KKR Grabbed A Smashing Win Over Kings XI By Seven Runs!!

Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) came up with a blend of amazing batting and focused bowling that led them to grab a seven-run victory over Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens in Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. Andre Russell’s resolved and determined last over helped Kolkata to win.

Punjab won the toss and elected to field first. The opening batsmen of Kolkata gave the team a blazing start as Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa made an amazing partnership of 101 runs that cruised Kolkata to get a fighting total.

Uthappa smashed 70 runs off 49 balls including 6 fours and 2 sixes while skipper Gambhir contributed 54 runs off 45 balls smashing 6 boundaries and 1 six. From the start of the match, Knight Riders looked fluent and at the end of the powerplay, the Knight Riders managed to get to 40-0.

The duo of Gambhir and Uthappa was hitting occasional boundaries and was running hard to pick singles or twos. They have led the total of the team to 100 runs in the 13th over of the innings.

Gambhir who had just completed his half-century misjudged a single and got run out a little later. Maxwell dismissed Gambhir as he stumped down him with a direct throw.

Uthappa also got run out by Mohit Sharma in the 17th over of the game. Yusuf Pathan was carrying the innings forward with Uthappa bit after his dismissal Andre Russell came to bat and supported Yusuf in the final overs of the game. Though Andre Russell and Pathan struggled in the last overs of the game still Kolkata managed to make a challenging total of 164 runs with the loss of 3 wickets. Russell got run out by Sandeep Sharma on the last bowl of the innings.

None of the bowlers from Punjab were able to take any wicket as all three batsmen of Kolkata were run out.

Chasing a total of 165 runs, Punjab got off to a very poor start as they lost their opening batsmen Marcus Stoinis in the first over. The wickets of Punjab were departed quickly in the beginning as they lost Manan Vohra and Captain Murali Vijay in the second and third over. The scoreboard of Punjab was reading 13/3 by the third over but Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Wriddhiman Saha rescued the team as Maxwell smashed 68 runs off 42 balls and Wriddhiman supported with 24 runs off 20 balls.

Maxwell and Wriddhiman made a partnership of 40 runs but Wriddhiman was dismissed by a Chawla’s googly in the 9th over of the game. David Miller came to bat and with his support Maxwell continued to hit big shots. The spectacular innings of Maxwell got KKR worried and finally Maxwell was out leg-before-wicket in the 16th over by Chawla. Miller was also dismissed soon in the 17th over at 13 runs.

Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Axar Patel  were playing and Patel’s two consecutive sixes in the 18th over again put Punjab back into the game but Andre Russell’s last over thrashed Punjab as he dismissed Patel.

In the last over 12 runs was needed to win in six balls but the team crumbled under pressure and ended up losing. They made 157 runs with the loss of 9 wickets.

This victory propelled KKR to the top of the table with 12 points.

5 May, 2016
Avni S. Singh