Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer expressed his disappointment after failing to defend a mammoth total of 261 runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS), stating that while the defeat “hurt,” it provided valuable lessons for the team’s future IPL fixtures.
The match saw an unprecedented chase, with PBKS surpassing the highest T20 total eight balls early, thanks to a remarkable batting performance from Jonny Bairstow and Shashank Singh. The duo led PBKS to an 8-wicket victory, marking a record-breaking night in IPL 2024.
Iyer commended his opening batsmen, Philip Salt and Sunil Narine, for their substantial contributions that set a formidable target, praising their “tremendous” effort. Salt and Narine’s partnership, the 8th century stand for KKR in IPL history, saw Salt smashing 75 off 37 balls and Narine contributing 71 from 32 deliveries. This explosive start was bolstered by Venkatesh Iyer’s lively cameo of 39 runs, pushing KKR to 261/6.
In a post-match presentation, Iyer discussed the need to reevaluate their strategies, acknowledging the high standards set by both teams. “You have to go back to the drawing board and see where you went wrong,” he remarked, indicating a proactive approach to improvement.
Additionally, Iyer hailed Narine as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ of the team, emphasizing the learning opportunity his experience presents to the squad. “Not defending hurts but it’s a great lesson for the players. [Narine] Brilliant to see him go out and strike the ball. A lot to learn from him; he’s the MVP of our team,” Iyer added.
With this result, KKR holds five wins from eight matches, positioning them second on the IPL leaderboard with 10 points. They are set to face Delhi Capitals (DC) next at Eden Gardens on Monday.
