Shreyas Iyer openly admits Sunil Narine shattered KKR's doubts with explosive batting

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer talked about his side’s win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in match 10 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He praised Sunil Narine for his brilliant innings but admitted that ahead of the game they had doubts in mind related to the all-rounder opening.

Kolkata Knight Riders have made a solid start to the IPL 2024. They have won two out of their two games in the tournament and have acquired the second spot in the points table. Their second win was a dominating one as they thumped Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 7 wickets.

One of the main reasons behind their victory was Sunil Narine. After KKR restricted RCB to a total of 182 runs, the all-rounder tilted the game in favor of his batting inside the powerplay with the bat. The southpaw played a brutal innings, which saw KKR scoring 86 runs in powerplay.

Sunil Narine scored 47 runs in 22 balls which set the tone for the chase. Before Venkatesh Iyer (50) and Shreyas Iyer (37*) finished the game on high for the team. They chased the target with 3.1 overs to spare and continued their dominance at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Shreyas Iyer while talking about the win stated that they had good net sessions under their belt. He lauded Andre Russell (2/29) for analyzing the conditions well with the ball and added that Sunil Narine played a brilliant innings for them with the bat. Speaking during the post-match presentation, he explained:

“Coming here, getting those two sessions of practice, we were in good shape from the previous game. Coming and hitting a few balls, it felt comfortable from within. The way Russell came in and realised the wicket wasn’t giving much from bowlers, and went to slower ones, analysing the conditions on the spot was pleasing to the eye. The communication was brilliant.

“See when Narine comes in to open, he knows he has one job which is to clear the infield. Today we were contemplating whether to start with him or not but he did a brilliant job. From one end, it was good to bat on. From the other end, it was two-paced.”

Want to enjoy each other’s success – that’s the plan for now – Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer further said that he isn’t looking at far as they are focused on just one game at a time. He concluded by saying that KKR as a team wants to enjoy each other’s success, which is their plan. He elaborated:

“That was the communication we had in the middle and we passed it on to others. Would be spending a day tomorrow in Bangalore, and then going to Vizag. I’m not expecting much at this point in time – it’s just the start of the tournament. Want to enjoy each other’s success – that’s the plan for now.”

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will next be seen in action when they will take on Delhi Capitals next Wednesday (3rd April). They would be keen to extend their winning run.