‘KKR’s strength lies in their spin bowling’ - Zaheer Khan gives his take on Kolkata Knight Rider’s performance following their win against RCB

The 36th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a heavyweight clash between the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Wednesday, April 26.

After Kolkata posted 200 runs on the board after the first innings, thanks to a stellar half-century by Jason Roy, who amassed 56 runs in 29 deliveries, and Nitish Rana’s late push, the two-time champions aimed to put in similar performances with the ball.

In response, Bangalore only managed to post 179 runs on the board. The spin attack of Kolkata proved to be too much for the hosts to handle. Varun Chakaravarthy took three wickets, whereas Suyash Sharma took two, with Andre Russell striking twice as well. Seeing the brilliant performances of the spinners on the side, former India pacer Zaheer Khan came forward to give his take on the game. He also opined that Kolkata’s strength resides in their spin attack.

"First you plan a certain way, and then you see the result on the pitch. KKR decided that against RCB, they’ll use their spinners more. The spinners went and executed. It’s not just the captain but you have to have bowlers of a high calibre. The one thing we’ve seen this evening is that KKR’s strength lies in their spin bowling. They leave an impact on a game with their bowling in favourable conditions," Zaheer Khan told JioCinema.

He’s an unbelievably grateful guy: Eoin Morgan

Due to his stellar showing against Bangalore, Varun Chakaravarthy was named the Player of the Match. Dismissing Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, and Dinesh Karthik, the 31-year-old earned praise from experts, especially from the former English skipper, Eoin Morgan.

"He’s an unbelievably grateful guy to be in the situation he’s in with the opportunity in the IPL. It’s a nice reminder of the sacrifices these players make during this period. He was very candid in the way he spoke—not his day in the last game but today, 3/27. Working on his accuracy more than the variations, he feels he has enough variations at the moment," Morgan told JioCinema.