Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan listed positives after his team ended their spirited UAE campaign as IPL runners-up, saying Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill have been the cornerstone of KKR’s batting and he was extremely proud of the character and fight shown by the team.

KKR scripted a remarkable turnaround in the UAE leg and thoroughly deserves to be in the finals, especially for the brand of cricket they played. However, Kolkata Knight Riders lost the IPL 2021 final after suffering a 27-run defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings on Friday.

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Chasing an imposing target of 193, KKR could manage 165 for 9 in their 20 overs with Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer hitting 51 and 50 respectively. From 91 for no loss in the 11th over, KKR slumped to 125 for 8 in the 17th over in a dramatic batting collapse to lose the final.

“We are extremely proud of the fight we have shown. The character and fight is trademark. Our owners – Shahrukh, Venky have been absolutely outstanding,” Morgan said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Guys fought incredibly hard and performed. Iyer and Gill have been outstanding. Ventakesh is new to this platform. They have been the cornerstone of our batting. Tripathi left everything out there today. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury,” Morgan added.