Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) claimed the important two points as they beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 31 runs at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday (May 12) evening.
As a result, Kolkata jumped to the fourth spot with 12 points from 12 games.
Batting first, Kolkata posted massive 245 runs on the board banking on Sunil Narine (75) and Dinesh Karthik (50). The ploy of sending Narine has worked well for Kolkata time and again.
The left-handed batsman Narine took the attack to the opposition as the Punjab bowlers went in search of leather. Karthik also played a captain’s knock registering his 15th Indian Premier League (IPL) fifty.
In reply, however, Punjab got a good start courtesy of KL Rahul. His brilliant run with the bat continues as he scored yet another fifty.
Meanwhile, a batting collapse in the middle-order took the game away from Punjab. Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna chipped in with crucial wickets to win the game for Kolkata.
Here is the players rating of Kolkata Knight Riders:
Chris Lynn (6/10):
The swashbuckling opener Chris Lynn from Australia has had a topsy-turvy time in India. Lynn got a good start, however, failed to capitalise on the start.
The opener scored 27 runs from 17 balls including two boundaries and sixes.
Sunil Narine: (8.5/10)
Kolkata’s ploy to send Sunil Narine at the top has worked time and again. However, his best knock for Kolkata came against Punjab in style.
The all-rounder hammered the ball all-round the park scoring 75 runs from just 36 runs including nine fours and four sixes.
Robin Uthappa: (5.5/10)
Robin Uthappa will curse on himself for not converting the starts. He was timing the ball perfectly before departing.
The stylish batter scored 24 runs off 17 balls before getting out.
Shubman Gill: (5/10)
The young Shubman Gill played a good hand in the end as Kolkata inched closer to the 250 run mark.
The 19-year-old batsman remained unbeaten on 16 of eight deliveries including three boundaries.
Nitish Rana: (5/10)
The left-handed batsman had an off-day in business as he got out cheaply. Rana scored 11 runs from 4 balls including one four and six each.
However, Rana will look to return to form from the next game.
Dinesh Karthik (c & wk): (7.5/10)
Dinesh Karthik played a captain’s knock as Kolkata posted a heavy total. The wicketkeeper-batsman notched his 15th IPL fifty in just 23 balls.
Karthik’s form will be crucial in the business end of the tournament.
Andre Russell: (7/10)
The Windies all-rounder Andre Russell had a good game with both bat and ball. He played a quickfire knock of 31 runs before chipping in with three wickets.
It will be a huge boost for Kolkata as the playoff race begins.
Javon Searles: (4/10)
The Windies seamer Javon Searles had a poor debut in the league. He gave away 50 runs in his full quota as Kolkata’s worry with pace bowling remains.
He will look to improve his performance in the next outing.
Piyush Chawla: (5/10)
The veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla gave away 16 runs from his two overs. He will look to put his best foot and contribute to KKR’s success.
Prasidh Krishna: (7.5/10)
The young pacer Prasidh Krishna had a good outing in his second game. He returned with two for 31 runs in his four overs.
However, this will be a learning curve for the youngster and will only grow from here.
Kuldeep Yadav: (4.5/10)
Kuldeep had an off day against Punjab-based franchise on a batting paradise. He gave away 29 runs from two overs claiming only one wicket.
Kuldeep’s form will be crucial for Kolkata Knight Riders in the impending games.
Also read: ODI captaincy not on my mind: Finch