'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After posting a big total of 187 on the scoreboard, the KKR bowlers did well to restrict SRH, with a batting attack comprising the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad, to 177.
KKR started the defense brilliantly as young Prasidh Krishna took the early wicket of the explosive David Warner, followed by Shakib Al Hasan picking up Wriddhiman Saha's wicket in the following over. Even though Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey built a brilliant partnership for the 4th wicket, KKR bowlers never let the required run rate favor the Orange Army.
Eventually, KKR's bowling unit successfully defended their total and helped the franchise secure their 100th victory in the IPL. With the victory, the Kolkata Knight Riders became only the 3rd team to secure 100 wins in the IPL after Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings.
That being said, we take a look at the talking points and key highlights that KKR will take away from their bowling performance against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
1. KKR finally pick wickets in the powerplay overs
After being largely ineffective in picking up wickets in the powerplay last season, the Kolkata Knight Riders seem to have finally broken the jinx in IPL 2021. The KKR bowling attack made a brilliant start to their bowling innings as they picked up crucial wickets of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha just three overs into the run-chase.
With the likes of Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy their mainstays, KKR boast of a fantastic bowling line-up going further into the IPL season.
The team's tight bowling during the powerplay overs certainly helped them to a great extent in defending the total against a powerful SRH batting lineup. Having said that, Eoin Morgan will hope that his bowlers replicate such performances in upcoming matches too.
2. Russell's economical bowling in the death overs
Andre Russell has been priceless for KKR. Even if he fails to deliver with the bat, the Caribbean all-rounder makes up for it with the ball.
Trusted by captain Eoin Morgan at the death, Andre Russell bowled two brilliant overs to ensure that SRH had no chance to chase their total down. Bowling the 18th over, Andre Russell gave away only 6 runs and picked up the crucial wicket of Vijay Shankar.
He also bowled the final over of the innings with SRH requiring 22 runs to win, and ensured that KKR won the game comfortably in the end.
His death bowling abilities will certainly be something that the KKR franchise will take pride in going further into the tournament.
3. Prasidh Krishna's good run continues
After making his debut for Team India and performing brilliantly against England, Prasidh Krishna came into the IPL high on confidence. The good news for the Kolkata Knight Riders is that the young strike bowler remains in good touch.
Bowling at fierce pace, the tall pacer picked up the crucial wicket of David Warner early on in the innings, and also took Mohammad Nabi's wicket to put his team ahead in the contest.
That being said, the young bowler's form would be a huge positive for the Knights to take away from their first assignment of IPL 2021. The team will certainly hope Prasidh Krishna maintains his golden run through the course of the tournament.
Overall, Eoin Morgan will be a very happy captain after his team's all-round show against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Nitish Rana's batting masterclass and crucial contributions from Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik powered the team to a good total of 187. Their bowling attack, on the other hand, did well to defend the total.
The Kolkata Knight Riders' next assignment will be against five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Chennai on April 13. The Knights will hope to carry their current momentum into the game, while the Mumbai Indians will look to recover from their loss to RCB in the tournament opener.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
