Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) continued their winning run as they thrashed hosts Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by nine wickets in a rain-affected encounter.
Punjab reached their revised target of 125 runs with eleven balls to spare banking on Chris Gayle (62*) and KL Rahul’s (60) opening stand of 116.
Gayle continued his rich form as scored yet another fifty – to strengthen Punjab’s lead. Rahul also provided him an ample support with a blazing 60 off just 27 deliveries.
However, previously, the home team banked on Chris Lynn’s outstanding knock of 74 – to post a mammoth total on the board.
Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik also provided good support to the firing Lynn.
As a result, Punjab will move at the top of the table with three consecutive wins to bag overall eight points in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far.
Here is the players rating of Kings XI Punjab:
Lokesh Rahul (wk): (8.5/10):
KL Rahul has been in outstanding form since the start of the league. He has timed the ball as good as never before as has already made a long-lasting impression.
He scored 60 off 27 balls as the Kings clinched yet another match.
Chris Gayle: (9.5/10):
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle has been in his best form since making his debut for Punjab. He already notched up a fifty and hundred and complimented it with an unbeaten 62 off 38 balls.
His form will be a huge boost for the Punjab side in the upcoming fixtures.
Mayank Agarwal: (4/10):
Mayank Agarwal came late in the innings and remained unbeaten for two runs from two balls.
He has shown a hint of form and will be looking to score some runs.
Karun Nair: (3/10):
Karun Nair had no role to play with the bat as KL Rahul-Chris Gayle duo did the job for the team.
Meanwhile, he contributed in the field with two catches. Nair has shown good form and will look to continue it.
Aaron Finch: (1/10):
Finch had no role to play in this game as the top-order did the job. However, he will be raring to prove himself given an opportunity.
Yuvraj Singh: (2.5/10)
The veteran all-rounder had no role to play with the bat, however, went for 13 runs in the one over he bowled.
He needs to start performing to retain his spot in the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin (c): (6/10):
Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin did a fair job against a destructive middle-order of Kolkata. He returned with one for 33 in his quota of four overs.
However, he needs to put forward his A game and pick more wickets going deep into the tournament.
Andrew Tye: (7.5/10):
In a high scoring encounter, Andrew Tye did an exceptional job with the new ball. He contained runs and also picked up two crucial wickets.
However, he needs to pick wickets with the new ball and provide early breakthroughs to Punjab.
Barinder Sran: (5/10):
Although he returned with two important wickets, Sran gave away fifty runs in his full quota.
Punjab team management will want him to be economical in the upcoming fixtures.
Ankit Rajpoot: (4/10):
Ankit Rajpoot failed to impress in his debut outing for the Punjab team. He gave away 32 runs in his three overs.
However, he will look to impress his performance in the next game.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: (6/10)
The mystery spinner from Afghanistan once again did his job for the visiting team.
Although he went for few runs which is unusual according to his standards but did a good job to keeps things under control.
Mujeeb returned with one for 32 in his four overs for Kings XI Punjab.
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