NEWS
Follow UsFor the second time in two games Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended up conceding in excess of 200 with the ball, and skipper Nitish Rana wasn’t a happy man as he singled out the fateful showing with the ball as the biggest reason for his side slipping to their second defeat of the season.
The Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl, but ended up conceding 228 as the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batters, led by Harry Brook, tore into them. KKR used seven bowlers on the night and astonishingly, every single bowler barring Sunil Narine went at over 10 runs per over, with Lockie Ferguson (2-0-37-0) proving to be the most expensive of the lot.
A disappointed Rana stated that Friday’s surface was by no means a 230 wicket.
“I feel the way we bowled was not according to the plans. No matter what the wicket was like, this wasn’t a 230 wicket,” Rana said.
“One odd day you’ll get an innings like Rinku had the other day, but not everyday.
“Home advantage is one thing, but we know Eden Gardens tracks always play this way, we expected 200 to be a par score here and have been preparing that way, but we need to bowl better. Today, even the main bowlers were going for runs.”
But Rana didn’t wish to criticize his bowlers too much.
“But I can’t be too critical because these are the same bowlers who will win me a game some other time. Very happy with the fight we showed but would have loved it more if we got two points as well,” he said.
The skipper, though, was pleased with the way his side went about with the bat. Rinku Singh, despite staying unbeaten, couldn’t pull off a heist but the Knight Riders kept the game alive till the very last over, scoring 205 in response to the 228 put up by the Sunrisers.
“We batted really well, we wanted to take the game deep and then you never know.”
Rana’s KKR will next travel to Mumbai, where they’ll be taking on Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Sunday (April 16).
