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'We win together and we lose together; that's the dressing room environment we have.'
The key to Kolkata Knight Riders success this season lies in their players' newfound ability to support each other through highs and lows, something that was "missing" over the past two years, says Nitish Rana, the team's vice-captain.
The two-time former champions became the first team to seal a play-offs berth after a facile 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians in a 16-over rain-interrupted IPL match at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
This was the first time since 2021 that KKR made the last four stage.
"We win together and we lose together; that's the dressing room environment we have. It's very important to place hands on each other's shoulders, and I feel it was missing for the last one to two years," declared Rana at the post-match media interaction.
Following Saturday’s victory, KKR consolidated their position atop the standings with 18 points. With two games to go, they are well-placed for a top-two finish.
The big reality check for KKR was against Punjab Kings, who smashed South Africa's record of the highest successful run-chase by gunning down 262 with eight balls to spare in the IPL fixture at the Eden Gardens on April 26.
"We felt really bad that day. I was witness to the dressing room, only three-four ate dinner that night," he recalled.
Rana, who led the side the previous season in regular skipper Shreyas Iyer's absence, made a comeback from a finger injury after missing their last 10 matches.
Having scored a crucial 23-ball 33 on his return, the left-hander said he had anxiety pangs and a sleepless night.
"To be honest, I was not able to touch the bat for 20-22 days because of the injury. Then slowly it started falling into place. I used to play innings in my mind.
"I couldn't sleep the whole night yesterday. It seemed I'm playing the first IPL match of my life. I slept only around 7.30-8 am, such was the anxiety.
"It seemed I was playing my first match. You have to increase your hunger to do well. Luckily, I had that thing in me."
Lacked momentum: Piyush Chawla
For Mumbai Indians, who were already out of the play-offs race, this was their ninth defeat. They end a forgettable season facing Lucknow Super Giants on May 17.
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla blamed it on lack of momentum this season.
"T20 is about momentum, and we didn't get that momentum right from the beginning. Some days we bowled well, but our batting didn't click, and sometimes our batters did well, but the bowlers ended up leaking runs.
"As a unit, we have failed in a few games and we have to accept that as a team. We have a brilliant line-up, but things didn't fall into place.
"Today also, we started off brilliantly, but that spell of (Sunil) Narine and Varun (Chakravarthy) actually made the difference. You have to give credit to their bowlers," he said.
The 35-year-old, who has played 191 matches in the IPL in four different franchises including KKR, feels it's not over for him yet.
To a query if he would be back in action next season, Chawla gave a cheeky reply.
"You tell me, if I should be playing with the way I'm bowling? If you have given your permission, of course, I will see you somewhere next time," he signed off.
Chawla is Mumbai's lead spinner this season, picking 10 wickets from as many matches.