Lucknow, 24 May

Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Ishan Kishan on Friday conceded that he was not happy about his performances this IPL season, but promised to work hard on his game.

Kishan made a fine unbeaten 94 to guide already-ousted Sunrisers to a massive 42-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru here.

“Not so happy with the performance overall. I could have done so much better this season. It's a game of learning. You have to keep working hard,” said Kishan in the post-match presentation.

The left-handed batter, who was later adjudged player of the match, said he had gauged the nature of the Lucknow track once openers Abhisek Sharma and Travis Head added 54 runs in just four overs.

“It's important to just watch the ball and play your game. The moment I saw Abhishek and Travis Head starting the game like that, I knew it was a very good track. I was just thinking about playing those good shots. Plan was very simple,” he added.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins admitted that he “misread” the pitch and thought it was a 170-wicket.

“We actually probably misread the wicket. We thought it was a 170 wicket. But Kishan got us to 230 rather than 200. You've played enough to see anything can happen. Malinga has been a real find this season,” said Cummins.

RCB wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma, who was stand-in-skipper on the day as Rajat Patidar came in as an Impact Sub, said his side conceded a few more runs than they would have liked.

“I think it was 20-30 extra runs. We were rusty. The intensity was not there initially. In the death, we were bowling more accurately. Sometimes losing a game is a very good sign because you can check and analyse and move on,” he said.

SRH pacer Jaydev Unadkat said the Lucknow pitch helped their batters much more than the strip at their home town Hyderabad.

“Probably one of the best wickets to bat throughout the tournament. We were expecting it in Hyderabad, but we didn't get it there.

“We had to break momentum, and the way to do it is by mixing up the pace. That's the key - (skipper Pat) Cummins was calm, and the message was to remain tight in the field,” he noted.