Kolkata Knight Riders lost its way for not making a comfortable start in the PowerPlay according to its New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult after the host failed to overhaul a target of 174 set by Mumbai Indians on Saturday. The Kiwi pacer congratulated the visitors for putting up a great fight despite resting some first choice players.
Losing its fourth match in its last five outings, KKR seems to dropping momentum after a fine start to the tournament. Boult agreed that poor acceleration in PowerPlay may have weighed heavily on the minds of the batsmen later in the innings.
“We have followed the formula of making the most of the acceleration in PowerPlay. It was Narine and (Chris) Lynn trying to put pressure on the opposition,” Boult said.
The Kiwi pacer supported the team strategy saying that it should be preserved for more success. “The PowerPlay is a big phase of the game and it has come off very well for us in other games. I do not think there is any need to change the formula. It has done well for the team. It was just unfortunate that it did not work out against Mumbai Indians,” he said.
Judging the situation as a bowler, Boult said Mumbai Indians seemed to have relished the chance of being allowed to bowl second on a “two-paced” wicket.
“We probably did not bat well enough first of all. But I thought they (MI) bowled really well on a two-paced wicket. There was a little bit of variation and bounce. The luxury of bowling second is you can put the pressure on the opposition, claim wickets and make it very hard for the team to chase a decent total,” Boult said.
“We know we have to play good cricket from now on. Every game is a tough game. It is a must-win game for us now and the pressure is on us to deliver,” he added.
Saurabh Tiwary, who played a key role in MI’s win with a stroke-filled 52, praised the team management for devising a system where every player is kept match ready.
“The one thing good about our team management is that the reserve players get to play a lot at the nets. You never get to feel that you are out of the team, which is a big plus point. We have a very good bench strength and the credit goes to our preparation in the build-up to the season,” the Jharkhand batsman, who impressed with his batting display after being made to sit out on the first 13 matches of the IPL season, said.
Tiwary said the win will give his side a “big advantage” ahead of the play-offs which the Mumbai Indians will have the luxury of playing at home.
