IPL 2022: Outstanding hitting, it was Russell muscle for serious, says KKR captain Shreyas Iyer

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 2 (ANI): Andre Russell’s unbeaten knock of 70 from 31 balls helped Kolkata Knight Riders score 141/4 in 14.3 overs in reply to Punjab Kings 137 to register a six-wicket victory and make a mockery of the chase here at Wankhede Stadium on Friday. At one point KKR were tottering at 51 for 4.
“It was such a relief to see him hit so clearly. Simply outstanding hitting – it was Russell muscle, for serious,” said Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer after the Post-match Press Conference.
Punjab Kings were bowled out for a modest 137 in 18.2 overs as Umesh Yadav bagged four wickets for 23 runs to earn the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
“I was just having a chat with him. He said he’s getting older but I told him he’s getting fitter and stronger. He’s been putting in the hard yards at practice, I see him in the gym every time I go. He’s hungry and wants the team to win. He’s been a great colleague to work with,” said Shreyas Iyer.
Punjab started off aggressively despite losing their captain Mayank Agarwal in the very first over to Umesh Yadav but Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 31-run knock off 9 balls helped 2015 finalists reach the 50-run mark in just 4.4 overs.
“We were stunned – we didn’t expect them to come so hard, especially losing a wicket in the first over. But when I saw them timing it so well, I thought I could as well,” told Shreyas Iyer.
The two-time champions KKR got wickets at regular intervals and did not allow any partnership to flourish.

“We got early wickets after the Powerplay so my mindset was if I get wickets as much as possible… my plan was to get the best bowlers when they had hard-hitters coming in,” said Shreyas Iyer.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy bowled eight overs among themselves and conceded only 37 runs with Chakaravarthy conceding only 14 in his four overs.
“They make my job very easy on the field. They come up with their own strategies and in team meetings, they already know their plans. They know what they’re doing,” said Shreyas Iyer.
With this six-wicket win, Kolkata Knight Riders under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer have won two consecutive matches and now will lock horns against Mumbai Indians on April 6. (ANI)