'It was a matter of one wicket': Chakaravarthy hails team efforts in win

NEW DELHI: After Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) by 24 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium, KKR bowler

Varun Chakaravarthy

emphasized the importance of controlling emotions and adhering to their game plan. Chakaravarthy's impressive bowling performance, taking two wickets for 22 runs in the second innings, played a crucial role in defending KKR's 170-run target on Friday.
In the post-match interview, Chakaravarthy acknowledged that 170 was a below-par score and the presence of dew in the second innings made the task more challenging.

"Extremely good feeling for we have never won in Wankhede in 12 years and it's a great feeling to win here. We were still confident, it was a matter of one wicket. 170 was below-par and there was dew in the 2nd innings, but we controlled our emotions and stuck to our plans," he said.

Chakaravarthy expressed his admiration for fellow KKR spinner

Sunil Narine

, referring to him as a "legend" and expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to bowl alongside him. He also commended the efforts of

Venkatesh Iyer

and

Manish Pandey

, whose partnership of 83 runs helped KKR recover from a difficult position in the first innings.

"Sunny is a legend, he has been bowling the same way from I don't know when. Glad to be bowling alongside him. This is a very special win for we were down and out in the first innings, the way Pandey and Venkatesh pulled off the game from their shoulders was great. It is sort of a comeback from the Punjab game when we conceded so many runs, so we said let's do it," he added.

In the match, KKR posted a total of 169 runs, thanks to the solid partnership between Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52) and Manish Pandey (42 off 31). Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler for MI, taking three wickets for 18 runs in 3.5 overs.

In response, MI were bowled out for 145, with Mitchell Starc making an impressive comeback, taking four wickets for 33 runs in just 3.5 overs. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine also contributed with two wickets each, taking crucial wickets in the first half of the chase.
ALSO SEE: IPL 2024 SCHEDULE
The victory propelled KKR to second place in the IPL 2024 standings with 14 points, while MI currently occupy the ninth position with six points. KKR's next match is against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.
(Inputs from ANI)