IPL 2022: KKR CEO Venky Mysore at times involved in team selection, reveals captain Shreyas Iyer – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer said it was tough to tell players that they were not in the playing XI while adding that the franchise’s coach Brendon McCullum and CEO Venky Mysore have their say in the line-up too. KKR defeated Mumbai Indians by a 52 run margin in IPL’s Match 56 in Navi Mumbai on Monday night.

“It is really difficult (to tell players they won’t play). Coach and at times, CEO is also obviously involved in team selections,” Shreyas Iyer told official broadcaster Star Sports.

The 27-year-old skipper, however, added that players took it well as they were all pumped up to win the game, where KKR made five changes to their playing XI after a humiliating 75-run loss to Lucknow Supergiants over the weekend.

KKR captain Shreyas Iyer plays a shot against MI during match 56 of IPL 2022 in Navi Mumbai on Monday. Sportzpics

“Each and every player takes it well, and they have put in their best efforts. The win was comprehensive, and when I spoke to the players, they were pumped up to win the game today,” he said.

Venkatesh Iyer (43) and Nitish Rana (43) guided Kolkata to 165 for nine, a total their bowlers defended by bowling out the opposition for 113. MI pacer Jasprit Bumrah bagged the Player of the Match honour, albeit in a losing cause, as he retained a bowling spell of 5/10.

The win keeps KKR in the run for play-off spot as with 10 points and two matches left to play, they are locked in a four-way battle for the fifth spot and are placed seventh in the points table by the virtue of the net run rate. KKR’s play-off qualifying hopes are still not in their hands as third and fourth-placed sides — Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore — are a win away from putting the Kolkata outfit out of playoff run.

Acknowledging that, the KKR captain added that they can’t be satisfied with this win and need to find consistency with their performance.

“I am very pleased because after losing the last game by a big margin, feels good to come back and win by a big margin is nice. We had a nice start in the powerplay and Venky targeted bowlers well. I personally felt that it wasn’t easy to start for a new batter.”

“When we went into bowl, the plan was to hit the right areas and not give room. I’m not (entirely) satisfied but want to maintain this,” Shreyas said.

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