IPL 2018: Match 18, KKR vs KXIP- Rating of the Match

When Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and elected to field first, the game was psychologically won by the Kings XI Punjab for the fact that they had the likes of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and even Karun Nair who have been in bludgeoning touch. The track at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata seemed tailored to the needs of the batsmen. From the bowlers’ point of view, it looked like a graveyard.

The calm-headed beast in Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn could easily have been lured into go hammer and tongs, going by the nature of the deck. However, there was something very graceful on display when Lynn wielded his magic on the cricket pitch. Most importantly, he refrained from playing the extravagant strokes early on and rotated the strike. In his partnership with Robin Uthappa, Lynn played the ‘sheet anchor’s role’.

A powerful striker, if appropriately blends method and madness, can be a deadly prospect for the oppositions. More than the Knights, Lynn himself required the half-century to get back into his groove after all the injury he has gone through. Robin Uthappa, during his stint with Narine, for the second wicket, gave him the much-needed breathing space.

The moments that robbed the Knights    

The Knights scored 191 runs, which could have ended a tad above the 200-run mark. However, a couple of crucial blows- one attributed by utter complacency and the other for the cause of the team- pulled the Knights back. Nitish Rana would want to delete the memories of the run-out, which was a result of complete miscommunication.

Guiding the ball into the hands of the fielder, who is standing inside the circle, and then expecting to eke out a run is nothing short of a brain explosion. Andre Russell perished in the quest of propelling the score, however, he can’t be blamed for the approach he employed. The last couple of overs fetched 11 runs, which could have been 10 to 15 runs more had Russell and Dinesh Karthik been there.

 The toss comes back to haunt the Knights  

Dinesh Karthik, after losing the toss, minced no words in saying that he wanted to bowl first. Maybe the fear of countering the likes of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul concerned him at the back of the mind. Prior to the run-chase, there were a couple of statistics which was notable, more for Dinesh Karthik and the Knight Riders.

Chris Gayle has the lowest strike-rate against Sunil Narine in the IPL

On the contrary, Chris Gayle has spanked the most sixes against Piyush Chawla in the tournament.

The strategy was pretty clear cut for the Knights as to who should be introduced against whom and at which stage. Sunil Narine, despite being carted by Ajinkya Rahane, bowled inside the power-play, purely for the reason that Gayle hasn’t quite gone after him in the history of the T20 league. Even Rahul respected him and he finished with an economy of 7.66 runs per over.

Following an unrealistic start by Gayle and Rahul, the Knights helplessly introduced Chawla in a hope to turn around the odds. But the game went downhill for the Men in Purple and Gold with every passing delivery. The resumption of play after the rain-break was nothing, but a ‘prolongation of agony’ for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Meanwhile, Punjab are turning out to be a brute force for anyone and everyone.

Rating of the Match- 4.5