IPL 2018, Match 44, KXIP vs KKR - Kolkata Knight Player Ratings

The Kolkata Knight Riders have surged in to the top four of the points table in the Indian Premier League 2018. Their win against the Kings XI Punjab in Indore has strengthened their claims to make it to the playoffs this season. Coming in to the game, both sides knew that the game was a crucial one considering the fact that the tournament is nearing the business end of the season.

In the match, the Kings XI Punjab skipper R Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl first. His decision did not prove to be a right one as the Kolkata Knight Riders piled on 245 runs on the board – the highest total in the 2018 edition of the tournament. Sunil Narine top scored for the visitors with 75 to his name. He found good assistance from Dinesh Karthik, who scored a 22-ball fifty. Other batsmen also chipped in with handy cameos to put KKR in a commanding position.

In the run chase, the Kings XI Punjab had a decent start with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul going all guns blazing. Once the wicket of Gayle fell, the innings crashed big time. KL Rahul tried hard with his 66 but the ask was a little too less. Towards the end, R Ashwin and Aaron Finch also contributed with some crucial runs to take the KXIP total past the 200-mark. But the Kings eventually fell short by 31 runs.

Here are the Kolkata Knight Riders Player Ratings for the match:

Chris Lynn – 3/10

Chris Lynn had a decent time with the bat. He added 53 runs for the first wicket with Sunil Narine. He scored a brisk 27 off just 17 balls with a couple of fours and as many number of sixes. Lynn would be hoping to convert this brisk starts to bigger numbers in the days to come.

Sunil Narine – 9/10

Sunil Narine was taken away for 44 runs in the four overs that he bowled in the game. He, however, bagged the big wicket of KL Rahul in the innings. Earlier in the game, he was the star of the innings for the Knight Riders with the bat. He hammered 75 off just 36 balls with 9 fours and 4 sixes to his name.

Robin Uthappa – 3/10

The story of Robin Uthappa’s stay at the crease pretty much summed up his story of the season. He got a decent start but failed to capitalize on it. He had the opportunity to make it big but the veteran campaigner could only score 24 runs in the match.

Dinesh Karthik – 8/10

The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik had an excellent outing with the bat. He scored his first fifty of the season and his first fifty in the IPL in the KKR outfit. He reached the milestone in just 22 balls. He finished with 50 off 23 balls to his name in the innings.

Andre Russell – 9/10

Andre Russell was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors in the game. He provided the first breakthrough for them by dismissing Chris Gayle in the 6th over. Later, he accounted for the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair to finish with 3/41 to his name in 4 overs. Earlier in the game, he scored a brisk 31 off just 14 balls.

Nitish Rana – 4/10

Nitish Rana has been one of the top performers for the KKR team this season. In this game, he did not get a lot of deliveries to face but he did leave an impact. He hit a six off the very first ball that he faced and followed it up with a boundary. He finished with 11 off 4 balls to his name.

Shubman Gill – 4/10

Much like Nitish Rana, even Shubman Gill did not get a lot of deliveries to face in the game. He came in to bat in the 18th over and ended with a score of 16 runs to his name. He hit three boundaries to propel the KKR total in the vicinity of the 250 run mark.

Javon Searles – 5/10

Javon Searles is a new name for the cricket fans in India. Searles had made a big impact at the U19 level a decade ago. On his IPL debut today, he hit a six on the only delivery that he faced. With the ball, he was taken away for 52 runs in the four overs that he bowled. He took the wicket of Aaron Finch.

Kuldeep Yadav – 3.5/10

Kuldeep Yadav had a night to forget with the ball. He has been having a quiet IPL this year and the story was no different against the Kings either. He bowled only 2 overs in the game and was taken away for 29 runs. Much to his relief, he managed to take the wicket of Axar Patel in the match.

Piyush Chawla – 3/10

Piyush Chawla did not have a major role to play in the match. He got only two overs to bowl and he fared decently enough in those two overs. He conceded 16 runs and failed to take any wicket.

Prasidh Krishna – 6/10

Prasidh Krishna has been a very handy addition to the Kolkata Knight Riders roster. Krishna had yet another impressive outing with the ball in hand. He returned with figures of 2/31 in the four overs that he bowled. He took the wickets of R Ashwin and Andrew Tye in the final over of the KXIP innings.

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