Quinton Carries KKR Past RR After Bowlers Dominate

KKR Back To Winning Ways

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending Champions, were back to winning ways as they got past a struggling Rajasthan Royals (RR) with relative ease at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Quinton de Kock played a scintillating knock and carried KKR to victory almost single-handedly.

A Pitch For Bowlers: A Surprise

The victory, however, was set up by a brilliant bowling display from KKR on a pitch that for a change, had something for the bowlers too and required some application and technical skill for the batters to survive and score runs.

Moeen & Varun Set It Up For KKR

Sanju Samson departed early as he yorked himself to be castled by an impressive Vaibhav Arora. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag tried to force the pace, but the introduction of Moeen Ali ( playing for an unwell Sunil Naraine) and Varun Chakravarthy changed the momentum of the match completely. The spinners bowled superbly, accounting for two wickets each and in their allotted 8 overs amongst them gave away only 40 runs. Jaiswal, Parag, Nitish Rana, and an out-of-place-looking Hasaranga all perished to the discipline and guile of Moeen and Varun.

Dhruv Jurel Tries Hard For RR

Quinton Takes Charge For KKR…

Moeen Ali opened for KKR in the company of Quinton de Kock and faced a hostile Jofra Archer before getting run out for 5. Archer was breathing fire bowling with great pace but was unable to unsettle a solid Quinton. Once Ajinkya Rahane departed to Hasaranga, Quinton took complete charge, playing some exhilarating shots particularly on the leg side, his favourite area. His pulls and drives and quicksilver feet movements were a treat to watch.

… And Wins It For Them

Quinton, in the company of young Angkrish Raghuvanshi, ensured a KKR victory with an undefeated 97 of 61 balls laced with 8 fours and 6 sixes and deservedly received the Player of the Match Award.

RR: Too Early But Some Introspection Required

RR suffered yet again. Their top-heavy batting and an over-reliance on Dhruv Jurel in the middle did not hold them in good stead. Moreover, their bowling looks a bit on the weaker side. A huge effort would be required by RR to come back to winning ways. They face a tough CSK next.