IPL: Our game plan has had a good impact on the team, says Eoin Morgan after KKR beat SRH
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan praised his team’s all-round performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which helped them boost their chances of reaching the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) play-offs on Sunday.
KKR chased down 116 in 19.4 overs to beat SRH by 6 wickets and open up a 2-point gap with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in fourth place on the IPL 2021 points table.
Shubman Gill top-scored with 57 runs in the chase before KKR bowlers Tim Southee (2 for 26), Varun Chakravarthy (2 for 26), Shivam Mavi (2 for 29) and Shakib Al Hasan (1 for 20) set up the game with their clinical performance in the first half.
“The wicket played slower than we thought, than the wicket two nights ago. It swings early in the powerplay in these conditions, but it was sluggish. We needed to bowl and field well and we did.
“Shubman played extremely well and led the chase. The depth of the squad to be able to call Shakib is a huge luxury, so he has had a huge impact,” Morgan said after the match.
There is a four-way battle going on between KKR, PBKS, RR and MI for the final playoff spot after Royal Challengers Bangalore earned their qualification in the first match on Sunday by beating PBKS in Sharjah.
The Knight Riders have the best chance to make it through thanks to their 12 points and a positive net run rate of +0.294. They just need to win their final league game against RR on October 7 to cement their place alongside Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and RCB in the playoffs.
But Morgan said the team is not thinking that far ahead and will only concentrate on playing good cricket when they take the field next in Sharjah on Thursday.
“We are focussed on playing good cricket and we’ve done that in the last three weeks. The game plan has had a good impact in the dressing room and guys are putting their hands up. We have done well to adapt to the slow conditions and I’m happy with that,” Morgan said.
