- By Aalok Sensharma
- Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sharjah (UAE) | Jagran Sports Desk: Chris Gayle's blistering half-century and an all-rounder performance from bowlers helped Kings XI Punjab beat Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in game 46 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium on Monday. With this win, Kings XI Punjab have moved to the fourth position at the points table and strengthened their chances to qualify for the playoffs of the tournament. This was also the fifth consecutive win for KL Rahul's side.
Earlier in the day, Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to field first. His decision to field first proved correct as Kolkata Knight Riders lost their top order -- Nitish Rana (duck), Rahul Tripathi (7) and Dinesh Karthik (duck) -- inside the powerplay.
Later, skipper Eoin Morgan (40 off 25 balls) and opener Shubhman Gill (57 off 45 balls) counter-attacked and at one point it looked that KKR will put up a huge total on the board. However, the two were dismissed quickly by KXIP bowlers and the lower order -- Sunil Narine (6) and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (6) -- failed to consolidate.
In the end, Kolkata Knight Riders managed to score just 149 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. For Kings XI Punjab, Mohammed Shami was the star with the ball as he picked up three important wickets for 35 runs in his four overs. Shami was well-supported by Chris Jordan and Ravi Bishnoi who picked up two wickets each.
Kings XI Punjab, meanwhile, got a perfect start as their openers -- KL Rahul (28 off 25 balls) and Mandeep Singh (66 off 56 balls) -- put on 36 runs inside the first six overs. However, KKR came back strongly in the eighth over as Varun Chakravarthy dismissed KL Rahul (28), reducing KXIP to 47/1.
After Rahul's departure, Chris Gayle (51 off 29 balls) joined Mandeep Singh in the middle and the duo did not let the momentum slip for KXIP. Both batsmen put together a partnership of 100 runs, taking KXIP closer to victory. Gayle was finally dismissed by Lockie Ferguson but it was then too late for Kolkata Knight Riders.
"Complete team effort, a lot of credit has to go to the coaches. It was a very hard decision not to play him (Chris). This is the hungriest I have ever seen him. He's always positive, pushing the youngsters. We have Chris in the dressing room. Just his presence means a lot to us," said KL Rahul in post-match conference.
Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan accepted that his team needs to improve in a number of areas, noting that their "faith is in their hands in the last two games".
"Disappointed with the partnerships, thought we could have scored more (runs). When we were three down, we wanted a partnership going. Around 180-190 would have been a good score, but we kept losing wickets. That's one of the challenges this year, going from ground to ground," Morgan said in post-match conference.
Brief Scores:
Kings XI Punjab -- 150/2 (Mandeep Singh 66 not out, Chris Gayle 51, Varun Chakravarthy 1-34)
Kolkata Knight Riders -- 149/9 (Shubman Gill 57, Eoin Morgan 40, Mohammad Shami 3-35)
