IPL 2019: 5 Reasons why KXIP lost to KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders won their second match in a row as they successfully defended 218 against Kings XI Punjab. The high scoring game which saw as many as 24 sixes being hit ended in a comfortable win for KKR who catapulted right at the top of the table.

Andre Russell starred with both bat and ball and it looks as though Dinesh Karthik's side have struck the perfect balance between youth and experience.

Let us look at the 5 crucial moments which changed the game in Kolkata's favor.

#1 Narine welcomes debutant Chakravarthy to the big league

Narine smashed Chakravarthy for 25 in the 2nd over

Sunil Narine, opening the KKR innings, smashed mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy all around Eden Gardens and gave them a blazing start which laid the platform for a big total. Narine used the mystery spinners inexperience and took advantage of the powerplay to rack up valuable runs in no time whatsoever.

#2 Uthappa and Rana's calculated attack against spin

Robbie Uthappa and Nitish Rana put on 110 for the 3rd wicket

After the openers were dismissed, Rana and Uthappa kept the momentum going and took a special liking to the spinners, especially Ashwin went for 47 in his 4 wicketless overs and was hit for 5 sixes. (Karma, maybe?)

#3 That fateful No-Ball

Shami cleaned up Russell for just 3...or so he thought.

Chakravarthy came back and dismissed Rana and conceded just 1, another good over followed, KXIP sniffed a comeback. In the next over, Shami bowled a perfect yorker going through Dre Russ only to find the umpire extending his arm for there were only 3 fielders outside the circle instead of the minimum 4, and they had to pay a huge price for it.

#4 Ferguson and Russell snaring up the big wickets

Ferguson and Russell took out the big guns

Lockie Ferguson breathed fire in his first over, with all 6 balls bowled well over 140 km/h and got KL Rahul, who's been in woeful form since ancient times, to play one straight to mid-off. Chris Gayle looked in ominous touch but Russell in his very first overtook him down and soon after foxed out Sarfaraz Khan with a slower one. That broke the back of the KXIP batting.

#5 KKR bowlers controlled the middle overs

Karthik set smart fields and maintained the pressure throughout on the KXIP batters

In the 10 overs from the 7th to the 16th, KXIP could muster only 86 runs, with the required rate well over 12, it was always going to be a mountain too steep to climb for them. David Miller took a couple of overs before he got going and after Mayank Agarwal was dismissed it was mere formalities for KKR who eventually won comfortably by 28 runs.

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