IPL 2024: Meet KKR captain Shreyas Iyer's 'phenomenal' assets

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer showered praise on West Indies all-rounders Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, describing them as "invaluable and outstanding" assets for the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Both Narine and Russell showcased exceptional performances during Kolkata's encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday.

Narine contributed with the ball, taking one wicket, while Russell claimed two.

In the batting department, Narine opened for the Kolkata-based team alongside Philip Salt, crafting a brilliant innings of 47 runs from just 22 deliveries, boasting a strike rate of 213.64. His remarkable performance earned him the 'Player of the Match' title.

1/10:IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders cruise to victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru

AP

2/10:Virat Kohli

<p>Virat Kohli's consecutive IPL half-century wasn't enough for Royal Challengers Bangalore as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory.<br /></p>PTI

3/10:Shreyas Iyer

<p>Kolkata chased down the home side's 182-6 with 19 balls to spare, as skipper Shreyas Iyer sealed the win with a calm six off Mayank Dagar.<br /></p>PTI

4/10:Phil Salt and Sunil Narine

<p>KKR's chase began strongly with Phil Salt (30) and all-rounder Sunil Narine (47) sharing an 86-run partnership for the visitors.<br /><br />​<br /></p>AP

5/10:Sunil Narine

<p>Narine smashed five sixes in his 22-ball innings before Dagar dismissed him in the seventh over. Salt was caught at deep square leg in the next over.<br /></p>PTI

6/10:Venkatesh Iyer

<p>Venkatesh Iyer's 50 maintained the momentum until he was caught by Kohli, while Shreyas finished the innings with his 39.<br /></p>PTI

7/10:Mitchell Starc

<p>IPL's most expensive player Starc conceded 47 runs for KKR. In two matches, he bowled 8 overs, conceding 100 runs without taking any wickets.<br /></p>PTI

8/10:Faf du Plessis

<p>Du Plessis fell for eight at the end of the second over, scooping a perplexing delivery from Harshit Rana straight into the arms of Mitchell Starc.<br /></p>AFP

9/10:Cameron Green

<p>Cameron Green was the second-highest scorer with 33 runs but was dismissed when he missed a lightning delivery from Andre Russell, crashing off his back pad onto the stumps.<br /></p>AFP

10/10:Glenn Maxwell

<p>Maxwell scored 28 runs from 19 balls after being dropped twice, while Kohli survived a close run-out scare with a well-timed slide.<br /></p>PTI

IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders cruise to victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru​

Reflecting on their contributions, Iyer expressed difficulty in choosing between Narine and Russell. He emphasized that their presence in the squad serves as a significant advantage for the franchise.

"You can't choose because you're talking about bowling at the death on one end and opening on the other. They're both very useful and phenomenal assets for the team because if they have a rough showing with the ball, they can make it up with the bat. This is a big positive for our team," Iyer was quoted in a release from JioCinema as saying.

1/10:Most runs hit in an over in IPL

Agencies

2/10:Rahul Tewatia

<p>Rahul Tewatia hammered 30 runs off Sheldon Cottrell on September 27, 2020, solely contributing 30 runs for KXIP against RR at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah.</p>Getty Images

3/10:Virat Kohli

<p>Virat Kohli smashed 30 runs off Shivil Kaushik on May 14, 2016, solely contributing 30 runs for RCB against GL at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.</p>Agencies

4/10:Shaun Marsh

<p>Shaun Marsh struck 30 runs off Johan van der Wath on May 17, 2011, scoring all 30 runs for KXIP against RCB at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala.</p>Agencies

5/10:Virender Sehwag

<p>Virender Sehwag plundered 30 runs off Andrew Symonds on April 22, 2008, solely contributing 30 runs for DC against DD at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.</p>Agencies

6/10:Saurabh Tiwary

<p>Saurabh Tiwary and Chris Gayle amassed 31 runs off Rahul Sharma on April 17, 2012, with Gayle scoring 30 and Tiwary 1 run for RCB against PWI at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.</p>Agencies

7/10:Chris Gayle and Manoj Tiwary

<p>Chris Gayle and Manoj Tiwary combined for 33 runs off Ravi Bopara on April 4, 2010, with Gayle contributing 24 and Tiwary 2 runs during a KKR vs KXIP encounter at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.</p>Agencies

8/10:Suresh Raina

<p>Suresh Raina thrashed 33 runs off Parvinder Awana on May 30, 2014, with 32 runs credited to his name in a KXIP vs CSK match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.</p>Agencies

9/10:Pat Cummins

<p>Pat Cummins hammered 35 runs off Daniel Sams on April 6, 2022, contributing 34 runs himself for KKR against MI at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.</p>Agencies

10/10:Ravindra Jadeja

<p>Ravindra Jadeja blasted 37 runs off Harshal Patel on April 25, 2021, with 36 coming from his bat during a CSK vs RCB clash at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.</p>Agencies

Most runs hit in an over in IPL

Talking about the think-tanks of the team, Iyer said that their inputs on analysing the wicket and communicating information have been spot on.

"It's going really well because the think-tank is vast. Everyone's inputs have been spot-on in terms of analysing the wicket and communicating information. Our communication is very strong right now," he added.