Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum was delighted after his side broke a long losing streak after beating Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh were the architects of the clinical victory for KKR, who had lost their previous 5 games at IPL 2022. The two men added a 66th straight stand for a fourth match with just one. 6.2 rounds. While Rana was 48 undefeated, Rinku was named man of the match with 23 tackles 42 failed to go out.
Brendon McCullum said both Rinku and Rana are good friends and that Rana gave his teammates confidence in the midfield at a crucial stage of the game.
McCullum told Star Sports: “It was a great performance, between the two guys being very good friends.
“He (Rinku) has been in the franchise for a long time. Lucky enough to spend time with him. He needed to make a statement and he made it in the game itself. Rana was eliminated in the middle and that’s what McCullum said.
Brendon McCullum also gave special praise to KKR Anukul Roy and Shivam Mavi. Roy scored 1 to 28 from his 4 passes, while Mavi took the crucial bottom line from Sanju Samson.
McCullum said selection is an important process for him at a time when some players have fallen in form and others are struggling with injuries.
“The selection role is really important for me. A few players have lost their form and confidence, had a few injuries, so we had to change a few times. We want to have five. pitcher and slower pitch, Anukul comes in. We want Mavi on the team.
“Anukul is excellent, he’s been in IPL for a long time. He’s like Rinku who carries himself well and has a good future ahead of him,” he said.
However, KKR will be worried about their opening combination. On Monday, they promoted Baba Indrajith to open with Aaron Finch. Both men failed, meaning most of the work had to be done by the middleman. Brendon McCullum admits the opening position is a problem for the team and they need to clear up.
