The Indian Express : May 04, 2019, 09:53 AM
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets in Indian Premier League clash on Friday. After being asked to bat first, the hosts put on a target of 184 for the visitors to chase. KKR chased down the total with 7 wickets in hand and 2 overs to spare.Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl in their IPL match against Kings XI Punjab. KKR named the same eleven who took the field in their previous match while KXIP made two changes with Sam Curran and Andrew Tye coming in for Mujeeb Ur Rahman and David Miller.Youngsters Sam Curran and Nicholas Pooran displayed belligerence as Kings XI Punjab put on a respectable 183 for 6 against Kolkata Knight Riders in a must-win IPL game. While West Indies’ Pooran smashed 48 off 27 balls to give the innings initial impetus as he added 69 runs for the third wicket with Mayank Agarwal (36 off 26 balls), Englishman Curran walloped KKR bowlers to smash an unbeaten 55 off 24 balls to take the score past the 180-run mark.For KKR, fast bowler Sandeep Warrier (2/31) was the most impressive as he removed the opening pair of Chris Gayle (14 off 14 balls) and KL Rahul (2 off 7 balls) in quick succession. However, Pooran again showed his big-hitting prowess, hitting four sixes apart from three boundaries as he found an able partner in Agarwal.Shubman Gill led from the front as Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off an easy victory over Kings XI Punjab in the do-or-die clash. The right-handed batsman scored his second consecutive half century as KKR chased down the total of 184 set by KXIP with still five wickets in hand. He eventually scored an unbeaten 65 in 49 balls as KKR chased down the total with two overs to spare.Chris Lynn and Gill gave a flying start to the side in the chase, but the former was dismissed on 46 by Andrew Tye. Robin Uthappa added a quick 22 runs to the total, but he too failed to carry on. Andre Russell smashed a quick 20 runs, but he, too, became a victim to Mohammed Shami. But despite wickets falling, Gill kept his cool and ensured the match does not slip from KKR’s hands at any moment.The game-changing moment in the match was the 13th over in which KXIP skipper R Ashwin was hammered for two fours and a six. The spinner was forced to make multiple variations owing to the pressure put on by the batsman. But Gill maintained his composure, kept his cool and went for clean hitting and got 18 runs in the over. It also took him to his second consecutive half century. After the over, Gill grew in confidence and ensured that his side do not lose the match from hereon.