Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders opening batter Quinton de Kock said having former Chennai Super Kings players Ajinkya Rahane and Moeen Ali in their team gave them key insights into the Chepauk conditions, which prompted the decision to include an extra spinner, a move that proved crucial in their eight-wicket win.

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KKR spinners Sunil Narine (3/13), Varun Chakravarthy (2/22), and Moeen Ali (1/20) shared five wickets between them, while pacer Harshit Rana chipped in with 2/16. KKR restricted the five-time champions to their lowest-ever total of 103/9 in Chennai. "When we bowled, it seemed a lot slower, gripped a bit and our bowlers really enjoy that. We have got guys like Ajinkya Rahane and Moeen Ali who have been here before and they kind of knew that, so that's why we played an extra spinner,” de Kock said after the match.

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On being asked about the nature of the pitch and if it changed in the second innings, de Kock said it only got better for batting as the game progressed. "I do think (in) the second innings it got slightly better. It did come on a bit better, or at least that's what I felt, that's how it played, sort of slow and just got better and better during the innings went on," he said.

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'Narine and Varun are always working on their games'

De Kock lauded KKR for bringing together two mystery spinners and praised Narine for his all-round show. Narine made a quickfire 18-ball 44. “It's always (about) mixing it up. I think it's hard to line up certain spin bowlers like that because you never know what you're going to get,” de Kock said.

"On top of that, having that amount of skill, the areas they bowl, Sunil prides himself on the areas that he bowls and so does Varun Chakaravarthy. They're always working on their games, always trying to get better." 

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"Sunil, when he bats, he brings the X factor. I think every bowler knows he's going to come hard. He practices really hard. He's always at practices. I don't think he's missed a practice, even optional practices. He really does work on it,” he concluded.

(With inputs from agencies)