IPL 2018, KKR vs KXIP: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle star as visitors clinch crucial win

Kolkata: Chris Gayle (62*) and KL Rahul (60) starred as Kings XI Punjab beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in an Indian Premier League encounter here at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Having been set-up a target of 192, KXIP got off to a strong start, with the opening duo aggregating 96 runs in the first 8.2 overs. However, on came the covers as rain played spoilsport for more than an hour.

After quite a lengthy rain delay, the run-chase was shortened to 13 overs, with the visitors needing 125 to win.

Soon after the start, Gayle brought up his fifty with a six. KL Rahul, too, followed up, as he got to his second IPL fifty this season. However, soon after that Rahul departed and KKR at least avoided giving KXIP a win by 10 wickets.

However, Gayle finished off the match in style with a six as Ravichandran Ashwin’s men registered another formidable win in IPL 2018.

KXIP 116-1 from 9.4 overs

WICKET! KL Rahul has been dismissed for 60 just when KXIP were inching towards a win.

Rain update

After delay for more than an hour, the match is all set to resume. The match has been shortened to 13 overs, with KXIP needing 125 runs to win.

KXIP 62-0 after 5 overs

WHAT A START! KXIP have had a dream start in the run chase, as in-form batsman Chris Gayle and KL Rahul are in a hurry to reach the target. Gayle and Rahul have scored 34 and 27 runs respectively.

KKR innings

Kolkata Knight Riders finished their innings at 191-7 as Chris Lynn starred with the bat, scoring 74 runs.

The visitors won the toss, and put Dinesh Karthik’s men to bat.

The hosts lost Sunil Narine earlier in the innings, as he was dismissed for one run.

However, Lynn and Robin Uthappa put up a 72-run partnership for the second wicket after which the latter was dismissed for 34.

Dinesh Karthik was the next batsman to produce some runs, as his knock of 43 led the hosts to a respectable total.

KKR 159-5 from 16.5 overs

WICKET! Andre Russell's stint at the crease is short-lived as he has been dismissed for 10 runs, gifting the wicket to Barinder Sran.

KKR 147-4 from 15.2 overs

WICKET! In-form Chris Lynn has been dismissed for 74, as Andrew Tye provides the breakthrough. This is a huge wicket for KXIP.

KKR 85-3 from 9.4 overs

WICKET! Nitish Rana has been run-out for three runs as KKR lose another wicket.

KKR 78-2 from 8.1 overs

WICKET! Captain Ravichandran Ashwin gets his first wicket as he removes Robin Uthappa for 34 runs. Karun Nair was the man at deep mid-wicket to take the catch.

KKR 55-1 from 7 overs

Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn have taken the hosts past 50, after recovering from the early blow as they lost Narine early.

KKR 6-1 from 1.3 overs

WICKET! Mujeeb Ur Rehman strikes as he removes Sunil Narine early. KKR lose their first wicket.

Preview

2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) table leaders Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) square off against Ravichandran Ashwin’s Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) side at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

The men in gold and purple are coming into this match after an emphatic 7 wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the previous encounter. The visitors, on the other hand sit on the fourth place and also have the same points under new captain Ravichandran Ashwin.

Punjab, boasting of an explosive batting line-up will face a tough test from the KKR bowlers who have proved to be quiet effective at their fortress.

Toss:

KXIP win toss, elect to bowl

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (c and WK), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, R Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Wankhade, Ishank Jaggi and Tom Curran.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, AJ Tye, Mohit Sharma and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 4 pm IST on Friday (April 21)

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.