Angry Gambhir slams batsmen after loss to Mumbai

'If we bat like this it doesn't matter if we are in the Play-offs or not.'

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir slammed his batsmen for their irresponsible batting after they suffered a nine-run loss against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, on Saturday.

Chasing 174 to win, KKR kept losing wickets at regular intervals to finish on 164 for eight in their stipulated 20 overs.

"With the kind of wicket this was, this was chaseable. Had one of the batsmen batted till the end, we would've got there. Just irresponsible shots, batsmen were trying to throw their bats at everything," Gambhir said.

"I thought to restrict them to 174 was an unbelievable effort. I thought we were trying to chase this down on 10-12 overs. We were a batsman short. We need to pull up our socks. If we bat like this it doesn't matter if we are in the Play-offs or not. Got to bat better."

Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for his team who excelled under pressure despite six changes in the playing eleven.

"We spoke of finishing on a high. We wanted to play the brand of cricket we spoke about. Very happy. Today proved we have a great bench strength. It can be frustrating to sit out, but all of them have been proven match winners," he said.

"This was the perfect example of playing a perfect game. They were going at 10 an over but we kept picking wickets. We were sticking to our plans, we didn't panic. When the batsmen go after the bowlers like that, it can be hard to keep calm but everyone executed well. It's a little tournament we have to play now, the Play-offs."

Ambati Rayudu, playing just his second match of the tournament, smashed a 37-ball 63 and was named the man of the match.

"It was tough wait after the injury. The team was doing well, so I had to sit out," he said.

"The wicket was sticky today, we knew if we get close to 180 we can win the game. It's really tough to keep after fouryears. Honestly I don't enjoy it but I'm happy to do the job with the team."

Image: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir

Photograph: BCCI