Twitter Reactions: Rahul, Gayle too hot to handle for the Knight Riders

The Kings XI Punjab extended their dominion in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Ever since Chris Gayle has joined the playing eleven, there seems to be nothing going wrong for the Mohali franchise. The Kings had an uphill task to overhaul when they took on the Kolkata Knight Riders in an away game in Kolkata.

The match proved to be a run fest, albeit a rain-shortened one. The visitors were asked to chase a mammoth total of 192 for the win. They were well on course to chase it down with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul looking in sensational form. The rain intervention saw the revised target of 125 handed to the Kings to chase in 13 overs. It ended up being a cakewalk for them. They chased it down in 11.1 overs with 9 wickets in hand.

Earlier in the game, the hosts were asked to bat first on a track that looked like a batting belter. However, the KKR opener, Sunil Narine, was undone by Mujeeb Rahman in the second over of the game. Certainly, Narine got a taste of his own medicine. Robin Uthappa (34) and Chris Lynn (74) then put on a handy 72 run stand keep the Kings bowlers at bay.

Uthappa failed to convert a very good start yet against and perished to an R Ashwin delivery. The wicket of Nitish Rana fell soon after as he was run out by a throw from Ankit Rajpoot. Skipper Dinesh Karthik joined Chris Lynn at the crease. Lynn, who had largely kept calm till then, launched his attack. He smashed 6 fours and 4 sixes during his knock of 41-ball 74.

The crowds went berserk after his dismissal as one hitter was replaced by another, Andre Russell. But Russell could not deliver on the day and was dismissed on 10. Towards the end of the innings, the wickets fell in clusters for the Kolkata Knight Riders. It was skipper Dinesh Karthik’s decent 28-ball 43 that helped the hosts post a sizeable 191/7 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, the Kings XI Punjab continued their herculean run with the bat. The in-form openers, KL Rahul and Chris Gayle, continued their scintillating run of form in the season. The duo did not let any KKR bowler settle down on the day and hit 73 runs in the powerplay. They surged the score of 96/0 in 8.2 overs when the rain intervened.

A brief delay saw the game shortened to 13 overs, with KXIP getting a revised target of 125. Both Rahul and Gayle notched up their individual fifties before Sunil Narine dismissed Rahul on 60. Gayle remained unbeaten on 62 to ensure that his side was over the line with 9 wickets in hand.

Here is how the fans reacted to the match:

@klrahul11 @bcci ..has looked the super batsman in the ipl so far .just cricketing shots ..simple and uncomplicated ..class player

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) April 21, 2018

First time Gayle has made 50+ in 3 consecutive innings in IPL. #KKRvKXIP

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) April 21, 2018

Thunder showers for an hour ..rain stops ..game starts in 15 min ..one of best facilities in the world .. pic.twitter.com/8Eb91k5UFo

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle in #IPL2018

63(33)
104(63)*
49(27)*

This could have been the first time in his IPL career that he scored 50+ in three consecutive inngs.#KKRvKXIP #KXIP

— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) April 21, 2018

Most consecutive 50-plus scores for KXIP in IPL:

3 – Glenn Maxwell
3 – David Miller
3 – CHRIS GAYLE* #KKRvKXIP

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle is back and how!

This is the first time that he has scored three consecutive fifty-plus scores in IPL. #KKRvKXIP

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) April 21, 2018

On a flight back from Hyd. Friends tell me despite a heavy shower Eden all set again. This is what I had alluded to in an earlier tweet. A serious improvement under @SGanguly99 Fans get value for tickets.

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle in 2018 IPL:

Half Century in 1st Game!

Century in 2nd Game!

Takes orange cap in 3rd Game!

— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle strike rate 163.15.
KL Rahul strike rate 222.22.@klrahul11 Please maintain this form for two years. You are important for us. #KKRvKXIP #IPL2018

— Harini Venkataraman (@ImVHarini) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle shows his anger in batting, Last 3 matches won by #KXIP becz tremendous hitting #KKRvKXIP

— Carthigan Gopal (@carthii) April 21, 2018

Chris Gayle (Orange Cap) in #IPL2018

63(33)
104(63)*
62(38)*

Runs : 229
Average : 229
Strike Rate : 170.89

First Time Gayle has scored 3 consecutive 50+ scores in IPL !#KKRvKXIP

— Hariharan Durairaj (@hari_durairaj) April 21, 2018

#KXIP have won the game at the Eden. And thereby move to the top of the points table. Early call….Rahul might end up with most runs in this IPL. If he stays fit. #KKRvKXIP #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 21, 2018

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