IPL 2018, KKR vs KXIP: Visitors clinch win as Gayle, KL Rahul score fifties

Kolkata: Chris Gayle (62*) and KL Rahul (60) starred as Kings XI Punjab beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter here at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Having been set-up a target of 192, KXIP got off to a strong start, with the opening duo aggregating 96 runs in the first 8.2 overs. However, on came the covers as rain played spoilsport for more than an hour.

After quite a lengthy rain delay, the run-chase was shortened to 13 overs, with the visitors needing 125 to win.

Soon after the start, Gayle brought up his fifty with a six. KL Rahul, too, followed up, as he got to his second IPL fifty this season. However, soon after that Rahul departed and KKR at least avoided giving KXIP a win by 10 wickets.

However, Gayle finished off the match in style with a six as Ravichandran Ashwin’s men registered another formidable win in IPL 2018.    

Rain update

After delay for more than an hour, the match is all set to resume. The match has been shortened to 13 overs, with KXIP needing 125 runs to win.

KXIP 62-0 after 5 overs

WHAT A START! KXIP have had a dream start in the run chase, as in-form batsman Chris Gayle and KL Rahul are in a hurry to reach the target. Gayle and Rahul have scored 34 and 27 runs respectively.

 Kolkata Knight Riders finished their innings at 191-7 as Chris Lynn starred with the bat, scoring 74 runs.

The visitors won the toss, and put Dinesh Karthik’s men to bat.

The hosts lost Sunil Narine earlier in the innings, as he was dismissed for one run.

However, Lynn and Robin Uthappa put up a 72-run partnership for the second wicket after which the latter was dismissed for 34.

Dinesh Karthik was the next batsman to produce some runs, as his knock of 43 led the hosts to a respectable total.

KKR 159-5 from 16.5 overs

WICKET! Andre Russell's stint at the crease is short-lived as he has been dismissed for 10 runs, gifting the wicket to Barinder Sran.

KKR 147-4 from 15.2 overs

WICKET! In-form Chris Lynn has been dismissed for 74, as Andrew Tye provides the breakthrough. This is a huge wicket for KXIP.

KKR 85-3 from 9.4 overs

WICKET! Nitish Rana has been run-out for three runs as KKR lose another wicket.

KKR 78-2 from 8.1 overs

WICKET! Captain Ravichandran Ashwin gets his first wicket as he removes Robin Uthappa for 34 runs. Karun Nair was the man at deep mid-wicket to take the catch.

KKR 55-1 from 7 overs

Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn have taken the hosts past 50, after recovering from the early blow as they lost Narine early.

KKR 6-1 from 1.3 overs

WICKET! Mujeeb Ur Rehman strikes as he removes Sunil Narine early. KKR lose their first wicket.

Preview

Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which two big-hitting Jamaicans -- Andre Russell and Chris Gayle -- will be up against each other here on Saturday.

Gayle was at his best on Thursday when he smashed this season's first century -- a 63-ball 104 not out -- at the expense of one of the best bowling outfits, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Gayle smashed 11 sixes, seven of them coming against the world's top ranked T20 international bowler Rashid Khan, and gave a fitting response to his critics after the humiliation he had faced at the last IPL auctions where he went unsold.

The 38-year-old enforcer, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and KKR, twice went unsold after 10 glorious years before the Virender Sehwag-mentored side gave him a lifeline.

Gayle still had to sit out the first two matches, but when his moment came he played two match-winning knocks, including a 63 against Chennai Super Kings.

"A lot of people said 'Chris has a point to prove'. Time waits for no one but I'm not here to prove anything to anyone. I just want to move on, enjoy my cricket," Gayle said.

The battle at the Eden Gardens will see Gayle facing the spin challenge of KKR with West Indies teammate Sunil Narine and India sensation Kuldeep Yadav leading the attack that also has Piyush Chawla and part-timer Nitish Rana.

Kings XI Punjab look a transformed unit under India discard Ravichandran Ashwin. They now seem to be on a mission with a top-heavy batting comprising KL Rahul and Gayle followed by the flair of Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair.

In Australian Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh, they have two destructive finishers who are due for big knocks, and KKR would look for early breakthroughs to mount pressure on the duo.

Russell, another explosive Jamaican, singled-handedly decimated Delhi Daredevils in his 12-ball 41 in their last match at the Eden.

The biggest gain for the home side has been that of Mumbai Indians recruit Rana who got back-to-back Man of the Match awards in their wins over Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals.

The left-hander has showed fine temperament, forming the backbone of their batting, which wore an unsettled look at the start.

Rana's part time off-spin has also given the team some crucial breakthroughs -- his wickets of Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals) bear testimony to that.

Their spinners bowlers 14 overs in Jaipur, accounting for five wickets to stall Rajasthan Royals to 160/8 en route to their five-wicket win.

Afghan's latest spin sensation Mujeeb ur Rahman will also be the one to watch out for.

The 17-year-old off-spinner has been able to fox batsmen, including Kohli, with his guile and has a tidy economy rate of 6.80 from four matches.

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (c and WK), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, R Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Wankhade, Ishank Jaggi and Tom Curran.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, AJ Tye, Mohit Sharma and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 4 pm IST on Friday (April 21)

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.