Mumbai : The defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered an eight-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Monday.
Ramandeep Singh's quickfire knock of 22 runs off 12 balls alongside Angkrish Raghuvanshi's 26 runs off 16 balls and Andre Russell's twin strikes were the key highlights for KKR as the hosts MI chased down the target of 117.
Not shying away from the loss, KKR all-rounder Ramandeep Singh shared his honest assessment in the post-match press conference. "Any team can collapse, regardless of the situation. Obviously, that gives the lower order an opportunity, but we were unlucky tonight. We'll do our best to make sure we don't find ourselves in a similar situation going ahead in the tournament," Ramandeep Singh said as quoted by the KKR press release He also shed some light on backing the team's aggressive approach with the bat, while emphasising that they can take learnings from this performance.
"We back every player in the team to follow their natural instincts. Sometimes, it doesn't work out, but it is important for us to back our players, so they can give their hundred percent and play to their attacking instincts," Ramandeep explained.
"We understand that partnerships are very important but had the attacking approach paid off for Angkrish and Rinku, we would be crediting them for their performance. Sometimes it's not your day. There are always learnings from every game", the right-hand batter added.
Reflecting on the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, Ramandeep reckoned that the toss played a significant factor in the outcome. "It was a good toss to win for MI. They did have an advantage because even in the second innings, the new ball was seaming, and the spinners were getting some turn. So, there was something there for the bowlers. However, we can't use that as an excuse. We have to be ready for every situation," he mentioned.
"The wicket today was such that you had to settle in before looking to hit sixes. Generally, that's not the case but today was a little different", the player concluded. Kolkata Knight Riders will be eager to bounce back when they take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on April 3.