Shubman Gill’s mature innings helped Kolkata Knight Riders notch up their first win of IPL 2020 with a fair degree of ease. The KKR opener scored 70 off 62 balls to help his team chase down SRH’s 142/4 with 12 balls to spare.
KKR lost a few quick wickets in their chase and were reduced to 53/3 before Gill found a willing partner in Eoin Morgan. Together, they put on an unbroken stand of 92 off 70 balls as KKR cantered to a seven-wicket victory.
On the day, SRH had no answers. Gill and Morgan (42 off 29) played with control and did not feel pressured at any point.
Gill’s innings was particularly impressive as he just did all the right things. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone by playing big shots. This was all about winning the match and it showed.
Cummins shows his class
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders put up a disciplined effort with Pat Cummins brilliantly spearheading the attack to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to a modest 142 for four.
Having drawn flak for bowling short against Mumbai Indians, the IPL’s most-expensive overseas buy returned tidy figures of 1/19, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy (1/25) outfoxed the dangerous David Warner to derail SRH early on.
Manish Pandey returned to form at No. 3 with a 38-ball 51 and along with Wriddhiman Saha (30 off 31 balls), tried to repair the damage but the duo were dismissed at the death and SRH lacked the finishing touch to settle for a seemingly below-par total.
Unlike their last match against Mumbai Indians, KKR looked more intent and aggressive with their approach, having brought in Sunil Narine and Cummins upfront with the new ball.
Cummins smartly altered his length and bowled Jonny Bairstow with an absolute ripper to give KKR the first breakthrough.
In his second-coming, architect-turned mystery spinner Chakravarthy dismissed a well-set Warner (36 off 30) in a soft manner for his maiden IPL wicket, giving KKR the big breakthrough.
The Australian left-hander, who got out cheaply against Royal Challengers Bangalore, looked to make a mark with some clean hits, but a lapse in concentration did him in and he spooned a simple catch to Chakravarthy.
The two wickets meant that SRH could not step up the momentum and at the halfway mark, at 61 for two, the run-rate was just above six.
(With inputs from PTI)
Video courtesy: iplt20.com
