Kamlesh Nagarkoti of Kolkata Knights takes a catch during the match against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on Wednesday night. - BCCI/IPL
Dubai - Team's co-owner Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan watches them win by 37 runs
Published: Wed 30 Sep 2020, 10:00 PM
Last updated: Fri 2 Oct 2020, 3:28 PM
Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan was in the house, to cheer his team on. The King of Bollywood paid a surprise visit with his family at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and his team obliged with a truly rocking performance on Wednesday night.
The Kolkata Knight Riders were in their shining armour as they waltzed past the Rajasthan Royals. They ran rings around the Royals to best the latter by 37 runs at the 'Ring of Fire.'
And while it was the Kolkata Knight Riders' second victory, it was a sorry story for the Royals as they were brought crashing down to earth following those heady high-scoring nights at Sharjah.
After opener Shubman Gill (47) and England captain Eoin Morgan (34 not out) had starred with the bat to make 174-6, the bowlers were incisive as they speared into the Royals batting line-up.
Young pacers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti picked two apiece, while mystery leg spinner Varun Chakravarthy too took two.
Tom Curran stood amidst the ruins with an unbeaten 54 from 36 deliveries which contained three sixes and two boundaries.
Earlier, English fast bowler Jofra Archer came up with a fine spell as the Rajasthan Royals kept Kolkata Knight Riders to that total. But that proved to be more than enough for the Knight Riders.
Archer kept it tight and tidy to take two for 18 from his four overs after Knight Riders were given a good start by opener Shubman Gill. Gill fell three short of a second successive half-century as the Knight Riders lost four wickets for 33 runs.
Archer should have finished with even more impressive figures as he had conceded just four runs in his three overs. But he gave away 14 runs in the 17th over with Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan scoring a boundary a six respectively.
Morgan remained not out on 34 from 23 balls with two sixes and a boundary.
Gill continued from where he left off and looked in good touch after Royals skipper Steve Smith had invited Kolkata Knight Riders to have first go on the strip.
Gill and his partner Sunil Narine saw off the first over bowled by Jofra Archer before the former dispatched Ankit Rajpoot to the long-on fence in the next over.
Narine earned a reprieve before he could open his account after Robin Uthappa spilled a skier off Jaydev Unadkat's bowling.
Narine and Gill then picked boundaries off Rajpoot's next over as they moved to 25 for no loss in four overs.
Narine then got stuck into Unadkat, slapping him over midwicket for a six and then punching it through the covers, off consecutive balls. But Unadkat, the most expensive Indian player at the 2018 auction and among the six most expensive million-dollar buys in IPL history, got immediate revenge by knocking over his stumps.
The opening partnership was worth 36 runs and the Knight Riders were 42 for one after the powerplay.
Gill and Nitish Rana then added 46 runs for the second wicket before Rahul Tewatia, who turned from villain to hero the other night, had the latter gobbled up by Riyan Parag at long-off, after coming on to bowl.
Archer returned for his second spell and then took out Gill, holding onto a leading edge after calling out ahead of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Andre Russell smoked two sixes off leg spinner Shreyas Gopal but Royals put the brakes on the Knight Riders, especially Archer.
Archer squared up Dinesh Karthik with a ball which was immaculate in line and length and had the Knight Riders skipper edging to Buttler. The Englishman had impressive figures of 2-0-2-1 to show.
Russell too departed in the next over as the Knight Riders failed to capitalise on the good start to fall to 115-5 in 15 overs.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 174-6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 47, Eoin Morgan 34 not out, Andre Russell 24, Nitish Rana 22, Sunil Narine 15, Jofra Archer 2-18) beat Rajasthan Royals: 137-9 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 21, Tom Curran 54 not out, Rahul Tewatia 14, Shivam Mavi 2-20, Kamlesh Nagarkoti 2-13, Varun Chakravarthy 2-25) by 37 runs.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith (C), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (C) (wk), Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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