Kumble showers praise on Kiwi Taylor

The Royal Challengers bounced back from two straight losses to beat a battered Kolkata by six wickets in a high-scoring match. Taylor was star of the show with an unbeaten 81 which helped the Bangalore side chase down a difficult 174 with four balls to spare.

“It’s great to win again, it was great batting by Ross Taylor. I think we were a bit uptight in the previous two matches, which cost us dearly.

“It’s important to remain relaxed and we were enjoying ourselves today,” Kumble said after the match. “It was a good batting track and we chased brilliantly.”

Relief

Man of the Match Taylor, whose bat had been uncharacteristically silent so far in the event, said he was relieved after hitting form.

“It was a relief to contribute after a slow start and repay the team management. We just enjoyed ourselves on the field and did well,” he said.

A dejected Knight Riders skipper Brendon McCullum, who also did well with an unbeaten 84, said Taylor single-handedly ran away with the game.

“I thought 174 was a good score but obviously Ross played well and took the game away,” he said.

Although pleased with his own form, McCullum said he would try and motivate the team once again, which now has nine defeats in 11 matches against its name.

“It was nice to get the runs but disappointing to lose. We have to got to re-group, keep smiling and hopefully get some wins,” he said.