As captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, Shreyas Iyer says one of his team’s biggest motivations to reverse their fortunes and get on a winning run in Indian Premier League 2022 is to end up playing a playoff at their home venue the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The first qualifier and the eliminator of the tournament will be played in Kolkata on May 24 and 25, respectively, and Iyer wishes for his team to dominate from here and play that first versus second virtual semi-final at the Eden Gardens and entertain their fans.
“We just got to know the qualifiers are at the Eden Gardens so we’ll put in our 100 percent efforts to see to it that we win the games and go out there and entertain the fans,”
he was quoted as saying on KKR’s official website.
The Knight Riders started off their season well, clinching victories in three of their first four games to reside at the top of the points table at that stage. But from then on, things have gone downhill, with the two-time champions suffering a four-game losing streak to find themselves eighth in the ten-team league standings.
But Iyer says his players have been putting in the hard yards in practice and maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the dressing room, which shall bring about a change in their fortunes on the cricket field soon.
“The atmosphere has been amazing right from the start. The results are part and parcel of the game and definitely, the way we have been preparing as a team it is simply outstanding and people are putting in hard yards to see to it we win matches.”
While obviously disappointed with his team’s recent results, Iyer will be quietly pleased with his personal form in the tournament so far. The Indian right-hander is KKR’s top run-getter after eight matches, scoring 248 runs with an average of 35.42 and strike-rate of 142.52.
KKR next play on April 28 against Delhi Capitals.
