IPL 10: Match 23, Who Said What: Kolkata Knight Riders v Gujarat Lions

Kolkata Kight Riders looked to retain the top spot in the IPL table yet again by defeating the Gujarat Lions, looking at their record at Eden Gardens. Suresh Raina won the toss and backed their batting line up to chase down the total set by KKR. Proving that his escapades with the bat against the Mumbai Indians weren’t just a fluke, Sunil Narine struck an electric 42 off 17 balls which included only boundaries and sixes. Kolkata Knight Riders amassed 65 runs in the powerplay with the help of Narine’s fluent innings.

Uthappa and Gambhir tried to consolidate from the good position the off-spinner put the home team in. Uthappa anchored the innings with his 72-run knock of 48 balls with 8 fours and two powerful maximums. Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan chipped in with important cameos which bolstered their total towards a competitive 187. Given their position after the end of 10 overs(96-1), one might feel, the KKR were 20 short of their desired target.

Aaron Finch, who came out to bat with McCullum, at a position where he is the most comfortable at. The Victorian did not disappoint along with his Kiwi partner. The duo got the Lions off to the perfect start with their opening stand. Finch scored a quickfire 31 off 15 while McCullum smashed 33 off 17 balls. After a slight delay due to rain, Lions innings resumed with quick wickets with no major contribution from the middle order. But one man remained in between victory and Kolkata Knight Riders and that was none other than their captain Suresh Raina. The left-hander sealed the victory for his side with his 46-ball 84 at a strike rate of 182.

A final flourish from Jadeja ensured a 4 wicket win for the Gujarat Lions with 10 balls to spare, as they gather two important points. More importantly, the Lions defeated the Knight Riders in their own fortress. Suresh Raina was adjudged as the man of the match for his match-defining knock. Brendon McCullum received the Orange Cap during his innings.

Suresh Raina

Raina went ahead and affirmed that the team responded brilliantly in the do or die situation they found themselves in. The southpaw took it upon himself to seal the win for his side with wickets falling around him at regular intervals. The Indian international ensured there were no loose shots during the course of his innings.

It was an important game for us, do or die I would say. Wicket was pretty good, and we really bowled well towards the end. We came back strongly. We kept losing wickets in the middle and I thought I had to stay till the end. Kept telling myself, look to be positive. No need to play cross-batted shots. It was a good team effort today. We got Uthappa at a crucial time, PK bowled very well with back to back yorkers. Basil is a really good prospect, he’s been very consistent with his yorkers.

Suresh Raina further professed that the secret to success in the past two edition of the IPL is batting second. The skipper also accepted the fact that bowlers have leaked too many runs in the first few overs and would look to work on that aspect in the coming games.

Faulkner also did well to get Gambhir. He was looking very good. I was very calm at the wicket. I knew I had to stick till the end. I like to chase always. If you look at the last two years in the IPL, every team batting second has been in a very comfortable position. Batting looks really good. We can improve our bowling. We’ve been giving a lot of runs in the first six overs. It’s been good (his form). Been batting well and just need to continue with that.

Gautam Gambhir

The KKR opener accepted that the way the Gujarat batsman batted in the first six overs took the game away from the home team, even though they posted enough total. Gambhir further stated that the wicket became easier to bat on after the first innings. The Delhi batsman continued by saying that looking at the batting lineup of the Lions, any team would want to field first. Gambhir further admired Suresh Raina’s innings.

I thought we batted really well. 188 was a really good total, but they took the game away from us in the first six overs. For the kind of bowling we have, I thought we had enough runs on the board. The way Finch and Baz (McCullum) batted, they took the game away. The wicket was still a bit sticky in the first innings, we knew that it would get better in the second innings. Whoever plays against Gujarat, they would want to chase because they are a batting-heavy side. They were far more professional than us tonight. He (Raina) is a quality player and they are a quality side as well. It is always good to see him (Raina) get runs, but obviously not against us (smiles). We are still in a good position. I would have taken four (wins) out of six games if you had asked me at the start of the tournament.

Knight Riders remain in the second position in the IPL table with 8 points. Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant are all locked in with 4 points momentarily. RPSG and Daredevils still have a game in hand.