Abu Dhabi: After registering an emphatic seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan said that his side is finally playing a brand of cricket that is associated with head coach Brendon McCullum.
Rahul Tripathi and Venkatesh Iyer played knocks of 74 and 53 respectively as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets here at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday.
"It's been a long time since we have played like this. Baz (Brendon McCullum) has taken over for almost two seasons, so the way we are playing is now getting into his style. To hold such a strong Mumbai team, and chase it down in the manner we did gives us confidence. We were trying to fit Iyer into the XI with a lot of talented guys, and it's fantastic with the manner he has scored runs," Morgan told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
"We never put a number on him, on how many games he will get. In the practice games, he has gone out to play this way. Baz backs him to the hilt. Just a second game for him but played with full confidence," he added.
With this win, KKR has risen to the fourth spot in the points table while Mumbai Indians has slipped to the sixth position. Before entering this match, KKR had a dismal record against MI, registering just six wins in a total of 28 games, but Iyer and Tripathi helped the franchise turn around their fortunes.
"Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are formidable bowlers. Sunil has been integral in winning KKR championships in the past. Varun is a fresh guy. The first two games in this second phase has been a great template for us to play. There's only one way for us to go in the points table, and that's up," said Morgan.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock's 55-run knock helped Mumbai Indians post 155/6 against KKR in the allotted twenty overs. For KKR, Prasidh Krishna and Lockie Ferguson scalped two wickets each.
KKR will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday.
