KKR vs PBKS: "We've to come up with better ideas" - Shreyas Iyer shattered after KKR allow PBKS to chase down 262

The Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went head-to-head with the Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Friday, April 26, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The two-time IPL champions entered the clash with a superior head-to-head record against the Punjab Kings. Out of 32 matches played between the teams, the Knight Riders emerged victorious in 21 games with the Kings winning 11. At the Eden Gardens, things were no different as Kolkata Knight Riders won 9 out of the 12 games played between the teams.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings invited Kolkata Knight Riders to bat first in the match and the opening duo of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt demolished the PBKS bowling attack. After Phil Salt (75) and Sunil Narine (71) got out, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, and Shreyas Iyer helped KKR register the highest-ever score at Eden Gardens - 261/6.

Chasing the target, Prabhsimran Singh and Jonny Bairstow provided PBKS with an exceptional start by playing an attacking brand of cricket. Prabhsimran got out after scoring a fifty, but Jonny Bairstow slammed a brutal ton. In the end, Shashank Singh joined Jonny Bairstow and together they powered PBKS to an 8-wicket win.

The way the batters batted was tremendous to see, Sunny coming in - Shreyas Iyer 

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Shreyas Iyer said that his batters did a great job in the match. Shreyas Iyer said:

"I would have (taken 260 at the start of the day). The way the batters batted was tremendous to see, Sunny coming in.. the way Salt batted, they delivered and it was a treat for the eyes."

Shreyas Iyer added that they need to go back to the drawing board and come up with better ideas after a big failure with the ball. Shreyas Iyer signed off by showering praise on Sunil Narine for his heroics. Shreyas Iyer elaborated:

"Both the teams played tremendously, one of those games where you go back to the drawing board and see where it went wrong especially not being able to defend 260. We have to sum up the conditions and come up with better ideas. It is brilliant to see him (Narine) go out there and strike the ball, hopefully he keeps continuing with such performances."

Before their IPL 2024 meeting, the last time these two teams locked horns with each other, a thriller was witnessed in Kolkata that saw the home team winning on the last ball by 5 wickets on May 8. Bowling first, KKR restricted the Punjab Kings to 179/7 in 20 overs as Varun Chakravarthy picked a three-wicket haul and Harshit Rana, Nitish Rana, and Suyash Sharma shared four wickets between them.

Chasing the target, Jason Roy and Nitish Rana played really good innings from the top order to lay the foundation for a successful run-chase that was eventually capitalized by Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, who finished off the match.