The Kolkata Knight Riders once again pulled off a miraculous comeback and defeated the Kings XI Punjab. Till the 17th over the KXIP were the odds on favourite to win as they had 9 wickets in hands.
Dinesh Karthik was again extremely calm under pressure as skipper and his bowlers were again outstanding in the crunch moments. Then a flurry of wickets including that of skipper KL Rahul completely changed of the completion of the match. Rahul made 74 from 58 balls but was dismissed at a crucial stage.
Kolkata Knight Riders Won By 2 Runs
In the end, Sunil Narine held his nerves and defended 14 runs off the last over. Needing 7 off the last ball, Glenn Maxwell hit a lofted drive which landed just short of the boundary cushions and KKR completed yet another astonishing comeback.
Prasidh Krishna playing in his first match of the season was the pick of the KKR bowlers. The fast bowler in his 4 overs spell gave away 29 runs and also scalped 3 crucial wickets.
Meanwhile, batting first on the back of a captain’s knock from Dinesh Karthik, KKR posted 164. The wicket-keeper batsman was at his best in the death over and scored 58 from mere 29 deliveries which ultimately proved to be match-winning.
Dinesh Karthik was also the man of the match for his fine batting display. Shubman played a supporting act to his skipper and played a gritty knock. The KKR opener played a knock of 57 runs and held the innings together on a tricky wicket.
Dinesh Karthik – I Am Looking At What The Team Needs
Here’s what the winning captain of KKR, Dinesh Karthik had to say in the post-match presentation.
“The way Rahul and Mayank batted, we thought we needed to so something really special to come back into the game. With Sunny and Varun there, and Prasidh bowling the way he has done in his first game. McCullum has been encouraging me to bat higher in the order, but I am looking at what the team needs. I have to give him credit for keeping me in this space”.
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“Whenever Russell gets injured, you know it is hard. He is a very special player, he is a very special person. We need to go and look at him. Prasidh is special. The way he came back and bowled in the second spell shows how good he is. Sunil Narine stands up for us a lot of time.
He is calm. He is always looking to find the best way to contribute to the team. Not only Sunil, but a lot of credit also needs to be given to Morgan and McCullum. I am very lucky to have the world’s best captain by results in my side”, said Karthik post the win against KXIP.