In a match, featuring several big hitters Kolkata Knight Riders came victorious against Kings XI Punjab at Eden Gardens. Both teams won their first match in a thrilling manner and this match was expected to be another cracking contest. But KXIP couldn’t survive under the pressure in this game and lost the match by 28 runs.
Punjab asked Kolkata to bat first, who went bonkers with the bat and put a mammoth total of 218/4 in 20 overs. Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana scored half-centuries and hit boundaries at a regular interval in the middle overs. KXIP’s top orders got crumbled in this high-profile game and concede an easy win to KKR.
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Hits
Nitish Rana (KKR)
Nitish Rana came to bat at number four and scored his second half-century of the ongoing IPL. Kings XI Punjab kept searching for his weak link but he was hitting them out of the park for fun. Nitish hit seven sixes and two overs during his innings of 63 runs in 34 balls. It was his innings, which stabled the KKR’s ship when both openers were back in the hut. He shared a crucial 110-run partnership with Robin Uthappa in middle overs.
Andre Russell (KKR)
Talismanic West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell thrashed Punjab’s bowlers in all corners of the park in death overs. He was at his usual best during the last five overs and gave KKR the much-needed boost to put a massive total. Russell scored 48 runs in just 17 balls, where he hit five towering sixes along with three fours. It was his finish which took KKR to 218/4 in 20 overs. He backed up this performance with two wickets in his three overs, where he conceded just 21 runs.
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Mayank Agarwal (KXIP)
Mayank Agarwal was the shining light from KXIP’s batting order, which failed miserably today at Eden Gardens. He finally translated his domestic cricket success in IPL and scored a flamboyant half-century, which featured six fours and one six. His innings of 58 runs came in just 34 balls but he couldn’t take his team over the finishing line.
