Diabytes
IPL 2017, Match 23: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Lions — As it happened...
The Lions finally roared, and breached a seemingly impregnable Kolkata Knight Riders fortress at Eden Gardens, thanks to a superlative performance from Gujarat captain Suresh Raina.
GUJARAT LIONS WON BY 4 WICKETS WITH 10 BALLS REMAINING
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The Lions finally roared, and breached a seemingly impregnable Kolkata Knight Riders fortress at Eden Gardens thanks to a superlative performance from Gujarat captain Suresh Raina.
Skipper Suresh Raina led from the front to help struggling Gujarat Lions to a comprehensive four-wicket win over two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing a challenging 188-run target set by KKR, Raina led from the front with a blistering 46-ball 84-run knock. He also took a wicket, that of Sunil Narine, to break the KKR opening stand. He was ably supported by Brendon McCullum (33) and Aaron Finch (31) who stitched 42 runs off just 21 balls for the opening stand to get Gujarat Lions' chase off to a flier.
Over 18.2 || Score 188/6 - Ravindra Jadeja 19(13b); James Faulkner 4(2b)
Nathan Coulter-Nile on with his last over. A single to James Faulkner, then Ravindra Jadeja hit the next ball for a four to wrap up the match.
The Gujarat Lions won by four wickets with 10 balls remaining.
Over 18 || Score 183/6 - Ravindra Jadeja 15(12b); James Faulkner 3(1b)
Skipper Suresh Raina played a brilliant knock, helping the Gujarat Lions hope again. Hit a six, then offered his wicket. Manish Pandey took the catch at point.
WICKET: Suresh Raina c Manish Pandey b Kuldeep Yadav 84 (46b)
That happened off the fifth ball, and the very next ball, Ravindra Jadeja almost lost his wicket. A tight third run, that's not needed.
Kuldeep Yadav thus ended his spell, for figures of 4-0-33-2.
12 runs from the over. Five needed of 12 balls.
Over 17 || Score 171/5 - Suresh Raina 77(43b); Ravindra Jadeja 13(10b)
Nathan Coulter-Nile returned for his third over. Suresh Raina welcomed him with a four, a straight drive. A dot ball followed, then the Lions skipper played the third ball past backward point. It was followed by a well-timed six, over deep square leg. Two singles to end the 16-run over.
Raina & Co need another 17 runs from 18 balls.
Over 16 || Score 155/5 - Suresh Raina 62(38b); Ravindra Jadeja 12(9b)
Sunil Narine, on with his last over, started well. A single to Suresh Raina, then three dot balls to Ravindra Jadeja.
But off the fifth ball, Jadeja failed to time his slog sweep and took a top-edge, which travelled to the deep. On the rope, Suryakumar Yadav tried to pull off a special, but in his first attempt, his trailing leg caught the boundary rope.
He quickly signaled a six, and it was confirmed on replay.
A double to end the nine-run over.
Narin's figures: 4-0-42-0.
The Lions need another 33 runs from 24 balls.
TIME-OUT
Over 15 || Score 146/5 - Suresh Raina 61(37b); Ravindra Jadeja 4(4b)
Umesh Yadav continued with his second over. A six to start it, with Suresh Raina hitting the off-cutter over mid-wicket boundary.
A leg-bye, then a single.
A dot ball, then Raina timed his shot to perfection and the ball beat the third man fielder for a four. A single to end the 13-run over.
The Lions need another 42 runs from 30 balls.
Over 14 || Score 133/5 - Suresh Raina 50(32b); Ravindra Jadeja 3(3b)
Kuldeep Yadav on for his third over, and nine runs from it. Four singles from the first four balls, then Suresh Raina hit the fifth ball for a four, an lucky inside edge which beat the wicket and also the wicket-keeper.
A single, and FIFTY for him.
Over 13 || Score 124/5 - Suresh Raina 43(28b); Ravindra Jadeja 1(1b)
Bowling change. Umesh Yadav on, and what a delivery it was to castle Dwayne Smith.
WICKET: Dwayne Smith b Umesh Yadav 5 (4b)
That happened off the fourth ball. The swinging delivery breached the defence, and crashed into the stumps.
Five runs from the over, all singles. New man Ravindra Jadeja took a single off the first ball he faced.
The Lions still need 64 runs from 42 balls.
Over 12 || Score 119/4 - Suresh Raina 40(25b); Dwayne Smith 4(2b)
Kuldeep Yadav continued with his second over. And he got the wicket of struggling Ishan Kishan, caught at deep by Umesh Yadav.
WICKET: Ishan Kishan c Umesh Yadav b Kuldeep Yadav 4 (11b)
That happened off the fourth ball of the over.
The over started with a four, hit by Suresh Raina. Then, there was also a second four, hit by new man Dwayne Smith. Nine runs from the over.
Over 11 || Score 110/3 - Suresh Raina 35(23b); Ishan Kishan 4(9b)
Then, the Lions captain Suresh Raina responded in style, hitting two fours in the next over, bowled by Sunil Narine.
Two singles off the first two balls, then Raina lofted over extra cover for the first four. A dot ball later, he found the gap at backward square leg.
A single to end the over, and 11 runs from it.
Over 10 || Score 99/3 - Suresh Raina 25(18b); Ishan Kishan 3(8b)
Bowling change for KKR. Left arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav on.
A single to Suresh Raina to start the spell. Another single followed, then a dot ball to Raina. A single, then dot balls to end the over.
Brilliant over. Only three runs from it. The visitors need another 89 runs from 60 balls.
Over 9 || Score 96/3 - Suresh Raina 23(15b); Ishan Kishan 2(5b)
Skipper Suresh Raina hit a four off the first ball, beating the fielder at cover. He then got a lifeline, with Yusuf Pathan dropping a catch at fine leg. And it went for a six.
Three more singles to make it a 13-run over.
TIME-OUT
Over 8 || Score 83/3 - Suresh Raina 11(11b); Ishan Kishan 1(3b)
Nathan Coulter-Nile returned for his second over. A double to start the over, with new man Dinesh Karthik playing through mid-wicket.
But Coulter-Nile got his wicket next ball, thanks to a great catch by Gautam Gambhir at cover. A leading edge, and the skipper produced a full body length dive to complete the catch.
WICKET: Dinesh Karthik c Gautam Gambhir b Nathan Coulter-Nile 3 (3b)
Ishan Kishan, the new man, took a single off the first ball he faced.
Four runs and a wicket.
The Lions need another 105 runs from 12 over.
Over 7 || Score 79/2 - Suresh Raina 10(10b); Dinesh Karthik 1(1b)
Bowling change for KKR, and what a masterstroke from the skipper Gautam Gambhir. Seven runs and a wicket, that of Brendon McCullum.
WICKET: Brendon McCullum c Manish Pandey b Chris Woakes 33 (17b)
A single off the first ball to Suresh Raina, then McCullum played a lofted drive and it seemed to be travelling. But a good catch at the rope by Manish Pandey meant that the Kiwi great was going home.
Raina, however, hit a four off the last ball. Dinesh Karthik is the new man.
Over 6 || Score 72/1 - Brendon McCullum 33(16b); Suresh Raina 4(6b)
Shakib Al Hasan on with his third over. Ten runs from the over — four singles, a double and a four.
The over started with a single to Brendon McCullum. It was followed by two leg-byes. Suresh Raina took a single off the third ball, then McCullum played a brilliant sweep shot for a four.
Two singles, and 10 runs. The Lions still need another 116 runs from 14 overs.
It's raining, not heavy, but enough to force the umpires to stop the match. Covers out. KKR still need another 126 runs in 90 balls.
Over 5 || Score 62/1 - Brendon McCullum 27(13b); Suresh Raina 2(3b)
Change of ends for Sunil Narine. Two singles off the first two balls, then a dropped catch. Robin Uthappa could have done better. Thick edge and the ball almost landed inside the gloves.
A single, then a double followed. A single to end the six-run over.
Over 4 || Score 56/1 - Brendon McCullum 23(10b); Suresh Raina 0(0b)
Bowling change for KKR. Nathan Coulter-Nile on. And wicket for him, off the third legal delivery.
The tall fast bowler started with slower deliveries, including a no-ball, and he even managed to tie down Aaron Finch on reload. Coulter-Nile, then produced a quicker bouncer, and Finch was undone by it. Failed to control his pull shot, and caught at deep square leg by Manish Pandey.
WICKET: Aaron Finch c Manish Pandey b Nathan Coulter-Nile 31 (15b)
Then skipper Suresh Raina joined Brendon McCullum, who hit a four and six off the next two balls, having made the change-over.
It was followed by another four. He reached to the ball, and made enough connection to beat the fielder at backward point.
16 runs from the over.
Over 3 || Score 40/0 - Aaron Finch 31(12b); Brendon McCullum 8(6b)
Shakib Al Hasan continued with his second over. A dot ball to Brendon McCullum, then a leg bye. Aaron Finch, then, took over. A four off the third ball, through mid-on. A dot ball, then a four and six to end the over – both in the long-on area.
15 runs from the over.
Over 2 || Score 25/0 - Aaron Finch 17(8b); Brendon McCullum 8(4b)
Sunil Narine shared the new ball with Shakib Al Hasan. And one expensive, that was.
A dot ball off the first ball, then a double. It was followed by a four, played over extra cover. Then another dot. Finch hit the next ball for a six over deep mid-wicket. It was followed by another four, through extra cover.
16 runs from the over.
Over 1 || Score 9/0 - Aaron Finch 1(2b); Brendon McCullum 8(4b)
Shakib Al Hasan resumed the proceedings with a dot ball to Aaron Finch. Playing his first match of the season, the Bangladeshi all-rounder did well to read Finch's stance and sent down flatter deliveries, restricting the hitting zone. But a single off the second ball.
Then, Brendon McCullum played a ferocious straight drive off the third ball. And umpire Nitin Menon was lucky not have hit by that. It stayed hit. A dot ball, then a four as McCullum crunched through covers.
A dot ball to end the nine-run over.
Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa played contrasting knocks to power Kolkata Knight Riders to a good total on a top which looks like a batting stripe. Skipper Gautam Gambhir contributed with 33.
For the visitors, skipper Suresh Raina was brilliant. He even took a wicket, to break the Gambhir-Uthappa stand which was threatening to maul the bowling attack. Then, there were Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner doing their bits.
One would say, KKR's total is some 15-20 runs short.
Over 20 || Score 187/3 - Yusuf Pathan 11(4b); Shakib Al Hasan 1(1b)
Young Basil Thampi with the final over. A brilliant yorker to Manish Pandey for a dot. But Pandey hit the next ball for a four. He converted it to a full toss, and slashed through the point area.
Thampi responded brilliantly. A well directed yorker with a hint of reverse, and the wicket castled.
WICKET: Manish Pandey b Basil Thampi 24 (21b)
New man Suryakumar Yadav took a single off the first ball he faced, giving the strike to Yusuf Pathan. Another single, no, Yadav wanted a second but, he was sent back, and Brendon McCullum's throw was collected by Dinesh Karthik, before producing a direct hit.
WICKET: Suryakumar Yadav run out 1 (1b)
New man Shakib Al Hasan took a single off the last ball. Seven runs from the over.
Over 19 || Score 180/2 - Manish Pandey 20(18b); Yusuf Pathan 10(3b)
Experienced Praveen Kumar on with the penultimate over of the innings. A single to start as Manish Pandey played towards long-on.
Then the wicket of Robin Uthappa, caught at long-on by Brendon McCullum.
WICKET: Robin Uthappa c Brendon McCullum b Praveen Kumar 72 (48b)
Uthappa failed to control his flick, and ended up lofting the ball for an easy catch for McCullum. That happened off the second ball.
Pandey, having crossed, did well to block the perfectly executed slower-yorker. A single, and the new man Yusuf Pathan played straight to Aaron Finch at long-off. Misfield and a double.
Pathan picked the perfect place to played his lofted cover drive, and the ball beat Finch, for a four. A full toss, and Pathan played with some caution, and it beat the fielder at fine-leg boundary. A four to end the over.
12 runs from the over.
Over 18 || Score 168/2 - Robin Uthappa 72(47b); Manish Pandey 18(16b)
Basil Thampi on with his third over. A four to start as Robin Uthappa played a brilliantly time cover drive over the fielder. Then a six, over deep mid-wicket. Big one.
Thampi responded well, trapping Uthappa in front, but the umpire thought otherwise. Dot ball. Then a single followed.
Manish Pandey took a double off the next ball, and a well-directed yorker to end the over. Still 14 runs from the over.
Over 17 || Score 154/2 - Robin Uthappa 61(43b); Manish Pandey 15(14b)
James Faulkner on for his last over. He started with a well disguised slower delivery, for a dot. Another slow ball, but this time, Robin Uthappa played a scoop over the wicketkeeper for a double.
Three singles and a swing and miss from Manish Pandey to end the over. Brilliant over from the Aussie all-rounder. Five runs.
Faulkner's figures: 4-0-38-1.
Over 16 || Score 149/2 - Robin Uthappa 57(39b); Manish Pandey 14(14b)
Basil Thampi on for his second over. Eight runs from the over. Good one, given the circumstances.
A dot ball to Manish Pandey, the a single. It was followed by a four as Robin Uthappa took full advantage of the missed yorker. Flicked with some conviction.
A dot ball, then a single. Pandey took a double off the last ball.
TIME-OUT
Over 15 || Score 141/2 - Robin Uthappa 52(36b); Manish Pandey 11(9b)
Ravindra Jadeja on for his final over. Nine runs from the with Robin Uthappa destroying an otherwise good looking figures in the over.
Two dot balls, then a single. Uthappa, again, played that late cut for a four. It was followed by a glam shot, lapping up over the wicketkeeper. And it was his second fifty of the season. It came of 35 balls.
Jadeja's figures: 4-0-31-0
Over 14 || Score 132/2 - Robin Uthappa 44(33b); Manish Pandey 10(6b)
James Faulkner continued with his third over. A double to start to Robin Uthappa, then a single. Manish Pandey hit the next ball for a four through fine leg area. A single, then Faulkner almost trapped Uthappa. Ball was little high . One leg bye, then another single to end the 10-run over.
Over 13 || Score 122/2 - Robin Uthappa 41(30b); Manish Pandey 4(3b)
Ravindra Jadeja on with his third over. Good one from the star player. A double off the first ball, to Manish Pandey. It was followed by a single, then a dot.
Three singles from the next three balls. Six runs from it. KKR have scored 44 runs in the last five overs, losing the wicket of skipper Gautam Gambhir.
Over 12 || Score 116/2 - Robin Uthappa 32(27b); Manish Pandey 0(0b)
James Faulkner returned for his second over. Robin Uthappa hit the first ball for a four, he deliberately played pass the wicketkeeper.
A single, then Gautam Gambhir played a skier, which was taken brilliantly by Suresh Raina at mid-wicket.
WICKET: Gautam Gambhir c Suresh Raina b James Faulkner 33 (28b)
That happened off the third ball, and Uthappa took a double off the last ball after blocking the previous two balls.
Manish Pandey joined him in the centre. Seven runs from the over.
Over 11 || Score 109/1 - Gautam Gambhir 33(27b); Robin Uthappa 32(22b)
Dhawal Kulkarni returned for his second over. And he's got a rude welcome from Robin Uthappa, a flat six over deep mid-wicket boundary. Two singles followed, then a short lenght delivery was played with delicate hands for a four, between the short third man and backward point fielders.
A single, then a dot ball, to end the over. 13 runs from it.
Over 10 || Score 96/1 - Gautam Gambhir 32(25b); Robin Uthappa 20(18b)
Dwayne Smith continued with his second over. A dot ball to Gautam Gambhir, then four overthrows. Nasty fielding from Ravindra Jadeja, having a look at the stumps at the striker's end but no cover for him.
It was followed by four singles, even as Gambhir took some liberty to play lofted shots.
Eight runs from the over.
Over 9 || Score 88/1 - Gautam Gambhir 26(21b); Robin Uthappa 18(16b)
Ravindra Jadeja on with his second over. A single to Gautam Gambhir, then Robin Uthappa tried to play a reverse sweep. Lucky, he escaped. Too full, and missing the line. One leg bye for the effort.
Then, Gautam Gambhir lofted Jadeja for a big six over mid-wicket. Surprisingly, it was his first six of the season.
Three singles from the next three balls, and 11 runs from the over.
TIME-OUT
Over 8 || Score 77/1 - Gautam Gambhir 17(17b); Robin Uthappa 17(14b)
Another bowling change. Dwayne Smith on with his slow medium pacers. The West Indian did well to restrict the scoring rate, busy over though.
Four singles of the first four balls, then a wide for height. On reload, Gautam Gambhir took a single. Then a dot ball to end the six-run over.
Over 7 || Score 71/1 - Gautam Gambhir 14(14b); Robin Uthappa 15(11b)
Bowling change. Ravindra Jadeja on. Six singles. Good start from the front-line spinner.
Scoring rate has somehow subdued. Certainly a build-up period for the batting side after losing Sunil Narine.
Over 6 || Score 65/1 - Gautam Gambhir 11(11b); Robin Uthappa 12(8b)
Suresh Raina continued with his second over, and two singles off the first two balls. But there some drama off the second ball. Aaron Finch should have done better than stopping a four. He was going for the catch at long-on, but he slowed down at the last moment. Lucky Robin Uthappa. One off it.
Another single followed, then Uthappa hit a four, sweeping with control. A dot ball, and another single to end the eight-run over.
Over 5 || Score 57/1 - Gautam Gambhir 9(9b); Robin Uthappa 6(4b)
Another new bowler for the Lions. Dhawal Kulkarni, who was one break star for them last season, on. But right-arm pacer failed to impressed in his first over.
A four to start with Robin Uthappa timing his angled shot to perfection. A dot ball, then a single. Gautam Gambir hit the third ball for a four, a cracking cover drive. A dot ball, followed.
A single to end the 10-run over.
Over 4 || Score 47/1 - Gautam Gambhir 4(6b); Robin Uthappa 1(1b)
Bowling change. Skipper Suresh Raina introduced himself, and he was welcome with a single by the rival captain Gautam Gambhir.
Raina then removed Sunil Narine, caught at mid-on by James Faulkner.
WICKET: Sunil Narine c James Faulkner b Suresh Raina 42 (17b)
Robin Uthappa joined skipper Gambhir in the centre. Three runs from the over.
Over 3 || Score 44/0 ; Sunil Narine 42(16b); Gautam Gambhir 2(2b)
Bowling change for the Gujarat Lions. Basil Thampi on. A single off the first ball, with Gautam Gambhir taking a risky run. A dot ball followed, then the same story...
Sunil Narine hit back-to-back fours off the third and fourth ball, and this time, he also added a six off the fifth ball, straight over bowler's head. Pure timing. A dot to end the over. That's Narine's highest T20 cricket.
15 runs from the over.
Over 2 || Score 29/0 ; Sunil Narine 28(11b); Gautam Gambhir 1(1b)
James Faulkner shared the new ball with Praveen Kumar. A decent delivery to start with, just outside of the off stump, which was guided towards third man for a single by Gautam Gambhir.
Then, Sunil Narine took over. A four off the second ball, swing and gone, through mid-off. A dot ball, then three back-to-back fours as Narine did everything he can do with the bat.
17 runs from the over.
Over 1 || Score 12/0 ; Sunil Narine 12(6b); Gautam Gambhir 0(0b)
As expected, Sunil Narine opened the batting for KKR with skipper Gautam Gambhir. A dot from Praveen Kumar, then the West Indian flicked the second ball, high in the air, and went for a four.
Praveen responded well, two dot balls, with good enough hint of swing, and beaten both the times. But Narine came down for the fifth ball, and played a lofted straight drive for his second for.
The over ended with another calculated, lofted shot, this time over mid-wicket, for another four. 12 runs from the over.
Today's umpires are Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand and Nitin Menon of India. Nadan is the TV umpire, while Narayan Kutty is the match referee.
Former Aussie captain Michael Clarke rang the gong at Eden Gardens, announcing the start of the game.
Key stats:
- Gambhir needs just one fifty plus innings to become the second Indian and fifth batsman overall to make 50 or more fifty plus scores in T20. Virat Kohli is the first Indian.
- Raina needs eight runs to overtake Kohli as highest run-getter in IPL history. Raina has 4257 runs in 148 innings, as against Kohli's 4264 in 134 innings.
And here are team huddles
#IPL Match 23 - @GautamGambhir & his men are ready for #KKRvGL. Follow the game here - https://t.co/c0deDxN3db @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/48i8ooy8cB
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 21, 2017
#IPL Match 23 - @TheGujaratLions are on the field warming up for #KKRvGL pic.twitter.com/GonPXX9nSM
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 21, 2017
Team news: Big one. Aussie all-rounder James Faulkner is on for the visitors. He replaces Andrew Tye. And, Praveen Kumar returns in for Shivil Kaushik. One change for KKR too. Shakib Al Hasan on for Colin de Grandhomme.
Gujarat Lions XI: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi, Dhawal Kulkarni
Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Gautam Gambhir (C), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Woakes, Sunil Narine, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav
TOSS: Flip for Gautam Gambhir, tails is the call from Suresh Raina, and it is. The Gujarat Lions will bowl first.
Here are likely XIs:
KKR: Gautam Gambhir (C), Colin de Grandhomme, Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Woakes, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav
This is NOT the same XI which take on the Lions in the first leg. Sunil Narine coming in for Piyush Chawla.
GL: Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Suresh Raina (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Aaron Finch/Jason Roy, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Andrew Tye, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi, Shadab Jakati
Star all-rounder Ravinbra Jadeja missed the first-leg, and there was no Ishan Kishan then. Don't be suprised of Jason Roy makes a comeback, and if that's the case, Aaron Finch is likly to loose his place.
Head-to-head: The Gujarat Lions still lead 2-1, thanks to their double last season. But the Kolkata Knight Riders have won the first-leg this season at Rajkot by 10 wickets with 31 balls remaining.
Here's everything you need to know about the match:
TEAMS
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (C), Darren Bravo, Trent Boult, Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter Nile, Colin De Grandhomme, Rishi Dhawan, Sayan Ghosh, Shaikb-Al-Hasan, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Ishank Jaggi, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Woakes, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Ankit Rajpoot, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa (wk) and Umesh Yadav.
ALSO READ: PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina (C), Akshadeep Nath, Shubham Agarwal, Basil Thampi, Dwayne Bravo, Chirag Suri, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Manpreet Gony, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Dinesh Kartik (wk), Dhaval Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik, Praveen Kumar, Brendon McCullum (wk), Munaf Patel, Pratham Singh, Jason Roy, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Shelly Shaurya, Nathu Singh, Dwayne Smith, Tejas Baroka and Andrew Tye.
When and where to watch the match:
Date & Time: April 21 (Friday) at 20:00 pm IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
TV Listing: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD and SET MAX.
Online Streaming: Sony LIV, Hotstar
The two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are presently second in the Indian Premier League (IPL) table, and they play host to bottom-placed the Gujarat Lions at the iconic Eden Gardens today.
A win for the Gautam Gambhir-led outfit will help them leapfrog league leaders Mumbai Indians, thanks to their superior run-rate, at the top of the table. With a much better run rate of +1.013, nothing other than an upset today will be able to prevent KKR from claiming the summit of the standings.
For the visiting team, a win is a must to get out of the rot they have put themselves into. They have lost four of the five games played so far, which included a thumping at the hands of KKR. It was one of the matches people are still talking about, wherein KKR openers Gambhir and Chris Lynn chased down Lions' 183 inside 15th over. A record.
Not just that, the Lions' net run-rate is -1.096, lowest in the league.
READ FULL PREVIEW HERE
Now, on the second Friday after that encounter at Rajkot, KKR will go all out to inflict another defeat to the Lions, who secured a double last season in the same fixture. And by the look of things, it seems like a reversal is on the cards.
For that to happen, the Kolkata outfit will still need to play the same aggressive brand of cricket which has proved well for them, so far. In contrast, to deny a double, the Lions will need to find a winning formula. But it will be a huge ask for the visitors to make it happen.
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