KKR vs DC: "Kolkata's bowlers are under fear.."- Ryan ten Doeschate reveals how PBKS drubbing affected them

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate opened up the loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Ryan ten Doeschate mentioned that there's an element of fear among bowlers due to the aggressive batting in the ongoing tournament.

Team totals have steadily increased since the beginning of T20 cricket, and 200 is now considered the par score. The Shreyas Iyer-led team failed to defend a mammoth total of 261 runs in Kolkata on Friday, April 26. The Sam Curran-led team chased down the target with 10 balls to spare.

Jonny Bairstow played a pivotal role in helping his team achieve the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket history. Bairstow scored an unbeaten 108 runs off 48 deliveries. Prabhsimran Singh made an aggressive start with 54 off 20 balls, while Shashank Singh added an unbeaten 68 off 28 balls.

It's A Pretty New Phenomenon - Ryan ten Doeschate

At the post-match press conference, Ryan ten Doeschate urged the bowlers to be brave in challenging conditions. Doeschate highlighted the need for bowlers to find effective strategies to counter the dominance of the batters.

"I think the way batting is going across the competition. There's if anything, there's an element of fear, and I think there's a lot of upside with the ball if the guys is going to be brave enough to take on that battle."

"But I think it's a pretty new phenomenon, the way batters are batting, everyone looks like they're just taking a step back. Like you say, Sunil is fantastic, other guys will be disappointed as we are with that performance," Doeschate said.

"We need to find ways to stop batters, taking the game away like they're doing across the competition," he further added.

Narine managed to contain the opposition batters, while other bowlers struggled during the run chase. Narine conceded 24 runs from his 4 overs at an impressive economy rate of 6. In contrast, the rest of the bowling unit collectively gave away 236 runs in 14.4 overs at an economy rate of 16.09.

We're Not Concerned - Ryan ten Doeschate

Ryan ten Doeschate stated that the bowling hasn't necessarily been a concern. The KKR coach stated that the team should adapt quickly to the conditions, considering the record-breaking scores in the ongoing tournament.

"I think bowling across the competition it wouldn't say a concern. But like I said, guys are taking a long time to figure out a way of stopping this. Uh, it's something we'll keep working on. We're not concerned," Doeschate concluded.

Earlier, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt formed an opening partnership of 138 runs after being asked to bat first. Salt scored 75 runs off 37 balls, while Narine added 71 off 32 balls. Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, and Andre Russell also made significant contributions towards the end of the innings.

The Kolkata team retained second place in the standings despite the loss against the Punjab Kings. KKR will next take on the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 29th.

Also read: KKR vs DC: "Sunil Narine is a batting tragic.."- Matthew Hayden