Runs at the top has been an issue for KKR: Lisa Sthalekar ahead of KKR vs LSG in IPL 2022

Former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar believes the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will need to bank on their star players like skipper Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine for their final league game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 18.

KKR find themselves in a tricky situation where they will need to beat the Lucknow franchise by a decent margin. If this happens, only then will they have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Lisa Sthalekar explained why Kolkata need a good start at the top of the order, something which has been rare for them this season, saying:

"They (KKR) will have to turn to their skipper Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. They will also hope that Sam Billings keeps doing well. They will need to ensure that these players keep going. Kolkata will need to focus on what's in their hands and will need to contribute runs at the top, which has been an issue for them."

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Mpumelelo Mbangwa on KKR and LSG's qualification scenarios

Former Zimbabwe cricketer Mpumelelo Mbangwa also gave his opinion on what exactly the Knight Riders need to do to keep themselves alive in the race to the playoffs. On this, he stated:

"For Kolkata, it is do or die. They just want to get to 14 so that they are in with a chance to get into the playoffs. Effectively, Kolkata have to win by a long way and hope that everything elsewhere goes their way."

Mbangwa also said that if Lucknow want to finish in the top two spots, they will need to beat KKR by a big margin and hope that the Rajasthan Royals lose their last league game against the Chennai Super Kings:

"Lucknow will want to win decently so that their net run rate goes above Rajasthan, who also have a game to go. So every game has something for either side whether it is the net run rate or the two points. It is beautifully set up."

Whether it is a matter of two points or net run rate, both Kolkata and Lucknow will be desperate to end the league phase with a win.