KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal could not believe their luck as Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off an incredible victory from the jaws of defeat. Kings XI Punjab were set to secure an easy win, but thanks to their batting collapse, the KKR were able to defeat them by 2 runs, causing heartache to Rahul and Agarwal, both of whom batted exceedingly well.
Batting first, KKR had made 164-6 in 20 overs with skipper Dinesh Karthik’s 29-ball 58 run knock. Also contributing with runs was Shubman Gill, who made 57 runs in 47 balls.
Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi were the two most successful bowlers for Kings XI Punjab with both sharing one wicket each by conceding 25 runs in their quota of four overs. Mohammed Shami too picked up one wicket.
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal began the chase on a positive note, adding 115 runs in little over 15 overs. Even after Agarwal’s departure for 56, Rahul continued with his aggressive shots and looked almost set to secure the much-needed win for his side. But Rahul too was out while batting at 74., leaving his side in a spot of huge bother.
Glenn Maxwell made desperate attempts to play some innovative shots in a bid to save the match, but he was unsuccessful. In the end, the team from Punjab could only score 162-5 in 20 overs, losing their fifth successive match in the competition.
Prasidh Krishna was the most successful bowler for the KKR as he picked up 3 wickets by conceding just 29 runs. Sunil Narine scalped two wickets.
Reacting to the match’s outcome, Rahul said, “I have no answers. We just need to keep coming harder in the next seven games. We bowled really really well. This was a fresh strip so we didn’t know what were good lines and lengths. And the bowlers adjusted really well. And they were brave at the death too. Don’t think we were satisfied at any stage in the chase. You are satisfied only when you win the game. Towards the end, we kept losing wickets, and couldn’t get us over the line.”
