Led by spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy’s attacking spells, KKR restricted DC to 153 for nine before recording a seven-wicket at the Eden Gardens on Monday. In the chase, Phil Salt continued his onslaught, smashing 68 off 23 balls before skipper Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer led the team home.
On the other hand, with four wins in their last five matches, the Rishabh Pant-led side is gradually assembling their pieces and starting to look like a force to be reckoned with. Pant is also making rapid progress with every match as the DC top-five in Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel, Shai Hope, Pant and Stubbs will be a cause of concern for KKR bowling. Barring spinner Sunil Narine, who returned with 1/24 from his four overs, none of the KKR bowlers made any impact.
CSK catapult to third in table
Chennai Super Kings posted a 78-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday to leapfrog to third place in the league standings. Chennai put up a 212-run total riding on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s spectacular 98-run knock and Daryl Mitchell’s 52 before Tushar Deshpande starred with a four-wicket haul to wrap Hyderabad up for 134. CSK were put to bat as Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane walked out to begin the innings. SRH managed to dismiss Rahane early as the veteran fell for 9 off 12 deliveries. Kiwi Daryl Mitchell replaced the Indian in the middle as Gaikwad picked up boundaries in a consistent manner as Chennai reached the 50-run mark in the powerplay overs.
Royal Challengers thrash Titans
Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Gujarat Titans by nine wickets at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Virat Kohli and centurion Will Jacks starred as RCB chased down 201 without any hassle. Meanwhile, the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan hammered fifties for GT, albeit in a losing cause. Sudharsan arrived following Wriddhiman Saha's (5) early departure. Shubman Gill (16) couldn't do much either as GT were reduced to 45/2. Sudharsan (84*) then joined forces with Shahrukh (58) as the duo added 86 runs before the latter departed. The southpaw, who went berserk toward the end, added 69 runs with David Miller (26*) as GT finished at 200/3.
Samson, Jurel fashion another RR win
Sanju Samson scored five runs less than his opposite number KL Rahul, but his unbeaten 71 off 33 balls had more impact compared to Rahul’s relatively sedate 48-ball-76. Samson’s knock, and that of Dhruv Jurel, helped Rajasthan Royals take a giant leap towards the playoffs by comfortably beating Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets here on Saturday. Samson and Jurel came together after the Royals had stumbled from a brisk start to hand the advantage to the home side, putting on a robust stand of 121 runs in just 62 balls stand for the unconquered fourth wicket to take their side over the line. Chasing 197, Rajasthan finished at 199 for three to win with an over to spare.
Punjab pull off record chase
Punjab Kings etched their name in T20 history with a breathtaking display of batting prowess, pulling off the highest successful run chase in the shortest format on Friday. Their monumental feat came against Kolkata Knight Riders, as they surpassed the daunting target of 262 runs with remarkable ease, securing an emphatic eight-wicket victory. Spearheaded by an explosive knock from opener Jonny Bairstow, who remained unbeaten with a scintillating 108 off just 48 deliveries, Punjab Kings showcased their explosive batting display at the Eden Gardens. Bairstow's innings, laced with eight fours and nine sixes, provided the impetus needed for PBKS to clinch the win, with Impact Player Prabhsimran Singh also playing a crucial role with a blistering 54 off 20 balls to set the tone early on.
