"We outplayed them in all three departments" - Shreyas Iyer on KKR's dominant display over MI in IPL 2022
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer urged his players to be proud of their dominant display over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
The skipper led the side to a rare double over the five-time champions with a 52-run win at the DY Patil Stadium yesterday.
KKR defended their target of 166 to remain alive in the race for a playoff spot. Following a bright start, the franchise's campaign was derailed by a five-game losing streak midway through the tournament.
Discipline. Belief. Character. 💜
An outstanding night for the Knights! ✌️
#AmiKKR #MIvKKR #IPL2022 https://t.co/RQV3xXE3Rm
Rallying his players to try and repeat the clinical performance, Shreyas Iyer said in the dressing room:
"We outplayed them in all three departments. So, we should be proud of this. Let's try to gauge about what we did really well today and let it get into your mind so that we can keep repeating this thing again and again."
Shreyas Iyer more or less reverted back to the original playing XI after making five changes to the side. KKR have been unable to find their most balanced outfit yet with injuries not helping their cause.
Outlining the importance of the players who supported the team from the sidelines, Iyer said:
"I want to talk about the attitude and character of every individual on the field as also the guys who were sitting outside, coming in, and passing on the message after every wicket.
"Finchy (Aaron Finch) , Sam (Billings) , and Anukul (Roy), they came in and they were cheering up the bowlers, even on the boundary line, talking to the players. All these small things make a great impact on such kind of matches and it was a comprehensive win."
KKR are currently placed seventh in the points table with 10 points from 12 matches.
"Your captaincy tonight was exceptional" - David Hussey on Shreyas Iyer's leadership against MI
Defending a tricky total following a batting collapse in the first innings, Shreyas Iyer led his troops to perfection to successfully defend a total for the first time in IPL 2022.
MI never looked settled during the run chase with KKR striking at regular intervals.
What was your favourite moment from #MIvKKR last night? ___ 💬
@patcummins30 @NitishRana_27 @rinkusingh235 @venkateshiyer #AndreRussell #AmiKKR #IPL2022 https://t.co/PNsKJ9NTkf
Team mentor David Hussey praised the KKR skipper for his captaincy in the dressing room following the culmination of the match. The former Australian batter said:
"Your captaincy tonight was exceptional. You did not miss a beat, made all the right bowling changes. The field you set was exceptional. That went a long way to bowling them out for just over 100. So, you should be very happy with yourself tonight."
The 27-year-old will have to lead KKR to wins over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a potential spot in the top four.