Through to the playoffs after registering a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders young batsman Shubman Gill said brilliant death bowling led by Prasidh Krishna turned the match in their favour.
KKR defeated Sunrisers by five wickets on Saturday to seal their berth in the playoffs.
After restricting Sunrisers to 172 for nine, KKR chased down the target with two balls to spare and become the third team to make it to the next stage of the ongoing IPL.
I think the way we bowled at the death overs that was the turning point of the match. Prasidh (4-0-30-4) bowled really well. All the bowlers bowled really well at the death, Gill said at the post-match press conference.
KKR will now play their eliminator at home ground at the Eden Gardens on May 23 and Gill said it will work in their advantage.
"It's always an advantage to play at home. It's beneficial to play match at home. The crowd is very supportive. We will also have a better idea of the wicket compared to other teams," he said.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers wicket-keeper batsman Shreevats Goswami, who scored 35 runs off 26 balls, said the loss won't hurt their momentum in the qualifier.
"I think momentum does not come in when any team goes for qualifier. Everybody will come well prepared. We have lost three games and we will be more aware of the situation."
"I think we will come back stronger and we will assess our weaknesses and strengths ahead of the qualifiers," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
