‘We are losing tosses, but…’: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Iyer
NEW DELHI: Despite losing the toss in the majority of their IPL matches, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have continued to excel when it matters most, stated skipper Shreyas Iyer after their victory on Sunday propelled them to the top of the points table.
In the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Iyer lost his eighth toss in 11 games, yet this did not deter KKR’s performance. After being put into bat by LSG, KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for six.
Their batting prowess was complemented by a strong bowling display, as they restricted the hosts to a mere 137 runs, securing another crucial win on their journey towards the playoffs.
“The last 6 matches in the dressing room there has been havoc, teammates are coming in and asking skip what’s happening, we are losing tosses, but we are winning games that’s what matters,” said Iyer at the post-match presentation in Lucknow.
“We had a great start in the powerplay. A lefty-righty combination makes things difficult for the opposition. It’s all about the freedom, to go out and express themselves.
“We want to go out and be positive whatever the situation is, sometimes it doesn’t work out but sometimes it does.”
Opener Sunil Narine smashed an unbeaten 81 off 39 balls before the bowlers did their job to script a big win.
LSG need to win their remaining three games to push for a play-off spot and the do or die situation will help his team, insisted skipper KL Rahul.
“We’ve made a couple of mistakes when we’ve come up against batters like Sunil and anyone that’s powerful. That type of intimidation puts pressure on our bowlers. That’ll be the chat once we get back to the dressing room – move on from this game, see where we went wrong and try and get better.
“This is our last home game for us, so we are on the road for the next three games. It’s pretty clear for us, if you want to get to the top four, you got to win all the games. That will give us a little bit of freedom to go out there and be a little bit more fearless, little bit brave to take on the game,” said Rahul.
(With PTI inputs)