Kolkata Knight Riders beat Punjab Kings comprehensively in match 8 of the Indian Premier League 2022. A win by six wickets and 33 balls remaining also boosted KKR’s NRR to +0.843 and they are now placed right at the top of the points table.
After winning the toss, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl first keeping in mind the dew that has been playing a big role in all of this year’s IPL games. The KKR bowlers did a wonderful job once again, bundling out the opponents for a mere 137 runs in 18.2 overs. Captain Mayank Agarwal perished for a single run, while his opening partner chipped in with a slow paced 15-ball 16. But Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a blinder of an innings to increase Punjab’s run scoring rate drastically. The Sri Lankan scored 31 off just nine balls, hitting three boundaries and as many maximums. Rajapaksa’s knock came at a mammoth strike rate of 344.44. But after his departure, none of the remaining batsmen could contribute much. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, though, surprisingly scored a 16-ball 25 as the last man remaining.
With dew coming into play, a target of 138 was an easy chase for the Knight Riders. Their MVP Andre Russell was at his best on the day, scoring an unbeaten 70 off just 31 balls at a strike rate of 225.81. Russell’s knock was laced with two boundaries and eight monstrous sixes. The Knights gunned down the target with more than five overs remaining.
Earlier in the game, Umesh Yadav picked up four wickets for just 23 runs while Tim Southee chipped in with two for 36. For Punjab, Rahul Chahar was the best bowler with two wickets for a mere 13 runs.
Image credit: IPL
