IPL HIGHLIGHTS 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Punjab Kings, Match No 45 IPL 2021
Toss: Punjab Kings, who chose to field
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Umpires: Richard Illingworth, K. Ananthapadmanabhan, Anil Dandekar, J R Madangopal
Referee: Manu Nayar
Kolkata Knight Riders Team: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik (Wicket Keeper), Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Punjab Kings Team: KL Rahul (Captain & Wicket Keeper), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Shahrukh Khan, Nathan Ellis, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh
In the final over of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) Match 45 2021 in Dubai on Friday, Punjab Kings edged out Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets. Mayank Agarwal was able to escape trouble early in the chase as KKR captain Eoin Morgan dropped a catch. Having received a reprieve, Mayank then made KKR pay by smashing three fours and two sixes in the powerplay, guiding PBKS to 46/0. As of the seventh over, they had put up fifty runs together. After Mayank was dismissed for 40 by Varun Chakaravathy in the ninth over, KKR managed to break the opening act. Nick Pooran, who filled in for Mayank in the middle, got a life in the 10th over, but the left-hander was eventually bowled by Chakravarthy After finishing 15 overs, PBKS passed 120 with KL Rahul and Aiden Markram. The KKR struck back, taking two PBKS wickets in a row during the next two overs.
As Shahrukh Khan hit a second-ball six, Venkatesh Iyer almost managed to make an incredible catch near the ropes but failed to toss the ball high enough to make the catch. Immediately following, Shahrukh hit a four in the next over. The penultimate over saw Rahul hit two fours but he was bowled out for 67 in the final over. Rahul Tripathi was unable to complete a difficult catch and Shahrukh sealed the win for PBKS. In the first two overs, the KKR scored 17 runs thanks to Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer. In contrast, Gill got out when Arshdeep Singh let one slip through the defence to disturb the timber during the third over.
KKR soon reached fifty through Iyer and Tripathi in the seventh over. They scored 50 runs in the ninth over as they cashed in on every scoring opportunity. In the 11th over, Tripathi had two fours off Nathan Ellis, but he was quickly out as Ravi Bishnoi caught the KKR batsman in deep cover. In the 13th over, KKR passed a hundred after Iyer made his second fifty of the season. A couple of overs later, though, Iyer's fine innings came to an end when he was bowled by Bishnoi for 67. The 16th over of the innings ended with Mohammed Shami removing Morgan. While the team was providing support, Nitish Rana made a cameo of 18 balls, 31 runs, hitting two fours and two sixes. In the last two overs, PBKS managed to keep things tight, conceding 14 runs and limiting KKR to 165/7.
Here are the Scores: Punjab Kings 168/5 (KL Rahul 67, Mayank Agarwal 40; Varun Chakravarthy 2/24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 165/7 (Venkatesh Iyer 67, Rahul Tripathi 34; Arshdeep Singh 3/32) by 5 wickets.