Shreyas Iyer began his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captaincy journey with a comprehensive 6-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2022 opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday (March 26).

KKR restricted CSK to 131/5 in 20 overs after a strong bowling display in the first 15 overs. However, Andre Russell and Shivam Mavi conceded 47 runs between them in the last three overs as former CSK skipper MS Dhoni took them to the cleaners.

After the game, Shreyas said he knew that the momentum was going to shift in CSK’s favour in the final overs due to the dew and Dhoni managed to do that with a valiant half-century.

“There is always tension when MS Dhoni is batting. I knew momentum was going to shift towards them with the dew around. It was difficult to grip the ball," Iyer said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

The KKR captain also opened up about the environment in his new franchise, saying everyone associated with the team has been very supportive of him.

“Enjoying the new franchise. CEO, management, support staff have been outstanding. Just need to carry the momentum," he added.

Commenting on the Wankhede track, Iyer said: “It was spungier than we imagined. This is one place I love to play. I grew up here. I thought it would be flat."

Speedster Umesh Yadav starred with the ball for KKR, claiming two wickets by conceding 20 runs in his four overs.

Showering praise on Umesh, Shreyas Iyer said: “It was pretty easy for me with the bowling line up I had. Umesh has worked hard in the nets and did well in the practice games too. Really chuffed to see him perform today."

Meanwhile, CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja reflected on the loss, saying that the wicket was a little damp in the first 6-7 overs and dew played a crucial role in the match.

“Dew will be the vital part in this edition. If you win the toss, you will look to bowl first. The wicket was a little damp in the first 6-7 overs and then it came on nicely in the back end of the innings. We were trying to take the game deep. Everybody bowled well given the dew. Bravo bowled very well,” said Jadeja in the post-match presentation.

Coming to the match, KKR rode on opener Ajinkya Rahane’s 34-ball 44 and handy contributions from Sam Billings (25), Nitish Rana (21), and Shreyas Iyer (20*) to overhaul the target with nine balls to spare.

While the Knight Riders will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next match on March 30, Super Kings will face Lucknow Super Giants on March 31.