KKR back to winning ways

Kolkata Knight Riders managed a 21-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Varun Chakaravarthy | Player of the Match: Last match I went for 49 and this match I did well. That’s how crazy life is. (This year) More focused on accuracy rather than more variations. I didn’t want to add more variations. I have been working a lot and I’d like to credit AC Pratheepan – he’s been working for me and even Abhishek Nayar. I’d like to thank them. I like that challenge (to bowl the difficult overs) and Nitish is giving the ball whenever he wants me to do the job, I am liking it. I’d like to credit this to my new born son, still not able to see him, I’d like to dedicate it to him and my wife. Nitish Rana: Last 3-4 matches I’ve been saying the same thing at the toss – if we play well collectively, result will be in our favour. You need a lot of character in the dressing room to give a performance like this in our situation. The belief has always been there that we’ll bounce back. We wanted to put a score on the board. Felt like it would turn in the second innings because there wasn’t much dew. It didn’t turn a lot but we bowled well. Whenever I’ve spoken to him (Suyash Sharma), he has always put his hand up. He always says I’ll do the job. We tell him to not look at who is batting against you, just focus on your own bowling. Andre Russell: We really needed that victory. Have been under the pump last couple of games. Batting first tonight, we know once we get a good total on the board – runs on the board is pressure. Our goal was to keep their powerplay under 55. We were able to pull it back in the middle. Batting first or batting second comes down to the amount of runs you’re setting up, and the dew factor. Once I get the ball I try to do my best. Have been struggling in patches with the bat. Still confident, still know what to do. Got a really good yorker, credit to Siraj. Recovery is important to me. The