ABU DHABI: Disappointed with his team’s “timid approach” with the bat , Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum has admitted that the crushing IPL defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would definitely affect the morale of the side, but their destiny is still in their hands.
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He believes KKR can go all the way to the final, despite just hanging on to the fourth spot in the eight-team competition with 10 points from as many games.
“This (loss) is going to affect a little bit in terms of our confidence. We need to work hard on ensuring our morale doesn’t drop at the same time having those honest conversations around how we improve,” McCullum said after the eight-wicket loss to RCB in an IPL game here on Wednesday night.

“But I still firmly believe that we have a side which can be there later on in the tournament, come finals. We just need to improve slightly.
“We’re still fourth in the tournament, which is very fortunate for us. Destiny is still very much in our hands. We have just got to tighten up some of those areas where we’re deficient tonight and make sure we improve on our performance,” he said.
McCullum admitted that they were not good enough and lacked intent in the lop-sided contest against RCB.
Electing to bat, KKR top-order crumbled against Mohammed Siraj’s (3/8) devastating new-ball show to register their second lowest total — 84 for 8, a target which RCB chased down in in 13.3 overs with eight wickets in hand.

McCullum said there was no demon in the pitch but their batsmen lacked intent against some quality RCB bowling.
“…I didn’t think there was a lot in the wicket. Siraj obviously bowled well and (Chris) Morris at times also. But if anything, we were just a little timid in our approach,” the former New Zealand captain said.
“That’s just a bit frustrating because we spoke at length before the game about trying to be positive and show some strong intent, so that’s something we’ll have to address in the next few days.”
Siraj became the first bowler in the history of IPL to bowl two maiden overs as he dismissed Rahul Tripathi (1), Nitish Rana (0) and Tom Banton (10) to virtually kill the contest in the first four overs.

“I just think we weren’t able to enter the game at any stage, none of our top-order batsmen were able to get anything going,” McCullum said.
“Defending 85, you might just win one in 50 games. I think RCB were very good tonight. We’re very poor with bat in hand. You’re not going to win too many games from 40 for 6. But we’ve got to bounce back because we’ve got another game in a few days.
“With the conditions being slightly challenging at times, you’ve got to find a way to still pick yourself up and try and get a result in the next game,” he added.
McCullum said self belief is the need of the hour after such a disappointing performance.
“For us, it’s about maintaining belief. As long as our morale stays high, and our belief within the dressing room stays high, then we have the talent within our setup, the intelligence and quality of players, to be able to go deep in the tournament.”
KKR have four matches left to secure a play-off spot and next face Delhi Capitals here on Saturday.

ABU DHABI: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan admitted that Royal Challengers Bangalore bowled well but added that the team should have countered that better after the massive eight-wicket loss against Virat Kohli-led side.
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RCB chased down a total of 85 with eight wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare. Devdutt Padikkal and Gurkeerat Singh Mann played knocks of 25 and 21 respectively as RCB gained victory in the 14th over.
“I think it started with batting. Being four or five down as early as we were is disappointing. RCB bowled well, but we should have countered that better. And with that dew, we probably should have bowled first,” Morgan said.

After electing to bat first, KKR had the worst start possible as the side lost three wickets with just three runs on the board. Chris Morris bowled the first over for RCB and just gave three runs off it.
Mohammed Siraj came to bowl the second over and changed the momentum of the game as he scalped Rahul Tripathi (1) and Nitish Rana (0) and his over finished as a double-wicket maiden. Along the course of this match, Siraj also became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL game.
KKR was left reeling at 14-4 and it was left up to Eoin Morgan to help the side gain a respectable total. However, the KKR skipper did not find any support at the other end as Dinesh Karthik (4) and Pat Cummins (4) also disappointed with the bat.
Morgan played a knock of 30 runs but his innings was cut short by Washington Sundar in the 16th over. Lockie Ferguson scored 19 runs while Kuldeep Yadav played a knock of 12-run before getting run out on the last ball of the innings. In the end, KKR were restricted to 84/8 in their 20 overs.
Morgan further added that Andre Russell and Sunil Narine will be fit and available down the line.
“We have been consistent with our selections of the top three, we believe they are the ones to take us forward. They have shown potential. So it was important to back the Indian batsmen. Hopefully, Russell and Narine will be fit and available around the corner. Two guys of that calibre, particularly when they are allrounders, is a big hole. Hopefully, they will be available down the line,” the skipper said.