Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 81 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023's clash at the iconic Eden Gardens stadium on Thursday (April 6).
Faf Du Plessis-led RCB were the favourites ahead of the match as they were high on confidence after beating the mighty Mumbai Indians (MI) in their campaign opener. Meanwhile, KKR were jolted in their opener against Punjab Kings but Nitish Rana's men launched a stunning comeback trounced the star-studded RCB in the following match.
Batting first KKR didn't get off to a great start as they were once reeling at 89/5. But Lord Shardul Thakur's all-round prowess turned it around for the Kolkata-based franchise as he pummelled a lightning 68 off 29 to help his side post a daunting total of 204/7. The spin troika of Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma and Sunil Narine did the rest to clinch the issue in KKR's favour.
But Mandeep Singh once again disappointed with his lacklustre show as he had to return to the pavilion without scoring a run on the very first ball he faced. India's legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar too was not happy with the Mandeep is going about the tournament. Notably, Mandeep could only score 2 off 4 in the first game against PBKS while opening.
"He finds a franchise every time but he hasn't done much," Sunil Gavaskar said about Mandeep.
Talking about the match, Shardul Thakur proved his all-round prowess yet again as he hammered his maiden T20 half-century and snared a wicket to help KKR earn an emphatic 81-run win over RCB. Asked to bat, KKR relied on magnificent fifties from two traded players, Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (57; 44b) and Shardul, to enable KKR post a formidable 204/7. The host benefitted from the magic of its spinners, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, who captured four wickets, and debutant impact player Suyash Sharma, to bundle out RCB for 123.
RCB will next face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 10, while KKR will lock horns with defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 9.
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