Shreyas Iyer was a dejected captain as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a narrow 8-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) at DY Patil Stadium on Saturday (April 23).

The KKR skipper feels they need to hold their nerves in close matches in order to improve their standings on the IPL 2022 points table.

Knight Riders are currently occupying the seventh spot on the points table with only three wins from 8 games. They have lost their last four games on the trot.

Riding on skipper Hardik Pandya’s 49-ball 67, GT posted 156/9 on the board and Iyer feels KKR bowlers could have done better.

“The way we started in the power-play while chasing and even with the ball. We shouldn't have conceded that much in these conditions. I think 160-165 was a decent score and we did well to keep them below that,” Iyer was quoted as saying in the post-match presentation.

“In this format, all matches that are close we need to win those and only then can we climb up the ladder. Three out of our last four were very close matches. The energy and vibe is high before the game and it is disappointing that we are unable to convert it,” he added.

Tim Southee (3-24) and Andre Russell (4 for 5 in 1 over) did bulk of the damage with the ball, claiming a total of seven wickets between them.

Chasing the target, Russell tried his best with a 25-ball 48, but his knock went in vain as KKR managed 148/8 in their 20 overs.