KOLKATA: What’s a protected complete for Kolkata Knight Riders? The group administration have to be asking themselves after they went all the way down to Punjab Kings by eight wickets even after placing up 261 for six, their greatest at Eden Gardens and second highest IPL rating, on being requested to bat first right here on Friday.
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The match recorded the very best variety of sixes (42) in any T20 recreation as after KKR hit 18 of these, PBKS bettered that by getting six extra to file the very best run-chase in any T20 match scoring 262 for 2 in 18.four overs.
The hosts benched an injured and out-of-form Mitchell Starc, however his substitute Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera didn’t fare any higher giving freely 48 runs in three overs.
In reply to KKR’s 76 runs for no loss within the Powerplay, Punjab openers Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh, coming in as an affect participant for pacer Arshdeep Singh, set the platform with 93 for one.
Bairstow, making a comeback after two matches instead of Liam Livingstone, led from the entrance taking the KKR assault head-on. The Englishman reached his 50 in 23 balls and 100 off 45 balls with eight fours and eight sixes.
PBKS tilted the steadiness of the match of their favour by getting 132 runs for one, their highest IPL rating on the 10-over mark.
The Bairstow-Rilee Rossouw second wicket stand of 85 runs got here in simply 39 balls to maintain PBKS on track.
Shashank Singh stored his good kind going to complete off issues staying undefeated on 68 together with Bairstow, who bought 108 off 48 balls with the assistance of eight fours and 9 sixes. The 2 had been concerned in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 84 runs off 37 runs.
Sunil Narine as soon as once more remained KKR’s star performer ending with one wicket giving freely 24 runs in his 4 overs after giving the facet a strong begin.
Earlier, the Punjab bowlers had been the receiving finish of double-barrel firing as KKR openers Phil Salt and Narine gave the facet one other breezy begin gathering 138 runs for the opening-wicket off 63 balls earlier than Narine departed for 71 hitting 9 fours and 4 sixes. PBKS’ trigger was damage by some poor fielding too as they dropped Salt (twice) and Narine (as soon as).
Salt too missed the three-figure mark perishing an over later being bowled by Curran for 75 after hitting six fours and 6 sixes taking part in 37 balls.
Nevertheless, KKR misplaced steam after the fast departure of the openers. The best way the 2 performed, even Andre Russell, promoted up the order, appeared gradual in his 12-ball 24-run innings.
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (28 off 10 balls) tried to up the tempo stitching collectively a 43-run fourth-wicket stand with Venkatesh Iyer off simply 18 balls. However shedding common wickets noticed them find yourself with some 15-20 runs brief that did make a distinction.
