Varun is one of the positives stories of the tourney: Morgan

Speaking after the victory against Delhi Capitals, Morgan termed the victory as their complete performance

Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders’ thumping 59-run win over Delhi Capitals put them in front for a place in the playoffs and their skipper Eoin Morgan is delighted to put on such a performance just at the right time.

Speaking after the victory, Morgan termed the victory as their complete performance. “There were a lot of positives from this match and this is the most complete performance of the group in the tournament so far and the timing could not have been better. After the KKR were in a spot of bother with 44/3 after eight overs, Nitish Rana (81) Sunil Narine (64) added 115 runs for the fifth wicket to power them to a massive 194/6.

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“That is one area where we want to be proactive and try to show more impetus and play with intent. When Sunil came in, he assessed conditions well and played beautifully. Both played with freedom. We also wanted to add some intent at the top. (Rahul) Tripathi has been good and (Nitish) Rana is a talented batsman. He didn’t have the best of the tournaments like he wanted. But this innings against one of the best bowling units in the tournament was outstanding.”

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy picked up five wickets for 20 runs, the first five-wicket haul in the tournament, and skipper was all praise for the tweaker. “He gelled really well with the team. He is one of the positive stories of the tournament. When he came into bowl, the DC had to push for things. The bowling unit as a whole is very committed. Sunil bowled well and seamers provided a perfect start.” On Narine’s show on return from a hiatus, he said, “He has been an integral part of this franchise for long. His performance on return proves how much valuable for the team.”

Meanwhile, Capitals’ Kagiso Rabada said that they need to focus in a few areas ahead of the upcoming matches. “When you lose a match, it is a bit of concern. We started the competition well. This tournament, every team is high on quality and it is bound to happen when you are playing tough opponents. We need to emphasise on what we are doing well and analyse where we let the game slip away. I don’t think it is a big area of concern.”

“We slipped away after a good start. Narine got a good start and played well. I don’t think we were complacent. The teams are real quality and can’t take your foot off the gas. We should not worry too much. We played enough cricket to know where we went wrong.”