IPL 2021 Final: When you enjoy the game you get better results - Brendon McCullum on KKR's turnaround

KKR captain Eoin Morgan and his players have repeatedly credited Brendon McCullum for the turnaround but the coach himself remains modest when asked about what he did to change his team's fortunes in the second part of IPL 2021.

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IPL 2021 Final: When you enjoy the game you get better results - Brendon McCullum on KKR's turnaround
Brendon McCullum is being credited for KKR's turnaround in the second half of IPL 2021 (Twitter Photo)

In Short

  • KKR lost 5 out of 7 games in the IPL 2021 in India before winning 7 out of 9 in UAE
  • KKR became the third team in IPL history to reach the final after winning the Eliminator and Qualifier 2
  • KKR captain Eoin Morgan and the players have repeatedly credited coach Brendon McCullum for their turnaround

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum revealed on Friday that he kept things very simple in team meetings and just told his players to enjoy themselves on the field which has helped them transform their fortunes around in the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

KKR were languishing in 7th place on the points table with just 2 wins from their first seven games in India but their campaign completely changed after coming to the United Arab Emirates where they won the next 7 out of 9 games to reach the IPL 2021 final.

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KKR captain Eoin Morgan and his players have been crediting Brendon McCullum for the turnaround but the coach himself remains modest when asked about what he did to change his team's fortunes in the UAE.

"The message has been pretty consistent right throughout - myself, other coaches, captain and senior players - and that's that we are going to go out there and play a slightly more aggressive brand of cricket with bat in hand, try and take wickets with the ball and try and chase the ball hard in the field. It's a pretty simple game plan.

"If anything, with where we sat midway through the tournament, allowed us to little bit more freedom. Funnily enough when you enjoy the game, put a smile on your face and you enjoy the occasion and the tournament, you get better results," McCullum said before the toss between CSK and KKR in Dubai.

The former KKR opener went on to add that spending more time in the UAE together as a team has helped their campaign.

"Maybe to a degree you consciously try and strip out the noise that can surround the tournament and surround the team as well.

"We have spent a lot of team time together in the second leg of the tournament and I think the guys have responded to that. We have got to know each other a lot better. We spent a lot of time together away from the cricket field, which I think is very important.

"Couple of key personnel changes have helped too. The development of our players in the last few months in our starting line-up is quite superb. It's been a bit of a perfect storm for us, which is why we are standing here," McCullum said.