Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik said they were under pressure in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals but eventually came up trumps to win by 25 runs. After being reduced to 51/4, Karthik and Shubman Gill got together for a 55-run fifth wicket stand before Andre Russell smoked an unbeaten 25-ball 49 to help the purple brigade post 169/7 in 20 overs.
Chasing 170, Royals were 47/0 inside five overs, but could manage only 144/4 in 20 overs.
“I think winning four games on the row feels good. Especially this one as we were under the pump,” Karthik said at the post match presentation ceremony. KKR came into the game on the back of a three-game winning run.
“Credit to Shubman Gill. He absorbed all the pressure when he walked in. Before he got out, he played some lovely shots and eased the pressure off me.”
“In these games, it is about the attitude and the belief about how much you have got. In these kind of crunch games, it is never about the par score; it’s about how much pressure you can put on the other side,” he added.
