||CF Correspondent||

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Jacques Kallis said on Friday that they can go the distance in the IPLXII as the players are in a better space while the team to has all its bases covered.

KKR couldn’t go beyond Qualifier II last season despite playing well with a formidable squad at their disposal but this time round they looked determined to make their presence felt.

KKR will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening fixture at the Eden Garden on Sunday while they will take Kings XI Punjab at the same venue on March 27 and Kallis said that  Knights are keen to take full advantage of the conditions.

“We have home game advantage and we would like to use that in the first two games,” Kallis said on the sidelines of KKR’s training session at the Eden on Wednesday adding that his charges looked to be much better prepared this time round. 

“I think the guys are in a much better space than they have been in any other season... They are in good space... The academy that we have has played a big role in helping the guys get to where they are. We are as balanced as we could possibly be. You play on a lot of different wickets throughout the tournament, so I think we got our bases covered as we can deal with that aspect. But having said that, you got to perform on the field… It doesn’t matter what the team looks like,” he said.