Kolkata Knight Riders trounced Rajasthan Royals in their last game of the first stage of the Indian Premier League, to keep their slim hopes of progressing into the final stage of the tournament alive.

Speaking after the match, Captain Eoin Morgan addressed his team’s chances in the tournament and said, “I don’t think we could have done anything more today. So whatever happens from here is up to the Gods.”

He added, “Yes, I was aware of the numbers (about net run rate) but you need to first get yourself into a winning position.”

The English cricketer also acknowledged the team’s all round effort,and praised youngster Shivam Mavi and Aussie pacer Pat Cummins for their display with the ball. 

Also Read | IPL 2020: Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins power Kolkata to win against Rajasthan

Talking of the total posted by KKR after batting first, Captain Morgan said, “ I thought it was around a par score.”

Addressing the issue of the gaping hole in the middle order, Morgan admitted that his team lost too many wickets between the 10th and the 15th over.

He added, “Every batsman who came back in and said that it was a beautiful wicket with the dew in. We lost wickets between 10th and 15th overs, and to finish like we did was really good. We were out there to play a free-flowing style of cricket.”

Morgan also added that the dew factor played a crucial role in the team’s victory.

Morgan added, “Bringing out Dre Russ in meant that it took the conditions out of the equation. We backed the guys to take a bit of risk even if it wasn’t there. That was one thing we talked about, leading into this game. We felt that a hard length or a good length was the best spot to bowl.”

Praising youngster Mavi and Cummins, Morgan added, “We tried to execute that in the first six overs and I thought Mavi was outstanding. Obviously Pat set the tone early on. Winning the game was about taking wickets, especially early.”

A 60 run thumping victory against the Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals side has rocketed into the fourth position of the IPL table. The franchise from Kolkata, however, will have to rely on a favourable outcome in the remaining matches of the group stage. 

A Mumbai Indians victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad will allow KKR to retain their fourth rank and progress to the eliminator of the IPL. The team can also progress if the winning side in the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore or Delhi Capitals triumph by a resounding margin.

Batting first KKR were reeling at 99 for five after Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik departed without troubling the scores. Captain Eoin Morgan then steadied the KKR innings, playing a pivotal 68 run knock from 35 balls. Opener Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi were the other key run getters as the KKR side posted a total of 191 from their 20 overs.

Chasing a steep total of 192, the Rajasthan Royals innings floundered, losing five wickets within the power play and were restricted to 131 in their 20 overs. KKR pacer Pat Cummins struck hard, removing Aussie hard hitter Steven Smith and English all rounder Ben Stokes cheaply, while young pacer Shivam Mavi removed in form batsman Sanju Samson. 

The losing captain Steve Smith reflected on his side’s loss against KKR after the match and said, “ Unfortunately we are at the wrong end of the result. We started well with two wins, we won two before this one but we were inconsistent in the middle and we didn’t take enough responsibility.”

With their loss to KKR, Rajasthan Royals became the third side after Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab to crash out of the tournament.