We were 15 to 20 runs short: Nitish Rana

Mumbai Indians have registered their second win in this edition of the Indian Premier League after a comprehensive five-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in an afternoon encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 16. 

After opting to field first, Knight Riders were powered to 185 for six in the first inning courtesy off a scintillating hundred from Venkatesh Iyer. Despite his 104 off 51 deliveries, Knight Riders failed to launch an attack in the back end of the innings, which resulted in their downfall. 

"I think we were 15-20 runs short. Credit to Piyush Chawla for the way he bowled. I feel quite bad for Venky. You play so well and score a century in a day game in Mumbai, and but up on the losing side. I feel bad for him. If our best bowlers are going for runs, there's not much to say," Nitish Rana said in the post-match presentation. 

"I think we could have bowled better in the powerplay. I definitely want my bowling unit to deliver more. One or two matches are fine, but it's been five games now. People can have off days, but on back-to-back games, it hurts as a unit. We will talk about it, and hopefully, we can bounce back," he further added. 

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav was a happy skipper as the five-time champions produced a dominant performance to get their campaign back on track. 

"We had a chat in the dugout that we had to carry the momentum from the last game, and the boys put on a show. I would have loved to finish the game, but nevertheless, I was very happy with the way the team played. In the afternoon, we thought the wicket was a little dry, but the way the guys batted it settled down in the evening," he said in the presentation. 

"At the Wankhede, in day games, 160-170 is a good score, but Kishan got us off to a great start. I took my time in the first five to seven balls and thought if I could get my eye in, I could get a score. It was a legendary spell by Piyush Chawla, and he put his hand up under pressure," he concluded. 

Mumbai Indians will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 18, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and the Knight Riders will lock horns against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in an evening encounter on Thursday, April 20.