IPL 2019, Match 6, KKR vs KXIP: Player of the Match

Kolkata Knight Riders, on Wednesday, cruised past Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens to register their second consecutive win of the ongoing twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both the sides had previously opened their respective campaigns on a winning note, however, Punjab failed to carry that momentum into the second game, while Kolkata made the most of their home advantage.

The hosts, batting first, got off to a swashbuckling start with Sunil Narine smashing debutant, Varun Chakravarthy, for 25 runs in the second over of the innings. The pinch-hitter made 24 runs in 9 balls before he was sent back to the pavilion by another debutant, Hardus Viljoen off a short-ball.

However, Robin Uthappa arrived at the crease and began to take charge alongside the in-form Nitish Rana. The duo rotated the strike and scored boundaries at will, stitching together a stand of 110 runs. Rana made a fiery 63 off 34 balls, while Uthappa struck 67 off 50 balls.

Later, Andre Russell smoked a fabulous 48 runs off just 17 balls, helping Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) post a mammoth 218 runs on the board. He smashed 5 sixes and 3 fours during his stay at the crease.

Meanwhile, in reply, Kings XI Punjab lost KL Rahul early for the second straight time. The opener was removed by Lockie Ferguson after facing 5 balls. The dangerous Chris Gayle then struck some lusty blows, but was dislodged by a well-directed bouncer from Russell.

After his dismissal, a couple more wickets fell in quick succession, putting the Ravi Ashwin-led side on the back foot. However, the duo of Mayank Agarwal and David Miller came to Punjab's rescue as both of them posted fifties. However, that was not enough for KXIP as they fell 28 runs short at the end.

For KKR, it was once again Andre Russell who sparkled with both bat and ball. The right-arm pacer picked two big wickets while giving away just 21 runs in his 3 overs. For his all-round performance, he is the player of the match.

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