IPL 2022 | 'Very good bowling from their seamers' - Faf praises KKR after the win

RCB vs KKR match in Mumbai on Wednesday (March 30) turned out to be a nail-biter as RCB won the game in the final despite restricting the opponent to a below-par - 128. Wanindu Hasaranga was the one who dismantled KKR's batting lineup by taking four wickets, got support from Akash Deep and Harshal Patel, picking up three and two wickets, respectively.

After the win, Hasaranga, who won the Man of the Match award, said: "Crucial situation, I got only four and got out. I am delighted. Especially with the dew, it is tough to bowl. My favourite footballer is Neymar, and that is his celebration which I do. When I go play, I don't take any pressure. That's why I feel I got success."

While chasing, RCB had a shaky start. They lost three of their key batters inside the power-play. And, with a below-par total in hand, KKR bowlers also put up an exceptional performance. They maintained the pressure very well and took the game to the final over. However, Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel kept their calm and took the team to the finish line with 4 balls to spare.

After the win, Faf du Plessis said: "Very happy. Small margins games are crucial at the start. We just tried to be positive, but excellent bowling from their seamers. There was seam and bounce, and KKR bowlers utilised it well. Two-three days ago, it was 200, and today it was 130. We want to be more convincing. Just the experience. 

The runs were never a problem. We just needed to have wickets in hand. DK is as close as it gets to MS Dhoni when it comes to being ice cool. I rely on other people for help. We have great people in the camp. There is good communication in the group. The guys have been great. They have been supportive. They are coming to me with ideas."

After losing, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer was delighted with his team's performance: "I found this game exciting. Before getting in, I spoke with my boys and told them that this game would define our character and attitude on the field no matter we defended or not. The way we fight it on the ground will reflect our mentality in the next few games. I am proud of how we played this game and took it to the last over. 

It was tough at that moment because I wanted to get my best bowlers up there and get a few wickets early on, but it didn't work out well. However, kudos to their batters; they played really well out in the middle. 

They took out the most challenging phase as soon as possible. In the end, I decided to go with Venky because he's got really good experience bowling at the international level, and you need to back them, especially at the start of the tournament. They must gain confidence as early as possible, and this was one of the best games to get that." Iyer concluded.