IPL 2018: 'Knew if we Could Get a Wicket we Would be in with a Chance' - Kuldeep Yadav
Published - 24 May 2018, 02:35 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:51 PM
Kolkata Knight Riders managed to pull off a miraculous win to eliminate Rajasthan Royals from the Playoffs of IPL 2018 on Wednesday. They beat the visitors by 25 runs.
The match was going out of hand for Dinesh Karthik and Co. while Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson were at the crease.
However, leggies Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav changed the course of the match with their respective spells, to help KKR progress towards the second qualifiers.
“I don’t know, seriously. Yes, it was very important to get that wicket because Ajju bhai (Rahane) was batting well. I didn’t do anything different, just bowled a googly in a good area,” Kuldeep Yadav told Hindustan Times.
“We knew if we could get a wicket we would be in with a chance,” revealed Kuldeep Yadav on the talks during the second strategic timeout.
Even Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane reckoned it was their match to lose, from a position of solidarity.
We thought 170 was chaseable: Rahane
During the post-match interview, Rahane credited the KKR bowlers for pulling it back for their side.
“Generally, when you have so many wickets in hand and need around 60 in six overs, you are expected to win. But credit to KKR for the way they bowled,” said RR skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
Apart from Rahane, mentor Shane Warne also registered his disappointment over not being able to finish the Eliminator match, after putting KKR under the pump twice in the game.
Early in the evening, KKR were reduced to 51-4, with all their big guns back in the hut.
“We thought 170 was chaseable. And we got partnerships going too. But we needed someone to bat through. Unfortunately, Sanju got out…. we needed to have one batsman who would bat through,” reflected the RR skipper.
