Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan was elated with his team’s two consecutive wins in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021), saying the KKR is finally playing a brand of cricket that is associated with the style of their head coach Brendon McCullum.
His comments came after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by 7 wickets in an IPL 2021 on Thursday (September 23) in Abu Dhabi.
Morgan was particularly impressed with Venkatesh Iyer’s performance for KKR in their first two games against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and MI in the ongoing IPL 2021, saying the way the newcomer is playing with that confidence is just fantastic.
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Iyer scored an unbeaten 41 to help KKR beat RCB by 8 wickets in their opening game and on Thursday, the left-hander played another impressive knock of 53 to help his team chase down the total of 156 to register an emphatic seven-wicket win over MI to jump into the fourth spot in the IPL 14 points table.
Following the thrilling victory, Morgan said the way his team chased down the target against MI, gives KKR confidence going forward in the ongoing IPL 2021 in the UAE.
Morgan told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation: “It's been a long time since we have played like this. Baz (Brendon McCullum) has taken over for almost two seasons, so the way we are playing is now getting into his style. To hold such a strong Mumbai team, and chase it down in the manner we did gives us confidence.”
The skipper further said on Iyer, “We were trying to fit Iyer into the XI with a lot of talented guys, and it's fantastic with the manner he has scored runs. We never put a number on him, on how many games he will get. In the practice games, he has gone out to play this way. Baz backs him to the hilt. Just a second game for him but played with full confidence.”
He signed off by saying, “Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are formidable bowlers. Sunil has been integral in winning KKR championships in the past. Varun is a fresh guy. The first two games in this second phase has been a great template for us to play. There's only one way for us to go in the points table, and that's up.”
Noteworthy, KKR will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on September 26.
(With ANI Inputs)
