Nitish Rana’s all-round performance (35* runs and 2 wickets) aided the Kolkata Knight Riders to register their 3rd win in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League. The Knight Riders won the match quite comprehensively defeating the Rajasthan Royals at their home turf by 7 wickets, with 7 balls to spare. With 3 wins in 5 matches and a net run rate of +0.825, KKR are now at the top of the points table.
At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, KKR won the toss and decided to have a bowl first. Having been invited to bat first, the Rajasthan Royals scored a competitive 160/8 in 20 overs. While D’Arcy Short scored a scratchy 44, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Butler chipped in with 36 and 24 runs each. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Tom Curran picked up 2 wickets, while Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Mavi picked up a wicket each.
In response the Knights were up to the challenge and scored 163 runs in 18.5 overs at the loss of just 3 wickets, winning the match with ease. Robin Uthappa top scored with 48, Sunil Narine contributed with 35 runs and captain Dinesh Karthik remained not out on 42, finishing the match with a six. For the Rajasthan Royals, Krishnappa Gowtham was the pick of the bowlers picking up 2 wickets.
Chasing a target of 161, the KKR did not have the best of starts as Gowtham struck in the very first over itself, removing Chris Lynn. Sunil Narine and Uthappa, stabilized the innings and scripted a 69 run stand for the second wicket. After Narine and Uthappa departed, Rana and Karthik played some sensible cricketing strokes to drive the team home.
The Rajasthan Royals still have 4 points in 4 matches and are at the 5th place on the points tally.
