IPL 2022: No excuse, says Shreyas Iyer after 5th consecutive defeat

Mumbai: After going down to Delhi Capitals on Thursday, KKR's fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2022, skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed disappointment and said the batters struggled to put up a big total but the bowlers did make a match out of it.

Invited to bat first at Wankhede Stadium, KKR scored 146 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 9 wickets. In reply, Delhi Capitals chased down the target in 19 overs for the loss of 6 wickets.

KKR has been constantly changing its opening pair and when Iyer was asked about this, he said, "We started off really slowly and lost a couple of early wickets. It was holding up a bit (the wicket), but we didn't get a good score on the board. No real excuses, we have to go back and assess where things are going wrong." "A lot of chopping and changing is happening (at the top of the order), it's been difficult to set up the right combination, with all injuries not helping as well," said Shreyas Iyer in a post-match presentation.

"We need to stick together, play some fearless cricket, not be conservative with the bat. Five more matches remaining, we need to play well, show belief and give something back to the team and the management, forget about the past, start fresh and back your instinct (on what KKR need to do now)," said Iyer.

Probably the only positive in the KKR team was the performance of Umesh Yadav, who is among the highest wicket-takers in the tournament. Iyer lauded the veteran pacer for his three-wicket haul.

"You need to sit back and think where it's going wrong, can't be overconfident, give your best, if we still lose, then it's fine. Umesh started with a wicket but gave away 11 runs in the over, that's where I thought the momentum turned. But he has given us a lot of good moments this season and has been very very impressive as well," he added.

The defeat put Kolkata Knight Riders at the 8th spot on the points table with a total of 6 defeats in 9 matches.

While Delhi Capitals registered their fourth win in eight matches.