Following his side's disappointing 2-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer said that it is "hard" to explain what happened in the game. While speaking after the end of the match, Shreyas said that emotions were on a roller-coaster in the last moment of the game since they hadn't thought that they would get into a close situation.
"Bitter pill to swallow, emotions were roller-coaster, didn't think this is the situation we'd get into. It's a funny game, [Rovman] was striking well. Hard to explain what happened, have to take it on the chin and move on. At this point, you have to see to it that you bowl your best deliveries, a little miss here and there and you're sent out of the ground," Shreyas was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
The skipper added that they will "introspect" the 2-wicket loss against RR and comeback stronger in the tournament.
He also called Sunil Narine a "great asset" of the Kolkata-based franchise after the Caribbean scored 109 runs in the first inning and also picked up two wickets.
"Glad it happened here and not in the later half of the tournament. We need to introspect and come back stronger. Narine is a great asset to the team, showing it in every game when he comes out to bat. That kind of character, glad he's part of our team. Since Buttler was striking it clean, I thought let's take the pace off and give it to Varun Chakravarthy. He was clean in his hitting as well. Just let it go, sink in, it's all about relaxing, rejuvenating. We had a tough game, within 2-3 days, it was important that we learn from our mistakes and bounce back strong," he added.
Recapping the match, Sanju Samson-led RR won the toss and decided to field first. Meanwhile, Narine (109), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30), and Rinku Singh (20*) powered KKR to 223/6.
Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen bagged two wickets each in their respective spell to lead the RR bowling attack. On the other hand, Boult and Chahal picked up one wicket each.
During the run chase, Buttler (107) played a match-winning knock to chase down the 224-run target. He slammed 9 fours and 6 sixes in the second inning. Apart from Buttler, Parag (34) and Powell (26) also helped the Rajasthan-based franchise to clinch a 2-wicket win over KKR.
The Knights' bowling unit displayed a sloppy performance as they gifted plenty of runs in the second inning. However, Rana, Narine, and Chakaravarthy picked up two wickets each in their respective spells.
After the end of the match, RR hold the top of the table with 12 points. While KKR stand in second place on the standings with 8 points.
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