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Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered their first loss of the IPL 2024 season after going down to defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). KKR captain Shreyas Iyer took responsibility for the loss, admitting that his team misread the pitch conditions at Chepauk. KKR started decently, reaching 56/1 after the powerplay. However, their batting fell apart soon after. Ravindra Jadeja's spell of three wickets in eight deliveries completely derailed their innings. KKR could only manage a below-par total of 137/9. In reply, CSK chased down the target comfortably, winning by seven wickets with 14 balls to spare. This loss ended KKR's three-match winning streak to start the IPL 2024 season.
“We fell a little short in assessing the wicket. Phenomenal start in the powerplay but we couldn’t capitalise on it, we lost consecutive wickets and weren’t able to assess the conditions quickly because it changed completely after the powerplay,. Scoring runs on this wasn’t easy,” Sheyas said at the post-match presentation.
CSK's sharp bowling kept KKR batters in check
CSK bowlers shone in the match, utilising the Chepauk pitch conditions beautifully. They consistently troubled the KKR batsmen with off-cutters and slow bouncers, restricting their scoring opportunities. Ravindra Jadeja and Tushar Deshpande were the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets apiece. Mustafizur Rahman chipped in with two wickets as well, further tightening the grip on the KKR batting. While acknowledging the excellent bowling performance by CSK, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer pointed out the challenging nature of the pitch. He explained that the surface underwent a significant change after the powerplay overs, making it difficult for the batsmen to score freely.
“Obviously they (CSK) know their conditions pretty well and they bowled according to their plans. It was a bit tacky especially even the hard hitters when they came in to bat it wasn’t easy to go for them right from the first ball. Personally, felt the wicket changed tremendously after the Powerplay. We were trying to construct our innings. It didn’t go according to the plan but great learnings, we will introspect,” Shreyas further stated.
“As I mentioned, the wicket completely changed after the powerplay. We were in a pretty comfortable place at the start and we thought 160-170 would be a great score. That was out plan but when you lose wickets, it’s difficult to carry forward the momentum,” he added.
Shreyas found a silver lining in this early batting slump. He believes it's better to experience this struggle now, at the beginning of the tournament. This allows KKR to analyze their mistakes, make adjustments, and emerge stronger in upcoming matches.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see to it we learn from whatever wrong we did today. It’s just a matter of one match and one innings. I am glad it happened at the start of the tournament. We go back, introspect and come back stronger. When we go back, we know our own conditions pretty well. We played one game. Important to stick to the present and make the best use of the situation,” Shreyas concluded.
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