Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson heaped praise on Manish Pandey for making a crucial contribution with the bat which helped the Purple and Gold Brigade avenge its defeat against the Mumbai Indians and remain alive in the Indian Premier League Playoffs race.

Batting for the first time in the season, Pandey made 45 on a tricky pitch as KKR chased down 148 at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Watson said the experienced Indian was in good touch. “I’ve worked with him previously at the Delhi Capitals for a couple of seasons. This is the best I’ve seen him bat over the last few years. He’s been batting so beautifully.

READ: KKR vs MI, IPL 2026: Pandey, Powell partnership helps Kolkata Knight Riders stay in hunt for Playoffs

“He adds so much value to the team. He’s a super-experienced guy, an amazing fielder, and adds so much energy to our group. He’s still one of our fittest, one of our best fielders. The way he’s looking after himself, his preparation coming into this tournament as well, shows that he’s still got a number of years of good cricket in front of him,” said Watson.

Watson said KKR missed Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was substituted due to a concussion, during the chase. “Unfortunately, the collision that he (Raghuvanshi) had with Varun Chakaravarthy meant that he ended up having some neck pain, a bit of dizziness and a bit of a headache within a couple of overs of that as well. We certainly missed him from a batting perspective.”

On Varun’s injury, Watson said, “Obviously he’s playing through a bit of pain, which just shows how brave he is.”

Published on May 21, 2026