KKR vs PBKS: Defiant Kolkata Knight Riders overpowered Punjab Kings by five wickets in yet another last-ball riveting clash at the Tata IPL 2023. With this victory, Kolkata Knight Riders jump to the fifth position in the standings whereas Punjab Kings continue to hold the seven position. Winning the toss at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan made an unfortunate decision to bat first. Batting first, Punjab Kings managed to put up a resistant batting display and posted 179/7 runs total in their first innings of 20 overs.
Punjab Kings was off to a decent start but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Frontline batsmen Prabhsimran Singh (12) and Liam Livingstone (15) could not make a larger impact. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan (57) stood strong at the end and anchored a solid 53-run stand alongside Jitesh Sharma (21).
In the end, a few vital cameos from Shahrukh Khan (21), Rishi Dhawan (19), and Harpreet Brar (17) helped Punjab to put up a satisfactory total. For Kolkata Knight Riders, Varun Chakravarthy (3/26) starred in the bowling attack with a stunning bowling display and was handsomely supported by Harshit Rana (2/33). Suyash Sharma and Nitish Rana chipped in a wicket apiece.
KKR vs PBKS: Rinku Singh again rose up to the situation & sealed victory for KKR
Chasing a challenging total of 180 runs, Kolkata was off to a flying start as opening batsmen Jason Roy (38) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15) added 38 runs for the first wicket. Nitish Rana (51) pioneered the foundation for Kolkata’s run-chase and recorded a crucial 51-run stand for the third wicket alongside Venkatesh Iyer (11).
Capitalizing on the strong foundation, Andre Russell (42) played an absolutely explosive and phenomenal knock. Russell powered a sizzling match-winning partnership for the fifth wicket alongside Rinku Singh (21) who snatched the game from Punjab with his last-ball heroics that helped Kolkata hunt the target on the final ball of the match.
For Punjab Kings, Rahul Chahar (2/23) led the bowling attack with a splendid and bankable spell whereas Harpreet Brara and Nathan Ellis grabbed a wicket apiece.
Also read, IRE Vs BAN Live Score, Ireland Vs Bangladesh Preview
