournament progressed.

The runner-ups of the previous season have not been able to live up to the expectations as they lost five games on the trot midway through the season.

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With much at stake, the Iyer-led KKR take on KL Rahul-captained Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 66 of IPL 2022 at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday (May 18) evening.

With seven losses and six wins, KKR are placed at the sixth spot in IPL 2022 points table with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin and then hope that other results go their way to salvage any hope of sneaking into the knockout stage.

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While analysing KKR's slide and flip-flop show in IPL 2022, Pietersen blamed the constant chopping and changing in the playing eleven.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022, Pietersen said, "Too much of chopping and changing has been a reason for KKR's dismal show because the players think it's their last game and they've got to perform or they might be out. I don't think this is the right way to go in this format of the game.

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Pietersen opined that the T20 format, as it is, itself was all about giving players more chance.

"This format is about building the players up, giving them the confidence and helping them feel like the team they're involved in, the brand they are associated with, and the band they're playing for are committed. The players want to feel like they have the commitment, they need to feel like they can give that commitment and I don't think you give that commitment if there is too much chopping and changing."

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IPL debutants LSG have been a team to beat this season, but the KL Rahul-led side has still not booked the play-offs berth after suffering two consecutive defeats.

Talking about LSG's back-to-back defeats and their current form Pietersen said the teams cannot afford to get complacent at the business end of the tournament and LSG should look to get those two crucial points and book the play-off berth.

"It's serious business now. You can feel as good as you can in the four or five weeks of this tournament but you can feel down in the dumps if you play poorly now at the business end of the tournament.

So the guys at the top of the table like Lucknow want to get those two crucial points against Kolkata Knight Riders and secure their play-offs berth," the flamboyant ex-England captain added.

The KKR vs LSG pre-match show starts at 6.30pm on Star Sports and Hotstar Network. The match starts at 7.30pm IST.