Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik backed Sunil Narine despite the spinner’s failure to come good both with bat and ball in Sharjah on Saturday.

KKR lost to Delhi Capitals by 18 runs as Narine first went for 26 in two overs and then scored only 3 off 5 after opening the innings.

“We will discuss Narine’s role with the coaches, but I have full confidence in him,” Karthik said after the match.

“The way the boys batted is something I am proud of. We kept fighting, which is the nature of this team.

“To be honest, a couple of more sixes and we would have crossed the line. So we can’t really fault the bowlers. Perhaps we gave away 10 runs too many, but two more hits and we might have been through.”

Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer admitted it’s very tough to defend a score at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

“It is really difficult to defend here. Such an amazing total but still... It is always a thrill to come and play here. Winning the match is an icing on the cake,” Iyer said.

The Capitals captain top scored with 88 not out off 38 balls to be adjudged Man of the Match and he was happy with the effort.