New Delhi, April 22 : Former England captain Eoin Morgan was pleased to see Gujarat Titans pacer Prasidh Krishna claiming the Purple Cap for most scalps in the IPL 2025 season so far.

Defending 198, Krishna returned the figures of 2-25 in his four overs, while Rashid Khan also finished with identical figures to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 159/8 in 20 overs to guide GT to a 39-run win at Eden Gardens. The win also placed them at the top of the table with 12 points in eight games.

With 16 wickets in eight matches, the 29-year-old is the leading wicket in the tournament and enjoys a healthy gap with second-placed Kuldeep Yadav, who has 12 wickets in seven games for Delhi Capitals.

'He's the purple cap holder at the moment, and his rhythm just keeps getting better. We know he has that extra bit of pace to work with, but you have to admire the strength he brings during the middle phase of the game. As a captain, having a seamer who can make that kind of impact in the middle overs is absolutely priceless.

"He now finds himself with the most wickets in this year's tournament - by some margin, actually, by four. It's great to see him growing as a player, evolving across formats, and now being rewarded with national honours as well," Morgan said on JioHotstar.

It was also the second time when KKR's batting collapsed following their humiliating 16-run loss against Punjab Kings in the last match while chasing a mere 112.

Morgan further dissected KKR's performance and their inability to bounce back in the match which led to the second successive home defeat in the season for the defending champions.

"Kolkata Knight Riders has simply not bounced back as well as we would have liked them to. It's always a good sign for a strong team with a lot of character around, but they had the same failures that they've shown throughout the tournament. They made a couple of changes, mainly to try and gain some impetus in their batting line-up, and it didn't necessarily come off. Were the changes worth it? They'll sit back and say no.

"It was interesting to hear Ajinkya Rahane talk about 199 being a chaseable score. Because towards the back end of Gujarat Titans' innings, we thought the ball held up more than we expected. That made finding boundaries harder. But there was no rhythm, no substantial partnerships - almost the polar opposite of what Gujarat Titans displayed today," Morgan said.

KKR will host Punjab Kings in a reverse fixture on Saturday, while Gujarat will lock horns with struggling Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on April 28.

/IANS