Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, have really struggled with their batting this IPL season. Eoin Morgan, the former captain, thinks the changes made for their home game against Gujarat Titans didn’t help much. KKR lost to Gujarat by 39 runs, marking their second straight defeat and their fifth loss in eight games. This season has been tough for them at home too, with three losses in four matches at Eden Gardens.
Morgan pointed out that KKR hasn’t bounced back like fans hoped. He said, “It’s always good to see a strong team fight back, but they showed the same issues we’ve seen all season.” They made a couple of changes against Gujarat to try and boost their batting, but it didn’t pay off. Morgan wondered if those changes were worth it, noting they’d likely decide it wasn’t.
He mentioned KKR struggled to build partnerships while chasing 199, ending up with just 159 for 8. “It was interesting to hear Ajinkya Rahane say that 199 was a chaseable score because we thought the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat as well towards the end of the Gujarat innings, making it tough to hit boundaries,” he commented. He added, “There was no flow, no solid partnerships — almost the opposite of what Gujarat showed.”
Morgan praised Prasidh Krishna, the pacer from India and GT, for his impressive performance, saying he took 2 wickets for just 25 runs. “He’s the purple cap holder right now, and he just keeps getting better. That added pace is great, but his strength in the middle overs is invaluable,” he noted.
He also admired how Krishna is building his career, saying, “He has the most wickets this season by a decent margin, and it’s exciting to see him developing as a player and getting recognized on the national stage.”
Meanwhile, former Indian player Ambati Rayudu spoke highly of B Sai Sudharsan, who scored 52 off 36 balls and surpassed the 400-run mark this IPL. Rayudu praised Sudharsan’s classical batting style, saying, “Watching him play is a joy. He shows that the game can still be played the traditional way — using the ball’s pace, playing under your eyes, keeping it grounded, and playing smart. Smart play brings runs and builds confidence.”
