IPL 2020 | Missed a trick by not attacking KKR when they were under pressure, admits Shreyas Iyer

Coming on the back of a nightmare of an outing versus Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders picked up from right where they left earlier in the week as the side’s top order fell like a pack of cards. In no time, they were reduced for 42/3 and another embarrassment looked like it was in the offing. However, from 42/3, a thumping, counter-attacking 115-run stand between Narine and Rana salvaged the game for KKR, who then never looked back and grew from strength to strength to register a convincing win.

The Narine-Rana partnership was a byproduct of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, as the DC skipper went defensive and bowled spin and medium-pace to the two southpaws, who accepted the invitation with joy. Speaking post-match, Iyer rued his decision and admitted that he could have been more aggressive with his tactics.

"Looking at the start, we should have put a lot of pressure on them and gone for wickets. But the way they batted, especially how Sunil Narine went after us. We could have executed the plans better. I think they chose the bowlers to go after really well. They were really good in shot selection. They outplayed us in pretty much every department. Kudos t their approach and mindset,” Iyer said post-match.

Having chased down a massive total versus CSK not so long ago, Delhi fancied their chances heading into the chase of 195, but their innings never took off, and they eventually only managed to score 135/9 off their 20. Iyer rued the loss of wickets in the powerplay and claimed that there were plenty of learnings from what was a disappointing loss.

"You need an amazing start when chasing 190. Losing two wickets in the Powerplay puts a lot of pressure on the others. We need to play with freedom and not have a survival mindset. Obviously we are disappointed with the loss, but I am glad it is happening at this point of time. There are a lot of learnings from this game."