IPL 13: Not thinking about playoffs yet, taking it one game at a time, says de Kock

Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 17 (ANI): After registering a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians' wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock said that the side is not thinking about the playoffs and is just taking it one game at a time.
With this win, Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians went to the top of the IPL standings with 12 points from eight matches.
Mumbai Indians chased down the total of 149 with eight wickets in hand and 19 balls to spare against KKR on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Quinton de Kock top-scored for the Rohit Sharma-led side as he played an unbeaten knock of 78 runs.
"We did not plan much before this game, we know what are our strengths, it is a matter of doing what we have been doing, in our team we have a lot of experience and it is a matter of just doing the things on the field," said de Kock during the post-match press conference.
"The preparations for playoffs have not started yet, it is about taking one game at a time, whatever happens, we have to keep it simple and we need to play to our strengths. Whether we qualify for the playoffs or not, that is not in our hands but playing good cricket is something we can control," he added.
Batting first, KKR posted a total of 148/5 in the allotted twenty overs as Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan played knocks of 53 and 39 respectively.
At one stage, KKR found itself at 61/5, but from there on, Cummins and Morgan retrieved the innings for the side by stitching together an unbeaten stand of 87 runs. For Mumbai Indians, Rahul Chahar returned with the best bowling figures (2-18).
"I think the process is that we have backed Rahul Chahar. He backs himself too and that is a key in a player. He knows his talent and he knows if he has a bad game, he will come back stronger and we know that too. As a player, we can just back other players," de Kock said.
"We like to play simple cricket, we have a great bunch of players, guys understand that they do not think too far ahead. To be honest, we do not really talk about the wicket, we like to assess things and rather be proactive and deal with what we have in front of ourselves," he added.
KKR will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on October 18 while Mumbai Indians will face Kings XI Punjab on the same day. (ANI)