IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders hope to cut out the noise around Dhoni

It’s the last home game for champions Kolkata Knight Riders this season, though there is that slim chance that they may make a comeback at the Eden to play the second qualifier or by a long shot, the final on 25 May. But for now, they must deal with the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in another of their must-win matches on Wednesday, 7 May.

Sitting in sixth position with 11 points and with the final three matches to go, the Knights’ first job will be to win all of them to finish with a maximum of 17 points and hope the fifth-placed Delhi Capitals slip somewhere down the line. The margin of error is minimal under the circumstances, and head coach Chandrakant Pandit feels they need to keep thinking about the ‘positives’ of their campaign rather than dwelling on the failures.

‘’The idea is to think about the positives that you have had from the tournament which has helped you to win the games and this has to be carried forward. You can’t keep dwelling on what has happened in the past,’’ Pandit said at the pre-match media conference. ‘’Obviously, rather than thinking about the next three games, the idea is to take one game at a time. We are certainly hopeful of qualifying from here.’’

From mithai to match mode – let’s go 💪 pic.twitter.com/9f5zz92JWN

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 6, 2025

What, however, may cause some distraction for Ajinkya Rahane’s men — now in resurgent mode after back-to-back wins — is that the loyalty of the crowd may be divided between the two sides owing to the presence of a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the rival camp.

Seasoned campaigner Pandit, however, feels his batters will be able to keep the noise out: ‘’I think during these kind of games, every player and every team is always focusing on their own game. I mean that sometimes, you know, when a batter is batting and there is so much noise around — if you ask the batter, he will probably say 'I didn’t hear anything'. Sometimes, we just ignore the noise automatically.’’

From dreams to determination — meet Anjali Mahato and Tumpa Debnath, two inspiring women rising through the Shahoshi Rani Skill-Up Program by KKR. 💜✨

If you know a brave girl or woman around you, share her inspiring story on social media using #ShahoshiRani and celebrate their… pic.twitter.com/lxHSOR6xQx

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 6, 2025

Shahoshi Ranis at Eden

Meanwhile, the KKR management had a pleasant surprise for around 40 of the young girls being supported under their 'Shahoshi Rani' (brave queen) initiative for a meet-and-greet session with players of the team and co-owner Juhi Chawla at their final practice session. A CSR initiative supported by KKR, it honours women who have stood out with their bravery and resilience in various walks of life in the face of adversity.

As the Knights sported a logo of the project on the back of their shirts at nets, Chawla said: ‘’Shahoshi Rani is more than just a campaign, it’s a celebration of real courage. These women are an inspiration and we are honoured to share our platform with him. We hope their stories move others as much as they have moved us.’’