IPL 2020: KXIP vs KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Kings XI Punjab by 2 Runs in Last-Over Thriller, Rahul & Mayank’s Fifty Go in Vain

The 24th match of the 13th season of IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 2 runs. In the match played in Abu Dhabi, Kolkata won the toss and gave a target of 165 runs while batting first. In reply, Punjab could manage to score 162 runs for 5 wickets. Captain Lokesh Rahul (74 runs) and Mayank Agarwal (56 runs) played a brilliant inning. In the 18th over of the match, Sunil Narine dismissed Nicholas Pooran and overturned the match. After this, Prasidh Krishna got Rahul out and brought the momentum for KKr in the match. Punjab needed 20 runs in the last 2 overs, but Punjab could not even score those.

115-Run Opening Partnership for Punjab

Punjab’s opener Lokesh Rahul  (74 runs) and Mayank Agarwal (56 runs) had a 115-run opening partnership. This is the second-century partnership between the two. Earlier, both had 183-run opening partnership against Rajasthan Royals. For the first wicket in the season, there has been a century partnership for a total of 4 times in IPL.

Shami Completes 50 Wickets in IPL

With the wicket of  Rahul Tripathi, Punjab’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami completed his 50 wickets in IPL. Shami achieved this feat in 56 innings of 58 matches. Shami is in top-5 in terms of maximum wickets this season.

KKR Scored 164 for 6 Wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the toss and scored 164 runs for 6 wickets. KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik scored 58 runs off 29 balls with the help of 8 fours and 2 sixes. Shubman Gill scored 57 runs off 47 deliveries with the help of 5 fours. Both made a very crucial 81 runs partnership for the fourth wicket to take the team score to 160 runs. Punjab’s Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh took 1-1 wickets. KKR’s 3 batsmen Shubman Gill, Nitesh Rana and skipper Dinesh Karthik were run out in the match.

Second Lowest Score in Power-Play

Kolkata did not have a good start. Rahul Tripathi, the hero of the last match, could score only 4 runs in this match. He was dismissed by Mohammed Shami. After this, Nitish Rana was run out by scoring 2 runs. KKR could only manage 25 runs for 2 wickets in the initial 6 overs. This is the second-lowest score of this season in the power-play.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals scored 23 for 3 against Punjab in Dubai. At the same time, Rajasthan Royals scored 31 runs for 3 wickets against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.

Morgan Completes 1000 Runs in IPL

KKR’s middle-order batsman Eoin Morgan completed his 1000 runs in the IPL. Morgan scored 1021 runs in 51 innings of 58 matches with an average of over 23 in the league. His best score is 66 runs in IPL.

Changes in Both Teams

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik made a change in the team. In place of Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna was included in the playing eleven. At the same time, Chris Jordan was included in the team in place of Sheldon Cottrell in Punjab.

Man of the Match

KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik was awarded Man of the Match for his fantastic knock of 58 runs off 29 deliveries with the help of 8 fours and 2 sixes.

Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

R Tripathi, S Gill, N Rana, S Narine, E Morgan, A Russell, D Karthik (c/wk), P Cummins, K Nagarkoti, P Krishna, V Chakravarthy

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

KL Rahul (c), M Agarwal, S Singh (wk), N Pooran, G Maxwell, M Singh, M Ur Rahman, R Bishnoi, M Shami, C Jordan, A Singh