Kolkata. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have once again demonstrated their commitment to making a meaningful impact beyond the cricket field with their remarkable ‘Shahoshi Rani’ initiative. This heartfelt program focuses on empowering women and girls from underprivileged communities, celebrating their courage and supporting them to help build brighter futures.

At the heart of this initiative is a simple yet powerful belief: ‘Life is not a game of fate. It’s a game of Korbo, Lorbo and Jeetbo.’ KKR has partnered with organizations to support brave women who embody this spirit – the ‘Shahoshi Ranis’ who are fearless, strong, and full of hope.

Venky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, shared during the Press Conference ahead of the 8th edition of their Knight Golf charity event: “The overarching goal was always very specific with keeping women empowerment in mind.” He emphasised that while there’s much work to be done, making a difference ‘one initiative at a time, one person at a time’ can transform lives.

Through partnerships with NGOs like Hope Kolkata Foundation and Shreeja India, KKR is focusing some key areas, including promoting sports for underprivileged girls and supporting women’s upskilling for financial independence. Women from underserved communities in Kolkata are receiving training in tailoring and beauty services, helping them become self-reliant. In an initiative that has a direct impact on the community, tribal girls are being trained to be community educators, who now teach first-generation learners in remote villages. Meanwhile, girls from remote villages in Birbhum district are being trained in football, breaking barriers and dreaming big.

Also present at the event was cricket legend and KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo, who advised the young women present at the event: “It is very important to have that self-belief. Don’t worry about your financial background. Don’t worry about where you come from. But focus your mind on what you want to achieve and what you want to accomplish in life.” He emphasized that everyone has ‘their own inner champion’ and encouraged them to pursue their goals with unwavering determination.

Through the Shahoshi Rani initiative, KKR is not just supporting women and girls who are taking bold steps toward a better future – they’re celebrating their courage and resilience. The program serves as a powerful reminder that with support and opportunity, these fearless women can overcome any obstacle and create a lasting impact in their communities.

Ahead of their upcoming match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings Assistant Coach Brad Haddin addressed the media during a pre-match press conference. In his conversation, he emphasized the team’s focus on drawing motivation from recent victories, ensuring continuous improvement, and building momentum as the tournament intensifies.

Punjab Kings recently became the team to successfully defend the lowest total in the history of IPL, as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in their last match.

Sharing how such thrilling encounters and victories help the team in gaining confidence, Haddin stated, “I think it reinsures everything that we’re doing; the playing group starts to trust. And wins like that, as you’ve seen the other night, the way we got ourselves back into the game was special. The players have started to believe that they can win from any situation.”

However, despite the fact that the team’s batting lineup could only put 111 runs on the board in the last game, the Assistant Coach spoke about the strengths of the unit and how they are prepared to avoid such circumstances in the future.

“The one thing we have is a really dynamic batting line-up, and we want our players to have clear minds. They all know their individual roles; they know if they get things right, they can take the game away from the opposition. So it’s really important from our point of view as coaches to allow them.”

“They train well, they do everything they need to do, they are prepared well. But when they go out there, it’s about clearing your head and executing. You have to be brave to go deep in this tournament, and that’s the mindset we want the players to have,” he added.

Given that the Kings’ next match is at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Haddin also underscored the team’s strategy of adapting to different wicket conditions.

“The one thing you want to do when the conditions are different is trust your game, and everyone will have different ways to get through that. Some will take the game on, hit in the air, try to hit the ball off their length, others will run hard. And the one thing we’ve said to our players is we make sure that they understand what their role in their game is,” the former Aussie cricketer explained.

He further added, “We have a clear game plan in the way we want to play and the style that we want to play, but it’s important that the player knows in themselves what their strengths are, so they can take the game on.”

Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18 at 7:30 PM.

Chandigarh. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions of the TATA IPL, suffered a narrow 16-run loss in a low-scoring thriller against Punjab Kings, here at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on April 15. Harshit Rana’s three-fer, alongside braces from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy went in vain as hosts defending the target in an engaging contest.

Reflecting on the match, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said, “The wicket was a good one, even though the ball was stopping a bit. Our bowlers bundled them out for 111 and did half the job. Chasing 112 on this wicket was comparatively easy, especially after the start we got. It wasn’t like Punjab Kings bowled exceptionally, we just didn’t bat as well.”

The captain also highlighted the learnings, from the game, backing his team to respond going into their next match. “We’re halfway through the tournament and there are seven matches to go in the league stage. It’s always about coming back with good intent, while still looking to learn and improve as a batter and take it on in the next game.”

Halfway through their league stage matches, Kolkata Knight Riders have bagged three wins in the tournament so far. However, Rahane insisted that the batting unit have to learn to grind out results in certain situations.

“It’s not about hitting sixes every time and getting that net run rate up. It wasn’t a belter or a flat wicket, there was something for the bowlers. So, we had to grind it out. Even though sometimes you have to play a maiden over in T20 cricket or play at a strike rate of 70-80, it’s okay. But you have to grind it out.”

“T20 cricket is not only about hitting sixes, even though we’re seeing most players trying to look for the big shots. It’s not about that, it’s about reading the situation and having the game awareness as a batter and then take the game forward. That’s what we lacked today”, he added.

With seven matches remaining in the league stage for KKR, the captain is confident that there is no room for complacency in this experienced setup. “All the players are confident and experienced enough to handle any situation. I wouldn’t say we were complacent or are taking things for granted. I don’t think we’re doing that. We didn’t bat well and didn’t have the awareness to play according to what the situation demanded, but we learn from it”, he concluded.