Dropping a few catches in the beginning cost us dearly : Morgan

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan said after losing to Punjab Kings in the IPL match that initially we did not field so well. He and other players dropped catches which cost the team. When the match gets so tight in the last moments, the fall of a few extra wickets helps the bowling camp.

Morgan said after the match, “Of course we missed catches, but I think we worked hard.” Batted well and probably got a decent score, although it was not a match-winning score on that wicket, but I think the bowlers have done a good job. The Kings played well and then we came back, but it was hard for us to drop the catch.

Referring to Rahul’s catch in the 19th over, the captain said, “At one point I thought it was out. Obviously when you slow things down and analyze it like the third umpire did and give a not out decision based on suspicion, we need to go ahead with it, but if we got this wicket it would have been great. I think all the players playing on this pitch found it a bit difficult in the beginning. It was not an easy wicket to start with, but after the difficult 13th and 14th overs, we could not take advantage of that platform.

Morgan said, of course we have some players like Venkatesh Iyer. He is a discovery for us. He has been with us throughout the campaign and we have seen him in practice. What is special above all is his attitude which is a brilliant batsman who plays fearlessly. He takes a lot of responsibility with the ball as well. The departure of Andre Russell is the biggest drawback for us all-rounder, but taking responsibility and contributing in his place is really excellent. We played some great cricket in the second half and we have some positives to take from tonight as well. With two more matches left, we will fight hard and hopefully get some good results and reach the playoffs.
Axar Patel received the Player of the Match award for his bowling.