KKR skipper Eoin Morgan opens up on bowling strategy after defeat, praises RCB's depth

The Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday registered their third consecutive win and defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by a margin of 38 runs. Losing the toss, KKR started well as both RCB skipper Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar was dismissed in the second over by mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. However, Eoin Morgan then replaced him with left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan when Glenn Maxwell came to bat. This move by Morgan raised many questions as Maxwell went to play an explosive inning. 

During the post-match presentation, Eoin Morgan was asked hypothetically that whether he will undo that particular move to bring back Varun Chakravarthy. Morgan said, "No, to be honest. Glenn Maxwell is a fine player but he is not the only star player. You do need an over or two up your sleeve for someone like AB de Villiers. RCB is full of strengths and depths. Every side in the competition is as well. So you need to plan just past one player."

Batting first, De Villiers' master class and Maxwell's counter-attacking half-century propelled RCB to an imposing 204 for four. In reply, KKR were stopped at 166 for eight as RCB regained the top spot in the pecking order.

RCB smashed 56 runs in the last three overs, including 21 in the final six deliveries, thanks to de Villiers 34-ball 76 not out. Maxwell blazed away to 78 off 49 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries and three maximums before the genius from South Africa strode in and struck the same number of fours and sixes as his teammate from Australia.

'Chepauk pitch certainly stumped me': Eoin Morgan

The RCB vs KKR clash was the last match of Kolkata at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Now they will move to the Wankhede stadium to face the Chennai Super Kings. Morgan & Co. struggled to get going at the Chennai pitch. "The wicket did play better than we thought it was going to. It was RCB's day with the bat, they made use of any tiny errors with the ball. But I can't fault our efforts. We gave it absolutely everything in the field today. Tried our best in the chase but not to be. It (Chepauk pitch) certainly stumped me. I'm glad to be leaving Chennai. Turned out to be a great cricket wicket," said Morgan during the post-match presentation.

(Image Credits: iplt20.com)