Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the latest encounter in the Indian Premier League (IPL), defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 wickets.
Having won the toss, KKR elected to bowl first and did a good job in curtailing the PBKS innings on 137.
For PBKS, the batting line-up did not live up to its billing with Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa scoring the highest of 31. At the death, Kagiso Rabada added a valuable 25 to take the team to a respectable total.
Umesh Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, with the pacer registering four wickets on the night. Tim Southee picked two wickets while Shivam Mavi, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine getting one each.
Coming in to bat, KKR lost opener Ajinkya Rahane early, who departed after scoring 12 runs. Skipper Shreyas Iyer looked good but was sent packing having scored 26 off 15 deliveries. KKR soon lost Nitish Rana who went without scoring with the match suddenly swinging in favour of the side from Punjab.
But an explosive showing from KKR’s Andre Russell, who scored 70 off just 31 balls with two boundaries and eight sixes in his innings, and some responsible batting from Sam Billings took the team from Kolkata to victory. In the end, KKR shook off the scare to win the match comfortably with 33 balls left.
With the win, KKR have moved to the top of the table. Next up for the knights are Mumbai Indians, with the match scheduled on April 6. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will play Chennai Super Kings on April 3.
