IPL 2020 | Firmly believe we have a side which can be there come finals time, insists Brendon McCullum
KKR currently have 10 points with 4 games left to go
|IPL
Brendon McCullum has insisted that despite the crushing defeat against Bangalore, he continues to believe in his side and supports them to reach the big stage of finals. He praised Mohammed Siraj for excellent bowling and pointed out that KKR batsmen lacked positive intent to make a difference.Â
Mohammed Siraj with his excellent 3 for 8 in four overs blew away the Kolkata batting lineup, who could only make 84 for 8 after choosing to bat, with the Royal Challengers cruising to victory in 13.3 overs. To add to the wounds of KKR, it was also the lowest total made this season of IPL. Now, the Kolkata-based franchise have four games in hand, and with 10 points on the board, they are still in the thick of the qualifying race.Â
KKR head coach Brendon McCullum insisted that despite the crushing defeat, he backs his team to succeed come the big finals.
"This is going to affect us a little bit in terms of our confidence and [we need to] work hard on ensuring our morale doesn't drop. But I still firmly believe we have a side which can be there come finals time."
"We're still fourth in the tournament, which is very fortunate for us. Destiny is still very much in our own hands. We've just got to tidy up those areas where we were deficient tonight and make sure we improve on our performance,â McCullum said at the post-match press conference.Â
The worst part of the terrible performance from KKR was the lack of intent in from their batsmen, all of whom got out without trying to give it back to the opposition. Morgan was the only one who tried to apply himself onto the wicket and salvage KKRâs innings with 34-ball 30, but it was too little too late for the miserable KKR innings.Â
McCullum pointed out that the batsmen lacked intent, which was the main reason for their unacceptable performance, and revealed that he is going to work on the same in the coming days. He further praised Siraj for his wonderful bowling, where he destroyed the whole KKR batting lineup.Â
"In all honesty, I didn't think there was a lot in the wicket. Siraj obviously bowled well and Morris at times also. But if anything, we were just a little timid in our approach. That's a bit frustrating because we spoke at length before the game about trying to be positive and show some strong intent. So that's something we'll have to address in the next few days,â McCullum said.Â
"I think Mohammed Siraj bowled excellent lines and lengths. He was out to present the seam and asked a few questions of us, questions which in the past we would have probably answered better than we did tonight."Â
