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The Kolkata Knight Riders finally broke their five-game losing streak as they defeated the dominant Rajasthan Royals. KKR started the game on the front foot with early wickets. Similarly, they managed to dismiss the orange cap holder Jos Butler for a tame 22 which restricted the Royals to just 152. In the second innings, they also had a shaky start as they lost Aaron Finch early. But captain Shreyas Iyer followed by Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh sealed a convincing victory for the two-time champions.
Changes in the points table
After the 47th match of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders are seventh on the table with eight points from ten games. They also have a net run rate of +0.060. Whereas the Rajasthan Royals are third on the table with 12 points from ten games with a net run rate of +0.340.
Today’s Matchup
The table-toppers Gujarat Titans take on the Punjab Kings for the second time this season. In their previous fixture, Hardik Pandya’s team registered a five-wicket victory. Similarly, the Titans enter this game after winning another thrilling game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in contrast to PBKS who lost their match against Lucknow Super Giants.
What do the captains say?
Winning captain Shreyas Iyer praised his teammates for an incredible victory as he said, “Right from the powerplay when our bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took a wicket, it was just the start we needed. We have been talking about Umesh right from the start. He has increased his pace, bowls those hard lengths and as a captain you just have to give him the ball to deliver. Whenever I give Sunil Narine the ball, he gets me wickets, but the batsmen don't take chances against him. He is very economical, but when he gets a wicket, he gets a big one. “
“The way Rinku is maintaining is calm, playing only his second or third game, is outstanding. He is a great asset for the franchise for the future. The way he gets his starts, he doesn't look like a newcomer. We are looking for a good start. I love pressure, but it sweats a lot of me to build the innings in every game. Before the start of the game, I told Mavi, Rinku and Anukul to take the tough positions on the field. Mavi's catch of Buttler was superb.”
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson was disappointed with the team’s performance as he said, “The wicket was a bit slow, but they also bowled really well but with the kind of batting we had, would have liked a few more boundaries at the end and finish off a bit better. I think we were short by 15-20 runs. Having few niggles from the last couple of games, It's feeling good now and I'm recovering well. It's a great effort (with the ball), we showed some real fight in the game and the energy was really amazing.”
“Personally, we should have batted a bit more better. Of course, win the next toss for sure. We have to keep on assessing the game and who is batting with you, wickets at the wrong time stopped myself to keep on going with the momentum. Wanted to build up the partnership and when I wanted to go hard I think they bowled really well and we couldn't execute our shots.”