During the 44th match of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Indore, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs in a match which saw 450+ runs being scored.
After Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and put the Knight Riders in to bat, they ended up registering their highest ever IPL total, i.e., 245-6 in 20 overs. Opener Sunil Narine (75) and captain Dinesh Karthik (50) scored individual half-centuries to power KKR to such a total.
In the second innings, Rahul and Chris Gayle provided Kings XI Punjab with a much-needed boost at the top of the order. However, wickets at regular intervals and a mounting run rate saw the hosts losing track of the chase. Despite scoring close to 10 run per over, they looked out of contention to chase the 247-run target. They ended up scoring 214-8 in 20 overs.
Now, we will look at the hits and flops players in this match.
Hits
Sunil Narine (KKR) – Opening the batting with Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine played a couple of watchful overs but did not hold back post that. He dominated whilst in the partnership with Lynn. Narine ended up scoring his highest ever IPL score, 75 (36), with the help of nine fours and four sixes. With the ball in hand, Narine’s figures of 4-0-44-1 were expensive but he picked up the wicket of Lokesh Rahul to further dent the hosts.
Andre Russell (KKR) – Coming in to bat at No. 4 in the 12th over, Andre Russell thumped some fierce blows to score 31 (14) with the help of two fours and three sixes. In the second innings, he dismissed Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal on successive deliveries to pin down the opposition in the powerplay. With bowling figures of 4-0-41-3, he was the pick of the bowlers for his team.
Lokesh Rahul (KXIP) – Opening the innings with Gayle, Rahul dominated Knight Riders’ bowling attack from the word go. He scored 36 (18) in the powerplay. Despite losing wickets at one end and a mounting target at the other, Rahul was determined enough to use the long handle. He seemed to be the only hope for his team. He ended up scoring a fine 66 (29) with the help of two fours and seven sixes.
Flops
Barinder Sran (KXIP) – Being introduced into the bowling attack in the fourth over, Barinder Sran bowled only three overs. His overs saw him conceding 15, 17 and 16 runs respectively as he registered bowling figures of 3-0-48-1.
Mayank Agarwal (KXIP) – It is astounding to Mayank Agarwal performing in this way in this season. For someone who belted runs across formats at will in the domestic season doing so badly in the IPL was never thought-of. Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the sixth over, he was dismissed for a first-ball duck.
Karun Nair (KXIP) – Coming into bat at No. 4 in the sixth over, Karun Nair failed to contribute in a situation where his team needed the most out of him. Had he stood at the end opposite Lokesh Rahul for some time, Punjab might have been in a better position to chase the target. He ended up scoring 3 (6).
