Kolkata Knight Riders thumped into their third victory of IPL 2020 after a gainful second half bowling against the CSK on Wednesday. At one point CSK looked really strong before they lost the wicket of MS Dhoni leading to change the outcome of the game.
During the toss, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and chose to bat first. KKR experimented with the opening batting by promoting Rahul Tripathi with Shubman Gill.
That move turned to be a successful move as Tripathi played flamboyantly and scored 81 runs off 51 balls studded with 8 boundaries and three sixes.
With a mere contribution from the middle order, KKR managed to reach a total of 167/10 after 20 overs. DJ Bravo finished as the leading wicket-taker with 3/37 in his spell, while Sam Curran, Karn Sharma and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each.
KKR bowlers had a daunting task of defending the target in front of the in-form opening duo of Watson and du Plessis.
CSK had a good start but lost the wicket of du Plessis (17 runs) in the 4th over. Shane Watson went on to score his second consecutive half-century and also remained the highest-scorer of the side.
CSK had a strong grip of the match as it neared the end and required 66 runs off 42 balls. However, Kamlesh Nagarkoti removed Ambati Rayudu and unsettled the entire CSK batting lineup.
From there on, CSK batsmen consumed more deliveries, leading to more pressure on them. The required run-rate kept on rising and subsequently, CSK succumbed to defeat by 10 runs.
Rahul Tripathi became the player of the match for his spectacular knock of 81 runs and also the highest scorer of the night.
