IPL 2021: “KKR have a long way to go” – Eoin Morgan

Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan was thrilled with the side’s thumping nine-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). But he stayed realistic, stating the side has a long way to go to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 playoffs.

Restricting the fierce RCB line-up to 92, KKR chased down the total in 10 overs to boost their poor net run rate. The win takes them to fifth position in the IPL 2021 points table with three wins from their eight matches.

“Very rarely do you perform as well as we have today. The talent we have within our squad counts for nothing, you have to still go out and show how strong you are, and we did today,” said Eoin Morgan in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We have a long way to go, need a lot of things to go right. Today’s the right start, need that run of confidence. We haven’t turned up for the majority of the tournament, but today was a great start.”

Earlier in this edition, Eoin Morgan was criticized for his tactics and failing to replicate his magic for England as captain of KKR. However, his leadership was exemplary on Monday as he didn’t allow RCB to return to the game with smart bowling changes.

Our bowlers had an outstanding day: Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan credited the KKR bowlers who set up the massive win. Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell picked up three wickets each, going at three an over. Prasidh Krishna got the big breakthrough by sending back Virat Kohli. Lockie Ferguson got two wickets and Sunil Narine went for just five an over in his quota of four.

“The bowlers have had an outstanding day today. Maxwell, AB, Virat – we managed to get on top of all of them, and it’s very rare as well,” added Eoin Morgan.

KKR’s next opponents are the Mumbai Indians, a side they have historically struggled against. The match to be played on Thursday in Abu Dhabi will be an important game for both sides, who find themselves in the middle of the table.