Kolkata, The key to Kolkata Knight Riders' success this season lies in the players' newfound ability to support each other through ups and downs, which was "missing" in the last two years, said team vice-captain Nitish Rana. Believes.
The two-time former champions became the first team to book a playoff berth with a comfortable 18-run win over Mumbai Indians in a 16-over rain-interrupted IP match at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
This was the first time since 2021 that KKR made it to the last four stage.
Rana said after the match, "We win together and lose together; that's the atmosphere in the dressing room. It's very important to have a hand on each other's shoulders and I think that's been missing in the last one to two years." Was.“Medi interaction here.
With this win, they have strengthened their position at the top of the standings with 1 point. There are still two matches left and KKR are now in a good position to make it to the top two.
The big reality check for KKR came against Punjab Kings, who broke South Africa's record for the most successful run-chase by scoring 262 runs with eight balls to spare in an IPL match at the Eden Gardens on April 26.
“We felt very bad that day,” he recalled.I was a witness in the dressing room, only three-four people had dinner that night."
Rana, who led the team in the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer last season, made a comeback after missing their previous 1 matches with a finger injury.
After scoring a crucial 33 off 23 balls on his return, the left-handed batsman said he suffered from anxiety and did not sleep at night.
“To be honest, because of the injury I couldn't touch the bat for 20-22 days. Then slowly it started coming into place.I used to play innings in my mind."
"I couldn't sleep the whole night last night. It felt like I was playing the first IP match of my life. I slept only around 7.30-8 in the morning, there was such anxiety.
He said, “It felt like I was playing my first match, you have to be hungry to perform well.Luckily I had that thing in me."
Lack of pace: Piyush Chawla
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For Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the playoff race, it was their ninth defeat as they ended their forgettable season against Lucknow Super Giants on May 17.
Veteran leg spinner Piyush Chawla blamed the lack of pace this season.
Chawla said, "T20 is about pace and we did not get that pace from the beginning. Some days we bowled well, but our batting did not work and sometimes our batsmen performed well, but the bowlers gave away runs. ." Said.
“As a unit, we have failed in some games, and we have to admit that as a team we have a great lineup, but things did not go right.
"Even today we got off to a great start, but the spells from (Sunil) Narine and Varun (Chakravarthy) really made the difference. You have to give credit to their bowlers," he said.
The 35-year-old, who has played 191 matches in the IPL across four different franchises including KKR, feels it is not over for him yet.When asked if he would be back next season, Chawla gave a befitting reply.
He said, "You tell me, should I play with the way I am bowling? If you have given permission, then definitely next time I will meet you somewhere."
Chawla has been Mumbai's leading spinner, taking 10 wickets in as many matches this season.
The two-time former champions became the first team to book a playoff berth with a comfortable 18-run win over Mumbai Indians in a 16-over rain-interrupted IP match at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
This was the first time since 2021 that KKR made it to the last four stage.
Rana said after the match, "We win together and lose together; that's the atmosphere in the dressing room. It's very important to have a hand on each other's shoulders and I think that's been missing in the last one to two years." Was.“Medi interaction here.
With this win, they have strengthened their position at the top of the standings with 1 point. There are still two matches left and KKR are now in a good position to make it to the top two.
The big reality check for KKR came against Punjab Kings, who broke South Africa's record for the most successful run-chase by scoring 262 runs with eight balls to spare in an IPL match at the Eden Gardens on April 26.
“We felt very bad that day,” he recalled.I was a witness in the dressing room, only three-four people had dinner that night."
Rana, who led the team in the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer last season, made a comeback after missing their previous 1 matches with a finger injury.
After scoring a crucial 33 off 23 balls on his return, the left-handed batsman said he suffered from anxiety and did not sleep at night.
“To be honest, because of the injury I couldn't touch the bat for 20-22 days. Then slowly it started coming into place.I used to play innings in my mind."
"I couldn't sleep the whole night last night. It felt like I was playing the first IP match of my life. I slept only around 7.30-8 in the morning, there was such anxiety.
He said, “It felt like I was playing my first match, you have to be hungry to perform well.Luckily I had that thing in me."
Lack of pace: Piyush Chawla
,
For Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the playoff race, it was their ninth defeat as they ended their forgettable season against Lucknow Super Giants on May 17.
Veteran leg spinner Piyush Chawla blamed the lack of pace this season.
Chawla said, "T20 is about pace and we did not get that pace from the beginning. Some days we bowled well, but our batting did not work and sometimes our batsmen performed well, but the bowlers gave away runs. ." Said.
“As a unit, we have failed in some games, and we have to admit that as a team we have a great lineup, but things did not go right.
"Even today we got off to a great start, but the spells from (Sunil) Narine and Varun (Chakravarthy) really made the difference. You have to give credit to their bowlers," he said.
The 35-year-old, who has played 191 matches in the IPL across four different franchises including KKR, feels it is not over for him yet.When asked if he would be back next season, Chawla gave a befitting reply.
He said, "You tell me, should I play with the way I am bowling? If you have given permission, then definitely next time I will meet you somewhere."
Chawla has been Mumbai's leading spinner, taking 10 wickets in as many matches this season.
