IPL 2021 Final: Eoin Morgan lauds Gill, Iyer and Tripathi despite KKR’s defeat against CSK

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan has credited Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi for the team’s resurgence in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the UAE.

KKR openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer slammed fifties in the tournament final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But another middle-order collapse brought about a rather tame end to KKR's fabulous campaign.

Venkatesh Iyer finished the tournament as KKR’s best batter with 370 runs at an average of 41, striking at 128.5. His fellow opener Shubman Gill had an excellent UAE leg, too, finishing as the team’s highest run-getter with 478 runs. Lauding the two batters, Eoin Morgan said at the post-match presentation ceremony:

“I think they (Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer) have been outstanding. Gill is a classy cricketer, and has had his experience with international cricket at the moment. Venkatesh Iyer is new to a platform like this. But he has a huge future ahead of him. He has a good head on his shoulders, and the two have been the cornerstones of our batting in the second phase of the tournament."

From 91 for one in the 11th over, KKR collapsed to 125 for eight in the 17th over to eventually go down by 27 runs. An injury to Rahul Tripathi during the CSK innings further diminished KKR's chances of overhauling a stiff target.

Among batters with over 200 runs for KKR this season, only Rahul Tripathi has a strike rate of over 140. Praising him for his never-say-die attitude, Morgan said about the 30-year-old batter:

“He left everything out there. Unfortunately, he had an injury today, but he always tries to contribute in whichever way he can.”

The penultimate-ball six from Rahul Tripathi in Qualifier 2 had guided KKR to the tournament final.

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Extremely proud of KKR’s fight: Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan lauded his team for their resurgence in the second half of the tournament. With two wins from seven games in the India leg, KKR won seven of their nine matches in the UAE to enter the final. Morgan said about his team's stunning turnaround in fortunes:

“I am extremely proud of the fight that we have shown. Things did not start off well, but the fight we showed epitomises Kolkata. The support we have enjoyed from our owners – Jay, Juhi, Shah Rukh and Venky, our CEO, has been outstanding. The support from the fans has been amazing as well, even after the first leg."

Though he was inspirational as a leader, Eoin Morgan’s form hurt KKR as he finished the tournament with only 133 runs at an average of 11.1, striking at just over 95.

Asked to chase down a stiff target of 193 set by CSK in Dubai, KKR mustered only 165-9 in response after a middle-order collapse.