Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) slumped to their fourth defeat of the season as they lost to bottom-placed team Delhi Daredevils (DD) who played their first match under the new captain, Shreyas Iyer.
KKR are now placed fourth but have played one match more than the fifth-ranked team, Rajasthan Royals.
Knight Riders have had an average tournament till now as they started the season a high note. But the Kolkata-based outfit eventually failed to instill consistency in their results.
However, their new captain Dinesh Karthik who took over from Gautam Gambhir this season believes nothing is lost, as of now.
Karthik also added that they need to bowl better if they want to qualify for the playoffs, this season. His personal performance too has been mediocre with the bat.
KKR have won three out of the seven matches they have played and have lost four in the season so far.
Karthik did not hesitate in accepting the fact that their bowling has not been up to the mark in the season so far.
“It’s important to gather momentum and enjoy ourselves on the field. We need to bowl better and improve on various fields if we are to see ourselves somewhere this season,” Karthik said.
Tamil Nadu-based cricketer, Karthik also believes that the team is in the best shape to win the title this season but they are aiming one goal at a time.
“First, we need to qualify and from there on it’s a knockout round. We want to take it one step at a time. The team is balanced. We are happy when we win, and the team learns when we lose,” Karthik added.
Karthik also added that the team a lot of respect for Gautam Gambhir. Kolkata won two titles under Gambhir in 2012 and 2014.
“We become more instinctive when we lead a team. Gautam has worked a lot for KKR over the past seven years. The fans and Gautam have a lot of respect for each other and whenever the two franchises play together, the atmosphere around changes,” Karthik asserted.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik also hailed Kuldeep Yadav for his impressive performance. The leader believes Kuldeep has a huge future ahead of him.
“He is a star performer. He has a bright future ahead of him and his performances for the national team has helped him get the correct attitude in the game,” Karthik concluded.
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