Kolkata Knight Riders played Kings XI Punjab on 4 May 2016. Kings XI Punjab won their last game comfortably. Kolkata Knight Riders were upbeat after a win in their previous game. They would top the table if they beat Kings XI Punjab. On the other hand, KXIP would move into seventh place pushing RCB to the bottom. Kings XI Punjab had won their last game comfortably.
Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to field first.
Kolkata Knight Riders command the start
Kolkata Knight Riders started strong in the first six overs. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa were cautious at the start. KKR scored 50 runs in 48 balls. They stepped up after that and put up 100 runs for the opening partnership in 78 balls.
Kings XI Punjab pulls it back
KKR lost Gautam Gambhir right after the hundred-run partnership. Punjab asserted pressure on Robin Uthappa from there on. Axar Patel was brilliant today. He finished the match with an economy of 6.00. Robin Uthappa fell in the seventeenth over. Russell and Yusuf Pathan came in next but failed to accelerate the innings. Sandeep Sharma bowled an excellent last over. Kings XI Punjab restricted Kolkata Knight Riders to only 164 runs.
Trivia: Three wickets fell in that innings. Fascinatingly, none of the wickets fell to bowlers. All three of them were run-outs.
Also Read: IPL 2016 Team Points Table: Live Updates on Team Standings, Ranking with net run rate
Kings XI Punjab off to a shaky start
Kings XI Punjab could not carry any momentum from the first innings. They lost three wickets in the first four overs. Russell struck early and removed Marcus Stoinis and Manan Vohra for noughts. KXIP lost their captain for just six runs. It was time for them to reconsider their approach. Saha and Maxwell walked in. Saha looked to anchor the innings but couldn’t last long. More troubles for KXIP.
Maxwell tips the odds back in KXIP’s favour
Glen Maxwell found his lost form and scored a brilliant half-century. He did that in style for he hit his 50 runs in just 29 balls. That innings from Maxwell changed the game. Maxwell looked in good nick and dispatched KKR’s bowlers with ease. Miller could not stick with Maxwell. He was dismissed early.
Kolkata Knight Riders win a thriller
Chawla picked up the key wicket of Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell scored a splendid 68 of 42 balls. Maxwell’s knock stabilised the innings and brought KXIP much closer to the finishing line. Axar Patel was next and he started his innings with two sixes in two balls. He played brilliantly and shifted the game in KXIP’s favour yet again.
Russell bowled the last over. Axar Patel was run-out on the second ball. This match rocked to and forth endlessly, either KXIP or KKR. There was another run-out. Russell sealed the game by dismissing Swapnil Singh for a duck. Andre Russell bowled his IPL best of 4/20.
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab and top the table.
Murali Vijay was a little disappointed with the finish. He said, "For Maxi to pull off a knock like that was unbelievable. Axar got out at the wrong time. A lot of positives to take for us. We are bowling really well and the bowlers were up to the mark. Sandeep and Mohit were brilliant at the death. It is a great game to be part of. We are just looking forward the games coming up for us. We are keeping it simple. Hashim Amla came today morning, so we thought we will give him a break and make use of him in the future games."
IPL 2016 Points Table and Standings
Position | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Net RR | Points |
1 | KKR | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.359 | 12 |
2 | GL | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -0.236 | 12 |
3 | DD | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.547 | 10 |
4 | MI | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.009 | 10 |
5 | SRH | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.060 | 8 |
6 | RPS | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +0.130 | 4 |
7 | RCB | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.031 | 4 |
8 | KXIP | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.753 | 4 |
IPL 2016 Schedule
Date | Time (BST/IST) | Fixture | Venue |
May 5 | 8:00 PM | Delhi Daredevils vs. Rising Pune Supergiants | Delhi |
May 6 | 8:00 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Gujarat Lions | Hyderabad |
May 7 | 4:00 PM | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Rising Pune Supergiants | Bangalore |
May 7 | 8:00 PM | Kings XI Punjab vs. Delhi Daredevils | Mohali |
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
