Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum has admitted that his team was a little bit “paralyzed” due to fear of failing in the first phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but now they are aiming to entertain and play a braver brand of cricket in the second phase of the IPL 2021 in the UAE.
At the moment, KKR is placed at the 7th spot in the IPL 14 points table with 4 points from 7 games and they need to win six matches in the UAE to qualify for the playoffs, and McCullum said his team needs a "braver style of play” and try to get the “best out of one another” to win games in the IPL 2021.
McCullum said on the KKR website: “In regards to the tournament which is upcoming (IPL phase II), we can end it right. We can take the game on and we're in a situation where we need things to go our way. We need to hit the ground running, challenge one another privately, support one another publicly and try and get the best out of one another in the next 4-5 weeks. Who knows where we can go with this.”
He continued, “Everyone who supports KKR knows exactly the type of cricket they are going to play. We are going to try and entertain and take the opposition on. There were sometimes throughout the season when I just felt we were being paralyzed a little bit by fear.”
On his coaching style, the New Zealander said: “I wasn't able to free the guys up enough to understand that and that's sort of a challenge for me. But it is also a good challenge for the guys as well that they need to push the envelope of their own thinking as well. Hopefully, we will be able to strip away a bit of the angst which had built up in the first part of the season, just go out there and try and enjoy ourselves. That's the ambition that I have got for the franchise and hence why I am unapologetic and unrelenting in my belief that we need to play a braver style of play.”
He signed off, “When we left India (after IPL was called off due to Covid), I think everyone understood me as a coach on how I want our team to play. I am unapologetic about that as well because my job is to try and build something at KKR that is going to last far longer than I am going to last for the franchise.”
(With ANI Inputs)
