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Tag: Kolkata Knight Riders

  • IPL 2021: I wasn’t chasing 136, just went out there to bat, says KKR opener Venkatesh Iyer

    By ANI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Venkatesh Iyer said he was just playing his own game and trying to analyze the situation in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

    Needing 136 runs to win, KKR were off to a brisk start, courtesy Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer. The duo cashed in on all the scoring opportunities and took KKR to 51/0 in the first six overs. But they lost the plot in the closing stages and it took Tripathi’s six off Ashwin in the final over to take KKR over the line.

    In a video posted on the IPL website, Iyer interacted with the former Australian cricketer and KKR’s chief mentor David Hussey.

    “I wasn’t chasing 136, I just went out there to bat. I just wanted to play first six overs and then see what the situation is,” said the KKR opener.

    KKR had won only two games in the first leg of the IPL in India but the side came stronger in the second leg in UAE and won five out of the seven games.

    “The brand of cricket that the KKR is playing and by KKR I just don’t mean the cricketers who are playing out there but the entire management,” said Iyer after being asked by Hussey about the biggest turn-around for the team.

    “The way we are thinking, the way we are going about the things that are the real turn around for us. The intent we are showing not just on the field but off the field is that what brought us here,” he added.

    Iyer also said that he will not treat the final as the big game and will try to give his best.

    “I will just rest up tomorrow (Thursday) and I am not going to treat it as a final or big game. I will just play my game and give my best and that’s what the entire team is going to do,” said Iyer.

    KKR has set up the blockbuster final showdown against Chennai Super Kings, which will take place in Dubai on Friday.

  • IPL Final: KKR spinners hold aces as world awaits Dhoni ‘Magic’ one last time

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s astute captaincy in canary yellow will be Chennai Super Kings’ biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final here on Friday, October 15, 2021.

    If numbers are anything to go by, then CSK, in their astonishing ninth final appearance in 12 editions (they were suspended in two), are certain to start favourites against Kolkata Knight Riders on ‘Dussera’ day but in terms of trophies, there isn’t much of a difference.

    CSK has three titles with five final defeats while KKR has won both their finals under the mercurial Gautam Gambhir. No team has mastered the art of reaching finals like Dhoni’s CSK. But KKR will definitely be in the hunt since they won one of the most exciting high-scoring summit clash back in 2012 where they chased a target of 190 with two balls to spare.

    On Friday, CSK’s chances of winning a fourth title will depend on how well they handle the 12 overs from KKR’s spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy (economy rate 6.40), Shakib Al Hasan (ER:6.64) and Sunil Narine (ER:6.44), who have been outstanding in this tournament.

    In fact, Shakib’s all-round abilities have provided more balance to KKR during the business end once Andre Russell sustained a hamstring injury. However, the final match comes with its own set of pressures and how these three perform when put under the pump will be the key against a team of battle-hardened “been there done that” professionals.

    Dhoni’s captaincy mantra is simple — rely on experience as IPL is not a finishing school or place to groom youngsters however talented they may be. He groomed Ruturaj Gaikwad when the pressure of qualification was off his back in 2020 and the Pune lad has played freely.

    He has scored three half centuries and with his rise, Dhoni laid the groundwork for not just next year but many more to come fr his franchise. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if Gaikwad becomes the next CSK captain once Dhoni calls time on IPL, which could be next year or the year after that.

    No one knows the drifts and patterns of IPL more than India’s most revered white-ball captain. He understands that for IPL consistency, one needs experienced players primarily along with one or two talented youngsters.

    Therefore, the job that Suresh Raina used to do during his initial years, is now being done by the young Gaikwad, who has scored an astounding 600 plus runs in the tournament with a match to go. Hell or high water, CSK’s batting will revolve around Gaikwad, who if all goes well, will surely be one of the biggest all-format batting stars in the post Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma era. There is abundant experience in the CSK ranks.

    The skipper himself is on the other side of 40 with Dwayne Bravo at 38, Faf du Plessis at 37, Ambati Rayudu (36) Robin Uthappa a few weeks short of his 36th birthday along with Moeen Ali (34) and Ravindra Jadeja (32).

    Add to it, three mid-level experienced internationals like Josh Hazlewood, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, who understand the pressure situations well and CSK seem immune to big match pressure Dhoni is a master at maneuvering resources.

    An example of it this IPL was his “right-hand man” and a true-blue IPL legend Raina being dropped.

    The former India player looked distinctly overweight and completely out of touch and the ruthless operator replaced him with Uthappa, who had a big role in winning the game against Delhi Capitals with that resounding start to the chase.

    The Knight Riders, on the other hand, also have a captain who has won a World Cup and has been at the heart of England team’s transformation as white ball captain. Many believe that Russell the batter should replace Morgan, who has had an awful IPL with the willow.

    Bur, it’s the leadership that has stood the test of time as he has marshalled his available resources well. He stuck with Shubman Gill as an opener and the youngster has had a decent run. The faith shown in Venkatesh Iyer will also benefit the Indian white-ball team while Narine the bowler found his mojo under him with constant support after remodelled action.

    Morgan is as quiet and as unexpressive as Dhoni even in testing times and it would be a contest of two ticking brains trying to gauge the next move in what promises to be a mouth-watering three-hour battle.

    Teams:

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.

    Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

    (Match starts at 7:30 pm IST)

  • Bowlers nearly pulled it back, unfortunate it didn’t go our way: DC captain Pant after losing Qualifier 2

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders almost committed harakiri in what seemed like an easy run chase against Delhi Capitals in the IPL Qualifier 2 here on Wednesday and captain Eoin Morgan said a proper postmortem of the last four overs will be done later.

    Chasing 136 to win, KKR were cruising at 123 for 1 in 15.5 overs but the match took an incredibly dramatic turn when they lost five wickets for seven runs, with four batters getting out for nought.

    It was Rahul Tripathi, who eventually saved the team the blushes with a penultimate ball six, which sealed KKR a place in the final against Chennai Super Kings.

    “Should’ve been a lot easier after the start we got. The openers gave us a great platform. We will dissect what happened in the last four overs,” Morgan said during the post-match presentation.

    “Dew came in and all, but hey, we have won and we are in the finals. We are delighted to get over the line. Would’ve loved to win convincingly but Capitals are a very good side.

    “Six off two, the odds were probably in favour of the bowling side, but Rahul Tripathi has done superbly well for us.”

    DC captain Rishabh Pant was left stunned by the turn of events after his team managed to take the game to the last over only to fall short in the end.

    “I don’t have words to express at the moment, can’t tell anything,” he said.

    “We just kept believing, tried to stay in the game as long as possible. The bowlers nearly pulled it back, but it’s unfortunate that it didn’t go our way.”

    He credited the opposition bowlers for making it difficult to score runs.

    “They bowled very well in the middle-overs, we got stuck and couldn’t rotate strike,” Pant said.

    “Delhi Capitals are known to be positive and hopefully we’ll come back better next season.”

    KKR opener Venkatesh Iyer, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 41-ball 55, said he played freely and didn’t try to restrict himself.

    “I think in the past couple of games, I have been trying to restrict myself a bit as I wanted to stay till the end. But then I thought it is not me. I was losing out on the present trying to be a bit conservative,” he said.

    “(Opening partner Shubman) Gill is an extremely wonderful strokeplayer. My entire focus is on the final now.”

    On his match-winning six, Tripathi said: “It feels great.

    The win was very important.

    One or two tough overs, and it would go so deep we never thought.

    “The 18th over was a great over by Rabada. I had to just connect one, and luckily I connected today, so I am very happy.

    “It was difficult once you go in. Straightaway to get those boundaries was difficult. The ball was keeping a little low. After the first phase, we were a little down. We were always looking for positive options.”

  • Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets in last over thriller to enter IPL final

    By Online Desk

    SHARJAH: Two-time champions KKR beat DC by three wickets on Wednesday, to enter IPL final, at the  at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. 

    KKR struggled to finish the game after solid chase led by openers Venkatesh Iyer (55), Shubman Gill (46). The DC bowlers delivered their best spells in the death overs to take the match until the last over with R Ashwin taking two wickets in the final over.  

    (copy will be updated soon)

  • IPL Qualifier 2: Kolkata Knight Riders win toss, opt to bowl against Delhi Capitals

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and opted to bowl in their IPL Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday.

    DC made one change with fit-again Marcus Stoinis coming in for Tom Curran, while KKR fielded an unchanged team.

    The Teams:

    Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (capt), Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi.

  • Clarity of mind will be very important for us: Delhi Capitals assistant coach Kaif

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Delhi Capitals assistant coach Mohammad Kaif says “clarity of mind” will be important for his players when they face Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Qualifier 2 here on Wednesday.

    The winner of Qualifier 2 will take on Chennai Super Kings in the title clash on October 15.

    “It’s a big day tomorrow. It’s all about how we handle the pressure. Every game is a pressure game in the IPL, but this game is a different challenge for us,” Kaif said ahead of the game.

    “We have to stay calm and keep a steady mind under pressure. Clarity of mind will be very important for us.”

    Kaif said they have the players to win Qualifier 2 but they need to shrug off the defeat to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 in Dubai on Sunday.

    “We have had back-to-back losses, but now it’s all about coming back. We have to rise after defeat in our game against KKR. And we have players who can win matches. There’s a lot of experienced and in-form players,” he said.

    The former India cricketer said they will take confidence from their previous win over KKR in the league stage.

    “We have played all the KKR bowlers in the past and we have had success against the team. We defeated them in the first half of the tournament.

    “We lost to KKR in the UAE phase of the tournament, but we were in control in some parts of that match as well. However, in the next match, both teams will be under the same pressure as both sides are playing for a spot in the Final,” said Kaif.

  • Andre Russell has Grade-II hamstring tear: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan

    By ANI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan revealed that Andre Russell has a Grade 2 hamstring tear and the all-rounder is working hard with the medical team to be fully fit for Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.

    Sunil Narine stole the show as KKR beat RCB in Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday. After the match, Morgan said KKR will take a decision on Russell’s availability on how the all-rounder presents himself on Tuesday.

    “Andre has a Grade 2 hamstring tear, and it’s only been a couple of weeks since that injury. He has worked incredibly hard along with our medical team with intensive rehabilitation to try and get himself back on the park. We only have 48 hours before the next game. So we’ll have to take that decision (on whether he is fit to play) based on how he presents himself tomorrow (Tuesday) and the next day,” Morgan said in the post-match press conference.

    KKR had won two games in the IPL 2021 during the first half but the side came back with strong performances in the UAE leg to qualify for the playoffs. “In the first phase of the tournament, we were still trying to implement Buzz’s (Brendon McCullum) mantra of trying to play positive, aggressive cricket. In the first phase it didn’t quite happen. Throughout this second phase, people have turned up with a different motivation and drive to try and play the aggressive brand of cricket,” said Morgan.

    “Our bowlers have shown us the way – how to be aggressive with the ball in trying to take wickets and identifying when to hold back and be a little bit more defensive. That’s led the way with our batting as well,” he signed off.

  • Social media needs to be a kinder place: KKR’s Dinesh Karthik slams trolls on RCB players

    By ANI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has said people don’t realise the gravity of what they post when they are on social media.

    Say NO to hate-mongering.Cricketers are subjected to online-abuse way too often. It’s high time we take a strong stand against it.Victories and Losses are a part of any sport. We stand by you @RCBTweets @danchristian54 @Gmaxi_32. We’ve been there too #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/eCUGroEbyI
    — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 12, 2021
    In a video posted by KKR on Twitter on Tuesday, regarding the ‘hate-mongering’ players receive on social media, Karthik was seen expressing his disappointment regarding the same. “I feel sometimes that social media needs to be a kinder place. I think people don’t realise the gravity of what they say, be it memes, videos or just the use of words. It’s a spur of moment thing for them, instinctively what they feel they just put out there,” said the wicket-keeper batter.

    Karthik also said these people don’t realise that what the other person has to go through because of their actions.

    Earlier on Monday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) all-rounder Daniel Christian and his partner Jorgia Dunn received flak from a certain section of fans following the team’s defeat in the Eliminator of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

    KKR came in support of RCB players and tweeted, “Say NO to hate-mongering. Cricketers are subjected to online abuse way too often. It’s high time we take a strong stand against it. Victories and Losses are a part of any sport. We stand by you @RCBTweets@danchristian54 @Gmaxi_3. We’ve been there too.”

    RCB batter and Christian’s compatriot Glenn Maxwell was the first one to call out the social media trolls. Maxwell in the wee hours of Tuesday hit back on social media trolls following the incident. 

  • IPL 2021, KKR vs DC preview: Kolkata come in way of Delhi’s maiden title hopes in second qualifier

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the second qualifier here on Wednesday.

    Delhi Capitals failed in their first big test when they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier and another defeat will mean there will be no more examination for the strong squad, led by India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

    Two-time winners KKR will no doubt take confidence from their victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Monday’s eliminator that dashed Virat Kohli’s hopes of winning an IPL title with his longstanding franchise.

    If the emphasis is on momentum and peaking at the right time then KKR will definitely fancy their chances in their next outing, notwithstanding their opponents’ resources and depth in lineup. DC, who topped the league stage with as many as 10 wins for a total of 20 points, are well aware of the task that awaits them.

    Since Australian great Ricky Ponting took over as their coach, Delhi Capitals have grown from strength to strength as they finished second runners up in the 2019 edition before reaching the summit clash last year.

    This year there aim is to do one better and win the title. They are one of the most balanced sides in the tournament with a formidable batting line-up and a potent pace attack that is aided by seasoned spinners including Ravichandran Ashwin.

    In Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer, Delhi boast of a solid top order. Pant, along with Shimron Hetmyer, look after the middle order, even as they missed the injured Marcus Stoinis’ prowess. Dhawan (618) was the second highest run-scorer in 2020 and has already raked up 551 this season.

    His opening partner Shaw is also coming off a good game against CSK. On the bowling front, the South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (2020 purple cap winner) and Anrich Nortje has proved to a dream pair, having scalped 52 wickets together in 2020.

    Then there is speedster Avesh Khan, who has taken 23 wickets so far in this season of the tournament, and he will back himself to add to his tally against KKR. DC have posted five wins in the UAE leg of the tournament but one of their defeats here has come against KKR, and what better opportunity for them to exact revenge than in the IPL playoffs.

    It is easier said than done though, with Eoin Morgan’s side enjoying a massive reversal of fortunes in the Gulf after enduring a disastrous first half in India earlier this year. They just about managed to sneak into the playoffs at the expense of five-time defending champions Mumbai Indians, thanks to their better net run-rate.

    Things changed for the better after the Kolkata-based side landed in the UAE and if their performance against RCB is any indication, KKR is raring to go and will want to do more than just end their campaign in the playoffs.

    On a pitch offering turn, KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy (16 wickets so far) and Sunil Narine, who is on a high after his superb all-round performance against RCB, will look to test the formidable Delhi batting lineup. Batting hasn’t been KKR’s biggest strength this season and DC will look to capitalise on that.

    Up against a potent bowling attack, the likes of Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi (team’s top-scorer this season with 393 runs so far) and Morgan himself will need to rise to the occasion if KKR is to make the final, where Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s three-time winners Chennai Super Kings await.

    Teams:

    Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimrom Hetmyar, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ben Dwarshuis, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lukman Meriwala, Pravin Dubey, Tom Curran, Umesh Yadav, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Billings and Vishnu Vinod.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.

    (Match starts at 7:30 PM IST)

  • Narine made it look easy with his outstanding spell, says KKR captain Eoin Morgan

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan says his team’s four-wicket win over RCB in the IPL Eliminator looked easier due to Sunil Narine’s outstanding individual effort.

    Narine took 4 for 21, including wickets of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, and then hit 26 off 15 balls with three sixes in KKR’s successful chase of 139 in 19.4 overs.

    “Narine makes it look very easy. He bowled outstandingly well. Throughout the innings, we continued to take wickets. Good start from the bowlers, and we were in control in the chase,” Morgan said after the match.

    Asked about having three world class spinners in his ranks, Morgan said: “I quite like it. It is a huge privilege when there are world-class spinners around. They continue to get better and better,” he said.

    KKR’s batting depth did help on the day after some mid-innings jitters.

    “When it comes off (with our batting order), it looks quite deep.”

    Asked if it will be an advantage to play in Sharjah again against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday in Qualifier 2, Morhan said,”For us, it is a matter of coming back and adjusting. We are looking forward to it.”

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    “I thought we had a chance [when we landed in the UAE], but the cricket we have played has surprised everybody. Everyone came with a drive to perform. Narine is a cool customer and is very level-headed.”

    Player of the match Narine termed it as his greatest T20 performance.

    “Definitely (one of the greatest T20 performances). When you perform, and the team comes out winning,” he said.

    He hit three sixes off Dan Christian in his four deliveries.

    “I am prepared to be out first ball. Some days it comes off, some days it doesn’t.”

    Asked which was the best out of his four scalps, Narine said: “I enjoy all wickets, but getting Kohli and tying them was my goal. It was a total team effort.”

    He is getting more and more confident with his remodelled action but he is still not close to it.

    “I am getting close – not that close as yet like before – and the hard work has paid off. (I am) pretty calm and cool when it comes to cricket. I like funny stuff as well.”