Kolkata, Apr 26: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Moeen Ali has called for a more expressive batting approach ahead of their crucial rematch against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ali addressed the team's recent batting struggles that have led to consecutive defeats, including a collapse against the same Punjab side just two games ago.

"We have to go out there and express ourselves as players and just have a bit more fun," Ali said. "I think sometimes from the outside you can see that the pressure is a lot on players generally, but it's just about taking that pressure off, enjoying yourself, and showing your skills."

The veteran England international believes KKR's batting lineup remains one of the strongest in the competition despite their inconsistent performances. He highlighted the team's diverse batting talent, from Sunil Narine's aggression to Ajinkya Rahane's classical approach.

"Our real strength is obviously that we have guys who can go and play shots, almost ultra-aggressive in someone like Sunil Narine, but then you also have Ajinkya, who is a more classical type of player who plays beautiful shots and is in red-hot form," Ali noted.

When asked about KKR's playoff chances, Ali remained optimistic despite their midseason slump. "If you look at history, even if you look at Mumbai for example, they had a bit of a bad start, now they've won I think four in a row, five in a row, and they're flying," he said.

The 37-year-old also addressed the psychological challenge of facing Punjab Kings again after their recent batting collapse against Yuzvendra Chahal, who claimed four wickets in their previous encounter.

"You never forget, obviously it is very difficult to forget," Ali admitted. "But this tournament is such that you will have a couple of bad games in between and real tests, and tomorrow is going to be a real test."

Ali suggested KKR's batters need to approach Chahal differently this time: "There are two ways to go. You either think that he is going to destroy you again, or you take him on a bit more and be confident. So hopefully, we will do the latter."

(IANS)

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