Xtra Time Web Desk : Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday suffered yet another decisive 75 run in the hands of table toppers Lucknow Super Giants to almost knock themselves out of the contention for playoffs in this season’s Indian Premier League.
Bowling first, the KKR bowlers did a good job in restricting the strong LSG batting line up to just 176, after conceding 65 runs in the powerplay. Except for Shivam Mavi’s 30 run over, everything almost near perfect for Shah Rukh Khan’s team in the bowling department.
But what really cost the 2 time champions was the horrendous performance by their batting line up, as no one except Russell could provide any sort of hope for the Kolkata franchise. With lots of chopping and changing in the squad this season, losing KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer after the match reflected on the huge loss and opened up on how they got the basics wrong.
“They outplayed us in bowling and batting. They bowled well in the powerplay, they started well with the bat too. We came back in the middle but they took it away from us at the death. It was hard to read the wicket, so we chose to bowl. We found out the ball was stopping and the pitch was two-paced. It was a 155-160 wicket, but they went over that. Baz and I discuss what to do at the toss, it’s best to lose tosses (laughs), but I’ve won them. But we have not gotten the basics right. Powerplay and death are the areas to improve, hopefully we can get it right next time,” said Iyer in the post match presentation ceremony.
Now, with only three games remaining and the franchise almost being on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament, the KKR fans would now want their team to finish the tournament on a high.