IPL 2017 Match 11 KKR vs KXIP: Gautam Gambhir’s masterclass led to an easy win for Kolkata Knight Riders.
IPL 2017 has almost completed its two weeks and we have already seen some of the biggest goof-ups in the history of this tournament. KKR vs KXIP, the 11th match of IPL 2017, definitely took the bar a notch higher with the help of No. 4. How? Let’s see.
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl at their home ground which was more than expected considering the due factor. Kings XI Punjab were looking good till the 6th over, where they were scoring with a run rate of 10 per over. However, Manan Vohra’s (28 off 19) wicket triggered a wicket taking spree for the host who took six wickets in the past five over while conceding just 36 runs. Despite all this, KXIP managed to score a respectable total of 170 runs, thanks to the pitiful fielding (we’ll come back to that later) from Gautam Gambhir-led team and those 16 extras (13 wides, two no balls).
Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner, who was the most effective KKR bowler (1-19) due to his tight line and length, did not disappointed with the bat either. Filling Chris Lynn’s boots was never going to be an easy task but Sunil Narine’s 18-ball 37 (including four boundaries and three sixes) gave KKR the right start to register a comfortable eight-wicket victory over KXIP with 21 balls to spare.
And then we witnessed Gautam Gambhir’s Masterclass for the first time in IPL 2017. His composed yet ball-bashing knock of 72* off 49 balls was enough to complete what Sunil Narine started. During his innings, Gambhir managed to find boundaries (11 to be exact) at regular intervals and those were some of the best shots we have ever seen in T20s.
However, there a couple of occasions in the IPL 2017 Match 11 KKR vs KXIP, where pitiful fielding got the better of the winning team and here are those moments.
1. You Miss, I Run Four!!
It was the last ball of the 19th over, Mohit Sharma was at the striker’s end and he chipped the ball between the cover and extra cover. And then this happened:
This might be the first time in the history of Indian Premier League that four runs have been scored on a single delivery without hitting a boundary.
2. When Gautam Gambhir took four attempts to catch and left Sehwag smiling.
3. On number three, there is another No.4 that helped KKR beat KXIP and that was Umesh Yadav’s dominating 4-wicket haul.
In the end, Kolkata Knight Riders finally made KXIP taste their first ever IPL 2017 defeat and now, there is not a single team in this year’s tournament that remains unbeaten.