"Ramandeep Singh plays Punjabi songs" - Rinku Singh on KKR's dressing room atmosphere ahead of IPL 2024 final
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh recently opened up on the team's dressing room environment ahead of their IPL 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The summit clash takes place at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.
Rinku mentioned how his teammate Ramandeep Singh lightens the mood by playing Punjabi songs. The southpaw also spoke about the impact head coach Chandrakant Pandit and mentor Gautam Gambhir have had on the team.
Stating that it would be a dream come true for him to clinch the IPL trophy, here's what Rinku said during a pre-match interview ahead of the final:
"Team atmosphere is superb. Whenever we enter the dressing room, Ramandeep Singh plays Punjabi songs and it changes the environment. GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir and Chandru (Chandrakant Pandit) sir have given us a lot of freedom. The thought process remains the same (for the final), playing according to the match situation."
"It'll be a dream come true to win a senior trophy. I'll try to give my best. Hopefully we win the match. We have played a match here as well, so we know how the wicket plays. I never look too far ahead, I always stay in the present," he added
Rinku Singh hasn't lived up to the fans' expectations this season. The 26-year-old has amassed just 168 runs across 11 innings at an average of 18.66. He has a chance to make amends by delivering a stunning performance in the all-important final.
"We need to stay with the present, stick to the basics and execute all our plans" - Shreyas Iyer on KKR vs SRH IPL 2024 final
Pat Cummins won the toss for SRH and elected to bat first. Speaking at the toss, KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer suggested that he would have looked to bowl first on the surface.
He also commented that there were some nerves in the dressing room, given that a lot of players were playing their first-ever IPL final. the KKR captain said:
"We would have bowled, we'll get a fair idea about how the pitch will play. It's a red soil and we played our last game on a similar surface. We need to stay with the present, stick to the basics and execute all our plans. Every individual is taking responsibility, this is a big game, we've plenty of people who're playing in a final for the first time, nervous, but this is also a good chance. We're going with the same team."
This is KKR's fourth appearance in an IPL final. They went all the way through in 2012 and 2014, while they suffered a 27-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the summit clash of 2021.