IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders have a Knight to remember
Kolkata, May 8
Rinku Singh added another chapter to his legend as a finisher with a last-ball boundary as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Punjab Kings by five wickets today to keep their IPL playoff hopes alive.
KKR skipper Nitish Rana’s half-century and Andre Russell added the muscle to the chase of 180 which enabled Rinku to finish off the game with a 10-ball unbeaten 21. Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy once again brilliantly spearheaded their bowling department to grab 3/26 as KKR put up a tidy bowling show to restrict PBKS to 179/7 after the visitors opted to bat on a slow wicket.
In reply, KKR’s batting show was led by Rana’s stellar effort when he promoted himself to No. 3 and laid the foundation with a 38-ball 51.
On a wicket where the ball was gripping and batters struggled to time it right, Rana stitched a crucial 50-plus stand with Venkatesh Iyer (11) before Andre Russell and Rinku sealed the issue.
Brief scores: Punjab Kings: 179/7 in 20 overs (Dhawan 57; Chakravarthy 3/26); Kolkata Knight Riders: 182/5 in 20 overs (Rana 51, Russell 42; Chahar 2/23). — PTI
Rohit aims to find feet against RCB
Mumbai: With the race for the playoffs intensifying, captain Rohit Sharma’s form with the bat and Mumbai Indians’ bowling in the death overs will be a huge concern for them when they meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mid-table IPL clash here tomorrow. With 184 runs in 10 matches at an average of 18.39 and a solitary half-century, Sharma is enduring a second consecutive poor season with the bat.
“A legend that Rohit is, especially with Mumbai and everything that he has done in his career, we actually back him. He could come back into the form any time. He has batted beautifully in a few games, showing really good tempo at the top, so we are absolutely backing him,” Mumbai’s all-rounder Cameron Green said.
