Kings XI Punjab faced Kolkata Knight Riders in the Match 44 of IPL 2018. Kolkata Knight Riders put up an amazing performance with its batting. They scored 245 runs in 20 overs and put a gigantic target in front of KXIP. Kings XI also started strong and kept the run rate near around 10 runs per over. However, they chronically lost wickets and in the end, they lost the match by 31 runs.
KKR Outclassed KXIP In Match 44
Winning the toss, Kings XI Punjab decided to bowl first. The KXIP bowlers were outclassed by the KKR batsmen. They scored 59/1 in the first six overs.
Sunil Narine Hit 75 Runs
The struggle continued for the KXIP bowlers as Sunil Narine was hitting the balls to the boundaries. He scored 75 runs off 36 balls hitting 9 fours and 4 sixes. After the end of the 12 overs, the score was 130/3. He also took one important wicket and bagged the man of the match trophy.
Heroic Inning Of Dinesh Karthik
In the death overs, Dinesh Karthik played a heroic inning. He scored 50 runs off 23 balls hitting 5 fours and 3 sixes. He was dismissed in the last over but before that KKR was in a healthy condition. After the end of 20 overs, the score of KKR was 245/6. Andrew Tye was the most successful bowler in KXIP team as he took 4 wickets.
Gayle Failed Once Again
KXIP openers started smooth, but Chris Gayle failed once again. He scored only 21 runs. On the other end, Lokesh Rahul punished the KKR bowlers. They scored 58/2 in the powerplay overs.
Lokesh Rahul Tried To Ease Off The Pressure
There was a huge struggle before the KXIP batsmen. Lokesh Rahul tried to ease off the pressure. He scored 66 in 29 balls hitting 2 fours and 7 sixes but lost his wicket to Narine. Pursuing this further, Andre Russell took three wickets and made the situation worse for KXIP. After the end of 15 overs, the score was 150/5 and KXIP needed 96 runs in the next 5 overs.
Late Effort From Ashwin
Ashwin played some big shot. However, that was too late for them to save the match and in the end. KKR won the match by 31 runs.
What do you think about this match? Share in the comments. Also, check the highlights of Match 43.
