Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi. (Credits: Twitter)
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan had a good outing on April 26, 2021, against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), as his team registered a 5-wicket win in the 21st match of the ongoing IPL 2021, which was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad’s Motera.
KKR were at the bottom of the points table coming into this match and leave the encounter at no.5 spot with just one win, while KL Rahul’s PBKS stay stagnant at no.6 spot with their net run rate in negative.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Credits: Twitter)
The match started with Eoin Morgan winning the toss and choosing to bowl first keeping the dew in Ahmedabad in mind. This proved to be a good move as PBKS struggled to make runs right from the start with Mayank Agarwal top-scoring with 31 and Chris Jordan providing some last overs fireworks and scoring 30 to take PBKS to 123/9 in 20 overs.
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle got out to a golden duck, as Prasidh Krishna picked 3/30 and Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine got two wickets as well.
Our Spinners Are Variation Bowlers, They Don’t Rely On Drift And Turn: Eoin Morgan
The KKR chase didn’t get off to a great start as well, as Nitish Rana got out for a golden duck and Shubman Gill’s poor run of form continued as he made just 9 runs. But first Rahul Tripathi (41 with 7 fours) and then Eoin Morgan (47* with 4 fours and 2 sixes) finished the match off with 20 balls to spare and five wickets in hand.
Shivam Mavi (Image Credit: Twitter)
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Eoin Morgan, who was also named the Man of the Match, spoke about Shivam Mavi’s spell in powerplays and how his spinners are the key to his plans.
“Wins haven’t been easy to come by. Have worked incredibly hard. Today, along with a bit of luck, the performance was very impressive particularly with the ball upfront. When the wicket’s like that – from the 12th over of our innings, the ball was sliding on. Only his second game this season (Mavi). The match-up against Gayle was favorable. He bowled well in the last game and started well here. For him to make an impact is huge, credit to him.
The advantage we have over most spinners is that our spinners are variation bowlers. They don’t rely on drift and turn. They control their lengths well and rely on a tiny amount of turn and today they were exceptional,” Morgan said while lauding his bowlers.
Lot Of Time To Go In The Tournament. Hopefully, Today Can Kickstart Something For Us: Eoin Morgan
KKR moved to the 5th spot with 2 wins from 6 matches and 4 points to their name. Morgan hoped that this match can kick start their tournament in an upwards direction.
Eoin Morgan. (Credits: Twitter)
“Lot of time to go in the tournament. Hopefully today can kick-start something for us. Certainly think it’s challenging and it does have to be managed for players, coaching staff. When you consider the horrific nature of what’s happening outside the bubble, we try and lend our support and encouragement for everything that’s going on not only in India but around the world.
If you’re going out stay safe, wear a mask, social distance. We’ve seen first hand at home how devastating it can be. On behalf of KKR we wish everyone well. Ultimately if we stick together we can beat this thing,” Morgan signed off.
KKR will next face DC on April 29, while PBKS face off against RCB in Ahmedabad on April 30th.
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