Kolkata Knight Riders recorded a much-important 52-run win over Mumbai Indians on Monday (May 9) to stay alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 playoff race. Although the two-time champions are highly unlikely to find a place in the top four, victories in their remaining fixtures will keep them mathematically in the hunt. Meanwhile, KKR’s dismal campaign this season has certainly been astonishing as they got off to a flying start.

Having won three of their first four games, the Knight Riders looked all set to go a long way. However, a five-match losing streak derailed their campaign and pushed them into the bottom half of the team standings. Not identifying an ideal playing XI has been KKR’s biggest concern this season. The two-time champions have also been highly criticized for the constant cutting and chopping of the players.

It is really difficult to tell players that they won’t play: Shreyas Iyer
They made as many as five changes for the MI clash and skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted it’s not easy to inform players that they are being dropped. He also revealed that, at times, the CEO of the franchise, Venky Mysore, is also involved in the team selection. “It is really difficult (to tell players they won’t play). Coach and at times, CEO is also obviously involved in team selections,” Shreyas Iyer told Star Sports.
“Each and every player takes it well, and they have put in their best efforts. The win was comprehensive, and when I spoke to the players, they were pumped up to win the game today,” he added. Meanwhile, Shreyas was pleased with the overall outcome of the game as his side crossed the line pretty comfortably at the end. He also lauded Venkatesh Iyer for his quickfire 43 inside the powerplay.

“I am very pleased because after losing the last game by a big margin, feels good to come back and win by a big margin is nice. We had a nice start in the powerplay and Venky targeted bowlers well. I personally felt that it wasn’.