After losing five games on a trot, the Kolkata Knight Riders finally broke their losing streak by defeating the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in match 47. It is interesting to note that this game - played on May 3 - was Kolkata's first win since April 6.
After winning the toss, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer chose to field first keeping the due in mind. The bowlers did a good job to restrict the Royals to 152 in 20 overs. Except Shivam Mavi, all the KKR bowlers picked up at least one wicket each. For Rajasthan, their top run scorer Jos Buttler had an off day as he scored just 22 runs. But an inconsistent Sanju Samson stepped up to score a half century. Down the order, Shimron Hetmyer played a good cameo and remained unbeaten on 27 off 13.
Chasing 153, KKR lost both their openers early. But the middle order comprising captain Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh took the team over the line. Iyer scored 32, while Rana and Singh remained unbeaten on 48 and 42 respectively.
"I was talking to my teammates in the dressing room and was like, the way he's maintaining his calm even in such pressure situations playing his second or third game, it's outstanding," Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony about Player of the Match Rinku Singh.
"Building that partnership with Nitish Rana in that situation, it's something we have to praise about and he's a great asset for the future in the franchise," he added.
After this game, Rajasthan Royals are third in the points table while KKR are placed seventh.
Image credit: IPL
