IPL 2021: Had the confidence to deliver with ball, says Venkatesh Iyer after KKR beat DC

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, on Tuesday, said he "always" had the confidence" to deliver with the ball. He claimed two wickets in KKR's win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Sharjah.

KKR won the toss and opted to bowl against DC. A collective effort from Kolkata's bowling attack restricted DC at 127 for 9 in 20 overs. Iyer, Sunil Narine and Lockie Ferguson bagged two scalps each, while New Zealand pacer Tim Southee picked a wicket and KKR enforced two run outs as well.

"It felt good. I have always had the confidence that I can deliver with the ball and I'm really happy that I got the opportunity today. I do practice them (yorkers) a lot and I have been working with Anand Rajan, my coach back home, he has helped me a lot with my bowling.

It is about accuracy and bowling to the field, I don't mind boundaries as long as my execution and planning is correct I'm extremely satisfied. As a cricketer it is always good to help in all three departments, fielding is equally important and I thrive on fielding well. It is a huge bonus for the team if a player can contribute in all three departments," Iyer said after KKR's three-wicket win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Ahead of Tuesday's game, Iyer had 21 wickets in 41 T20s. He also has 10 wickets in List A matches and seven wickets in seven First-Class games.

Meanwhile, KKR's batters did not have a smooth run as well. Comprising of Kasigo Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, DC arguably have the best bowling unit in the tournament. During the chase of 128, KKR lost two wickets inside the powerplay overs but had 43 runs on the board by then.

Middle-order batsman Nitesh Rana scored an unbeaten 36 off 27 balls and received support from tail-ender Sunil Narine in the end. The West Indian spinner, who was the eventual Player of the Match, produced a cameo, scoring 21 off 10.

The DC game was KKR's second match in as many as three days in the IPL 2021 and a win was delightful, according to KKR captain Eoin Morgan.

"We've come off today with a few war wounds and injuries. Winning the toss and fielding wasn't the easiest thing to do, but if you make it work, then it's worthwhile. The difference in the number of sixes (DC 0, KKR 7), was knowing when to push the button and when not to. Sunil Narine was a huge part of that, and the top order target them when they had the advantage. They timed their assault really well, say with the new ball against the spinners.

When you play on an outfield that's so slow, if you bowl KG (pace), then it can come back and hurt you. It was a well-fought game and we think we came out on the right side. Both teams played really hard, and we played in the right spirit, and in the heat, things can boil over. I think it's in the water in Abu Dhabi (jokes), how we've turned things around, but I think the head coach, Baz gets the full credit. The guys have bought into his methods and it's awesome to see it implemented," added Morgan at the post-match presentation in Sharjah.

DC, who have 16 points from 11 matches, need just one more win to qualify for the playoffs. KKR have jumped to fourth place following their win on Tuesday.