KKR vs PBKS: After losing to RCB in their last game, Kolkata Knight Riders returned to winning ways on Friday. Shreyas Iyer and Co. registered a 6-wicket win over Punjab Kings to earn their second win in the tournament.
Umesh Yadav once again exhibited a stellar display with the ball. He picked the crucial wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Livingstone in the first half of the innings and followed it with two more wickets in the 15th over to complete a sensational spell of 4 for 23 in 4 overs. Tim Southee also picked 2 wickets and helped KKR bundle out Punjab Kings for just 137 runs in the first innings.
B Rajapaksa gave the side a strong start with a vital 31-run cameo of just nine deliveries. However, once he got out, wickets fell in quick succession as Punjab never got going.
Rahul Chahar kept Punjab’s hopes alive in the second innings. He picked the crucial wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana before Rabada accounted for the wicket of Rahane in the 2nd over. KKR, at one stage, was in trouble at 51 for 4.
However, once Andre Russell arrived at the crease, things changed pretty quickly and the match turned completely in favor of KKR. The West Indies all-rounder produced a sensational knock of 70 runs in just 31 balls, a knock which was laced with 8 sixes. He stayed unbeaten and guided the team home in just 14.3 overs. Sam Billings, on the other hand, gave him good support. He too remained unbeaten on 24 off 23 balls.
For Punjab, Rahul Chahar was the pick of the bowlers. He claimed two wickets for 13 runs in four overs. However, the other bowlers failed to live up to the expectations.
KKR vs PBKS Man of the match:
Umesh Yadav became the player of the match for his fantastic four-wicket haul conceding just 23 runs that let the team prevent the opponents from setting a colossal target. With this, he has also become the current Purple Cap holder of the tournament.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 141 for 4 (Russell 70*, Shreyas 26, Chahar 2-13) beat Punjab Kings 137 (Rajapaksha 31, Umesh 4-23) by six wickets
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