Kolkata: It's not only their in-form batting line-up but also the bowling unit that has made a huge difference, Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Piyush Chawla said after they stormed into their second IPL final with a 28-run win over Kings XI Punjab in the Qualifier 1 here Wednesday.
"Most of the team goes with four main bowlers and one part-timer but we go in with five main bowlers which makes a huge difference," Chawla said after they defended 163 against a star-studded Kings XI Punjab.
"Obviously people say T20 is about the batsmen but even if you put on 250 on the board, if you don't have good bowlers you can't defend that. We have got quality bowlers. Sunil (Narine) is there and there's Morne (Morkel), one of the fastest bowlers. Shakib (Al Hasan) too plays a crucial role and then we have got Umesh (Yadav) and myself. The bunch is really good."
He said the pitch at the Eden Gardens was different from the last three games.
"The wicket was on the slower side, different from the last three games... If we bowl in good areas, take early wickets, we have got good bowling so we're confident. There was also Duckworth-Lewis coming into play, it was good overall."
Chawla was brought in place of R Vinay Kumar to capitalise on a slow surface that had remained under cover for last three days because of incessant rain. The legspinner had figures of 1/23.
"I missed out on last two games and it was much needed to come back strongly. I am really happy, I bowled a crucial spell and got the big wicket of (David) Miller. Overall, performance was good."
"My funda is to bowl in your areas. One good ball gets a batsman out, nothing to do with T20, Test or ODI cricket. I just keep it very simple and bowl in right areas."
This was KKR's eighth win in a row and Chawla said: "Eight wins in a row is a big achievement, we have done really well as a unit, we are very proud as a team."
