Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have kept their hopes alive in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) beating Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Following their win, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik revealed that he was not happy with how his bowlers and fielders performed.
Chasing, Kolkata Knight Riders were always in the chase, with Chris Lynn going berserk up top. Kings XI Punjab’s nerves showed – particularly young Arshdeep Singh who was thrown under the bus, facing a rampant from Lynn. Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell played impressive knocks in the middle, with Shubman Gill holding the fort at one end. He showed maturity beyond his years and composing a half-century up top. Dinesh Karthik then entered the arena to finish things off in signature style overhauling the target set by Punjab.
Karthik hailed young Gill who has grabbed his opportunity at the top of the batting order. He remained unbeaten on 65 runs from 49 balls including five fours and two sixes. The Kolkata skipper also added that they ran well and had the opponent fielders and bowlers under pressure.
“It’s a big ground, but we did the small things well. Ran well, put pressure on the bowler, and good execution on the batsmen. It’s fair that we have given Gill a chance at the top of the order, and he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands,” Karthik said at the end of the game.
Bowlers and fielders let us down
Despite a convincing victory, Dinesh Karthik slammed his fielders and bowlers who leaked easy runs to help Kings XI Punjab post a good total. The veteran cricketer looked animated hurling a mouthful at his teammates. Karthik said if he needs to get angry to bring the best out of his team, he is more than happy to do it.
“I wasn’t too happy with what the bowlers and the fielders were doing, so I thought I should let the boys know what I felt at that time. It is rare, not many people have seen me angry. If I feel I need to be angry to get the best out of the boys, then maybe. The last over went for 10 runs too many, but we have to give it to Sam Curran,” he concluded.