"Watching how Ramandeep is batting Shreyas Iyer should be ashamed of himself" - Fans react with mixed feelings to KKR skipper's half-century vs RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer battled hard to compile a solid half-century in the side's important clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on April 21.

After being asked to bat first by RCB skipper Faf du Plessis, KKR were off to a scintillating start, thanks to a magnificent 14-ball 48 by Phil Salt. However, the home side lost three quick wickets to fall from 56/0 to 75/3.

Iyer walked in and anchored the innings with a 36-ball 50 to halt the free fall of wickets and set up an attacking finish. The 29-year-old has not looked at his fluent best thus far in IPL 2024, scoring 190 runs at a strike rate of under 127 in seven matches.

The 50 against RCB in the ongoing clash was also his first of the season and it included seven fours and a six.

Despite that, fans on Twitter had mixed feelings towards Iyer's knock. While some felt it was a much-needed inning at that stage of the game, others called it a snail-paced one that delayed the final push.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Several fans also criticized Iyer for his slow-paced knock that stalled KKR's momentum in the middle overs.

"Captain fantastico "Iyer" delayed the entry of this beast Ramandeep from coming on until 19th over ffs. Arrest him asap. Could've easily been 240 score," tweeted a fan.

"Watching how Ramandeep is batting Shreyas Iyer should be ashamed of himself. He is ruining his team's chances. Such a poor leader. Because of his selfishness players like Rinku & Ramandeep are not getting enough game time," another fan said.

"Shreyas Iyer showcasing perfect timing and placement with a well-made fifty before departing. His innings was a masterclass in precision!" a fan tweeted.

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KKR finish strong to set RCB a massive target

Despite Shreyas Iyer not being able to kick on after reaching his half-century, KKR enjoyed a spectacular finish to the innings, thanks to Ramandeep Singh and Andre Russell.

The duo added an unbeaten 43 off 16 deliveries after Iyer's dismissal to propel KKR to a massive 222/6 in 20 overs. Yet, they will do well not to relax, considering the outcome of their previous encounter against RR.

After posting 223 in that game at home, KKR failed to defend the total and lost off the final ball by two wickets. The defeat was only their second in the IPL 2024 season in six outings.

With the tournament reaching the halfway stage, KKR will look to get back to winning ways and return to the top two on the points table.