NEWS
Follow UsDelhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant said he didn't have words to explain his disappointment as he lauded his teammates for their efforts following the three-wicket loss in IPL 2021 Qualifier 2 to Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
"I don't have words to express at the moment, can't tell anything. We just kept believing, tried to stay in the game as long as possible," Pant said in the post-match presentation.
Pant felt that the middle-order was unable to get going which hurt their chances in the match and praised his bowlers for taking it to the final over.
"The bowlers nearly pulled it back, but it's unfortunate that it didn't go our way. They bowled very well in the middle-overs, we got stuck and couldn't rotate strike," he added.
The DC skipper was hopeful that his team can comeback strongly in the next season following the heartbreaking loss.
"Hopefully we can come back net year for a stronger season. We played really good cricket throughout the season. We stuck together, and cared for each other. Hopefully we will improve next year and come back strongly," he said.
KKR captain Eoin Morgan was delighted that his team got over the line despite struggling at the end. He praised openers Shubman Gill (46 off 46 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (55 offs 41 balls) for their partnership of 96 in 12.2 overs.
"Should've been a lot easier after the start we got, Venky and Gill set us the platform. Dew came in and all, but hey, we're in the final and we're delighted to get over the line. Would've loved to win convincingly but Capitals are a very good side," Morgan said.
Chasing a target of 136, KKR needed seven runs needed from the final over when Ravinchandran Ashwin dismissed Shakib al Hasan and Sunil Narine off consecutive balls before Rahul Tripathi hit a six off the penultimate ball to bring up the win.
"Six off two, the odds were probably in favour of the bowling side, but Rahul Tripathi has done superbly well for us. It's a nice insight into our team culture - the young guys coming in feel free to express themselves," he added.
KKR will play Chennai Super Kings in the final on Friday.
"We would like to keep going, playing against CSK, one of the best franchises in IPL history. Anything can happen," Morgan said.