On the back of yet another emphatic chasing display, the Kolkata Knight Riders registered their second win in this edition of the IPL.
Skipper magnificent Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a stunning half-century to lead his side’s run chase of 171, as the host cruised home with over 20 deliveries to spare on an absolute belter of a pitch.
The highlight, however, wasn’t about Gambhir’s dominant half-century, but about the southpaw’s latest opening partner – Sunil Narine. The Trinidadian blazed his way to 37 off just 18 deliveries, as he provided the Knight Riders off to a flying start. Belting pacer Varun Aaron for 16 runs in three deliveries, Narine pretty much defined the chase there. The rest of the chase turned out to be a mere formality in the end.
Gambhir post the win lauded Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine for their efforts.
“It doesn’t really matter if I have the orange cap or not. What matters is where we are in the points table. It is a beautiful wicket to bat on; had good pace and carry. We have some quality fast bowlers and with Umesh coming back, it makes my job easier. I need to start trusting him with the bat now. He’s the leader of the attack and what kind of quality he has,” said Gambhir.
“We discussed and wanted someone to go hard and there was no point keeping Sunil back at number nine. We have a long batting line-up and we could afford someone to go hard at the top. Personal runs do not make me happy. We have a game coming up in a day’s time and we have to take the momentum forward,” Gambhir said.
Sunil Narine was named the Man of the Match for his all-round display at the Eden Gardens.
“It came off today. Sometimes it does not, but today it did. I opened in BBL and the team management wanted to try. The wicket is completely different. Just need to do the basics right, keep it wicket-to-wicket and not give the batsmen any space,” said Narine.