IPL 2021: "Can't fault anything from our side" - KKR skipper Eoin Morgan after loss against CSK

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan praised his side’s performance despite their defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Abu Dhabi in the 38th match of IPL 2021.

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In a closely contested game, CSK beat KKR by two wickets to march to the top of the points table. The three-time IPL champions completed the chase of 172 runs off the final ball of the innings.

"Both sides batted and bowled well. Both bowled really well. I can’t fault anything from our side. The second half of the tournament has been a lot of positives for our side. We just have to give ourselves the best chance," said Eoin Morgan in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Electing to bat, KKR posted 171 after good batting efforts from Rahul Tripathi (45), Nitish Rana (37*) and Dinesh Karthik (26). They also dominated a sizeable part of the proceedings with the ball, with Varun Chakravarthy keeping it tight.

There's not a lot to do when Ravindra Jadeja plays like that: Eoin Morgan

Needing 26 runs off the final two overs, Ravindra Jadeja turned things around for CSK in the penultimate over, smacking two sixes and two fours off Prasidh Krishna. The pacer gave away 22 runs, which meant Sunil Narine had to defend four from the final over.

Sunil Narine dismissed Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja, taking the game to the final ball, but couldn't win it. With Andre Russell injured, Eoin Morgan had to alter his bowling plans.

Praising Ravindra Jadeja’s efforts and the bowling match-ups, Eoin Morgan added:

"Sunil takes the responsibility [for the final over, so Prasidh Krishna bowled the 19th over]. I hope Dre [Andre Russell] is okay. The whole tournament has an abundance of top-class international cricketers. But when Jadeja plays like that, similar to Sam Curran for England, I don’t think there’s a lot to do."

Ravindra Jadeja won the Player-of-the-Match award for his eight-ball 22 with the bat and giving away only 21 runs off his four overs with the ball, which included the dismissal of Rahul Tripathi, the match’s top-scorer.

With four wins and six defeats, KKR are in fourth spot in the points table with eight points. The Eoin Morgan-led unit will next play Delhi Capitals (DC) in Sharjah on Tuesday.