KKR captain Shreyas Iyer lauded the team effort after their victory over Rajasthan Royals on Monday. “Right from the Powerplay when our bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took a wicket we were in control... it was just the start we needed,” said Shreyas, praising the performance put in by the bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav.

“He (Umesh) has increased his pace, bowls those hard lengths and as a captain you just have to give him the ball to deliver.

“Whenever I give Sunil Narine the ball, he gets me wickets... He is very economical, but when he gets a wicket, he gets a big one,” Shreyas said.

Man of the Match Rinku Singh’s innings came in for special mention. “The way Rinku is maintaining his calm, playing only his second or third game, is outstanding. He is a great asset for the franchise for the future. The way he performs, he doesn’t look like a newcomer,” the KKR captain said.

Head coach Brendon McCullum felt the team put in a great performance. “Five (losses) on the bounce is no easy feat to pull yourselves out of. I just have to compliment all the guys within the group,” the former New Zealand captain said. “We had guys who arrived late, a couple of injuries, a couple of guys who lost form and confidence as well. So there’s a myriad of reasons why we’ve had to make as many changes as we’ve had.”