Kolkata Knight Riders lost their second consecutive match as Mumbai Indians defeated them by five wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. Despite Venkatesh Iyer’s maiden IPL century, the Kolkata-based outfit couldn’t really capitalise on their advantage as their bowling department didn’t live up to the expectations. Captain Nitish Rana had a go at his bowlers after the game.
MI vs KKR: Nitish Rana asks his bowlers into take up more responsibility
Andre Russell was the most expensive as he conceded 17 runs in an over while his West Indian colleague Sunil Narine too was hit mercilessly for 41 runs in his three overs. Shardul Thakur too couldn’t replicate his earlier performances and Rana insisted he wants his bowler to take up their chances.
“They targeted our best bowlers and it paid off for them. We could have done better in the powerplay. I would want my bowling unit to deliver more. Anyone can have a bad game or two but it is happening consistently with us. We will go back to the dressing room and talk about it.”
Ishan Kishan provided a solid foundation for the side with a brilliant half-century to his name while Suryakumar Yadav showed a glimpse of his form with a well-made 43. Tim David too chipped in some valuable contribution as Mumbai lodges their second win in IPL 2023.
He further added, “I think we were 15-20 runs short. Credit to PC bhai (Piyush Chawla) for the way he bowled. Feel bad for Venky, he scored a hundred, played so well but finished on the losing side. The whole team knows this was the second hundred for a player from KKR. Other players from our side will also score hundreds going forward.”
