The Kolkata Knight Riders tick all the right boxes and produce an impeccable performance in IPL 2020. Eoin Morgan led from the front with the bat as KKR surpass Rajasthan Royals. After their win, KKR is still alive in the tournament whereas RR have been eliminated. It was expected to be a close tussle but KKR on the day were just too good.
Batting first KKR posted a commendable total of 191 runs in a significant match. In the big match if was their big player Eoin Morgan who arrived at the party and delivered in style.
Kolkata Knight Riders Win By 60 Runs
The KKR skipper was at his very best as he smashed the RR bowlers at the death and changed the momentum of the match. Morgan scored 68 in just 35 balls and his knock included 5 boundaries and 6 gigantic maximums.
After the heroics of their skipper, it was the turn of KKR bowlers to take centre stage. Pat Cummins knocked off the top order of Royals including the prized scalp of Ben Stokes as they lost a flurry of wickets in trying to chase down the target as quickly as possible.
Cummins in his 4 overs gave away 34 runs and scalped 4 crucial wickets. In the middle phase, Varun Chakravarthy was effective and was amongst the wickets again. He in his 4 overs spell took 2 wickets and gave away plainly 20 runs
Winning The Game Was About Taking Wickets – Eoin Morgan
After losing their key wickets early, Royals were never in the run chase. Jos Buttler and Rahul Tewatia tried their best but weren’t able to take them close. Eventually, KKR won comprehensively and it was heartbreak for RR. Here’s what the winning captain Eoin Morgan said in the post-match presentation.
“I thought it was around a par score. Every batsman who came back in and said that it was a beautiful wicket with the dew in. We lost wickets between 10th and 15th overs, and to finish like we did was really good. We were out there to play a free-flowing style of cricket. That was the only way we were going to win. Especially with the dew factor expected anyways, irrespective of when it came”.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Faf Du Plessis Compares Ruturaj Gaikwad To Young Virat Kohli
“Bringing out Dre Russ in meant that it took the conditions out of the equation. We backed the guys to take a bit of risk even if it wasn’t there. That was one thing we talked about, leading into this game.
We felt that a hard length or a good length was the best spot to bowl. We tried to execute that in the first six overs and I thought Mavi was outstanding. Obviously Pat set the tone early on. Winning the game was about taking wickets, especially early. RR are a side that are top-heavy and you need to get them early. Having that aggressive mindset was important for us”, said Eoin Morgan.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Top 3 Finds Of The Season