KL Rahul’s fifty guides Punjab Kings to win over KKR
Punjab Kings have moved up to the fifth spot in the points table after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets. Courtesy of a KL Rahul masterclass, PBKS reached the 166-run target with three balls to spare.
KKR will remain on the fourth spot with 10 points after 12 games played. Fifth-placed Mumbai Indians also have 10 points in 11 games.
Rahul, Agarwal lead the charge
KL Rahul played his typical T20 inning to lead PBKS to another win. As good as this win is for the Kings, it goes to show how heavily they are depending on their skipper to bail them out in run chases.
After his 67 runs, he has retained the Orange Cup from Shikhar Dhawan (454) with a total of 489 runs this season so far.
Had it not been for his 70-run opening stand with Mayank Agarwal, KKR may have tightened screws around Punjab.
Rahul did not get a fiery start in the powerplay, but he stuck to his composure. When Agarwal was striking the ball to boundaries for fun, he was happy to middle the ball for singles to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Morgan continues to fail
In the last four games since coming to the UAE, Eoin Morgan’s scores have been 7, 8, 0 and 2. He has scored a total of only 17 runs in the last four games. In the 12 games this season, he has notched only 109 runs which goes to show how he has been in a form slump throughout this IPL edition.
He has, however, led the team relatively well in the second leg as compared to KKR’s run in India. But the team needs the skipper to up the ante and get going in the death overs.
Had the Englishman stuck around for a little while with Nitish Rana tonight, KKR may have gotten an extra 10 to 15 runs.
Iyer smashes PBKS effortlessly
He doesn’t need to wear a cap against spinners nor does he need to tuck his shirt in. He keeps it simple: If the ball is in his arch, he makes it disappear.
Venkatesh Iyer scored a fiery 67 off 49 before falling to Ravi Bishnoi. The batting all-rounder has been the primary driving force of KKR’s back-to-back wins.
With Shubman Gull failing to make it big consistently, Iyer chips in boundaries using his flexible wrists and timings instead of viciously slashing his blade around like an amateur.
Iyer’s late cuts and cover drives in crunch moments show how his calm demeanour can help the Knight Riders in the long run. Apart from his dream performance, he also picked up KL Rahul’s scalp in the final over of the game.
His efforts were not enough to take the team home, but he has definitely drawn the attention of the national team selectors.
