Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 12 : Following an 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) middle-order batter Nitish Rana credited team management for the KKR's performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and for keeping faith in him as he returned in the playing XI after a long injury layoff.
The Kolkata-based franchise became the first team in the ongoing season of the tournament to qualify for the playoffs after they sealed an 18-run victory over Hardik Pandya's MI at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
"All credit to the team management. They showed tremendous belief in me by keeping me in the bench for 10 matches despite my injury. They knew I could make a positive impact even after 10 games. Luckily, my 33 runs were important on that stage because the ball was seaming and the wicket was helping fast bowlers," Rana said in a post-match press conference.
Star all-rounder Andre Russell made a significant effect on the game by scoring 24 runs and getting two key wickets.
Lavishing praise on Russell, Rana said, "Andre Russell is an asset for any team. When he fails with the bat, he wins matches with the ball and vice versa. We are lucky to have such a game-changer in our team."
He also thanked mentor Gautam Gambhir and KKR chief coach Chandrakant Pandit for helping the team play as a collective one.
"You have to play good cricket to win games for your team, not just against Mumbai Indians. The difference this year compared to other years is that we are playing as a collective unit. We trust and believe each other. The credit for this goes to Chandu sir (Chandrakant Pandit) and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir). They have backed players and it's bearing fruit," Rana said.
Recapping the game, it was restricted to a 16-over-per-side after rain played a spoilsport on Saturday. However, MI decided to field after winning the toss.
Following the early loss of openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, valuable knocks came from Venkatesh Iyer (42), Nitish Rana (33), Andre Russell (24) and Rinku Singh (20), which helped KKR reach 157/7 in the 20 overs.
In the run-chase, Ishan Kishan (40) and Rohit Sharma (19) started with a fine 65-run opening stand. However, KKR soon restricted the run of flow and took wickets. Tilak Varma (32) and Naman Dhir (17) put up a fight, but MI fell short by 18 runs, ending at 139/8 in their 16 overs.
KKR is at the top of the points table, with nine wins and three losses, with 18 points. KKR will play their next match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday.
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