De Kock was unbeaten on 97 © IPL After a loss in their opening game, Kolkata Knight Riders hit the straps with a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. KKR’s spinners, despite the absence of Sunil Narine, did a fine job as they restricted RR to 151/9. Quinton de Kock then powered the reply with an unbeaten 97 off 61, which included 8 fours and six sixes, as KKR cantered to the target in 17.3 overs. Where was the game won? The middle overs. On a wicket assisting the spinners, KKR used spin for seven out of the nine overs in this period, with Moeen Ali, replacing an unwell Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakaravarthy hampering RR’s progress. Between them, they conceded just a six and a four while picking up four wickets, as RR managed only 56/5 in this phase, with only 22 runs in boundaries. In contrast, de Kock paced his innings well, chose his shots wisely and ensured KKR did not fall behind in the middle overs even though spin was used predominantly by RR as well. De Kock got good support from Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi as KKR got 22 more than what RR did in the 7-15 overs phase, with 38 runs coming in boundaries. RAJASTHAN ROYALS PowerPlay – A decent start despite losing Samson early Phase score – 54/1 [RR: 9.00, 4s/6s: 4/4] The RR openers started with nine off Spencer Johnson in the opening over, including a top-edged pull for a four by Yashasvi Jaiswal and a well-placed boundary behind square on the off side for Sanju Samson. An economical 5-run over from Vaibhav Arora was followed by a 12-run over off Johnson, with Jaiswal striking his first six by going over the leg side. Samson, who was tied down by Arora in his first over, decided to move around in the crease and struck a boundary but was bowled soon after as he yorked himself coming down the track. Despite Riyan Parag’s six off Harshit Rana, the bowler conceded only 7 runs in the fifth over. A six apiece for Parag and Jaiswal off Arora helped RR cross 50 in the final over of the powerplay. Middle overs – Spinners run riot to leave RR in disarray Phase score – 56/5 [RR: 6.22, 4s/6s: 4/1] Despite scoring two sixes and two fours in the powerplay, Jaiswal wasn’t at his fluent best, mistiming and not able to find the gaps. Parag, on the other hand, was scoring a lot quicker and hit his third six when he put away a short ball from Varun. But RR’s stand-in skipper departed in the same over, a lofted attempt going awry as Quinton de Kock held on to a high catch. Moeen was doing a tidy job at the other end and got his reward as Jaiswal handed a catch to long on. Wanindu Hasaranga, coming in for Fazalhaq Farooqi, was promoted up the order but the move didn’t work as he became Varun’s second scalp. To add to RR’s woes, Nitish Rana tried to make room for himself but was bowled by Moeen, who finished with impressive figures of 2-23. Dhruv Jurel got a couple of lucky boundaries off Harshit as RR got to the 100 mark in the 14th over. Shubham Dubey, the impact sub, fell to Arora after striking a boundary, leaving RR with a lot of work to do at 110/6 after 15 overs. Death overs – An underwhelming finish for RR Phase score – 41/3 [RR: 8.20, 4s/6s: 3/2] Varun finished his spell at the start of the death overs, conceding only 2 off his last over to end up with 2 for 17. Jurel struck two fours off Harshit in the 17th, which yielded 11 runs. But only 8 came off the next over, bowled by Johnson. Harshit ended his spell with a fine over, bagging the wickets of Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer, with only 7 coming in the 19th over despite Jofra Archer’s six. Archer also hit a six off Johnson in the final over before getting bowled by the Australian pacer as RR just about managed to cross 150. KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS PowerPlay – RR keep KKR openers in check Phase score – 40/0 [RR: 6.66, 4s/6s: 4/2] Fresh off bowling the most expensive IPL spell, Archer started with good pace and bounce as he troubled Moeen in the opening over, conceding only 2 runs. De Kock pulled Maheesh Theekshana for the first four of the innings before taking on Archer, fiercely cutting and pulling the England pacer for a four and a six. The South African then swept Theekshana for a six but only nine came in that over, followed by a six-run over from Parag as RR kept KKR in check by slowing it down. Sandeep Sharma, with his variations, completed the containing job in the powerplay for RR, albeit without any wicket, as he gave away only 5, with KKR becoming the first team with a sub-50 PP total in this IPL. Middle overs – De Kock keeps KKR on track Phase score – 78/2 [RR: 8.66, 4s/6s: 5/3] Moeen’s struggle (5 off 12) eventually came to an end when he was run out attempting a second. Hasaranga then came into the attack and was struck for a four each by de Kock and Ajinkya Rahane as KKR went past 50 in the eighth over, two more than what RR took. On a wicket aiding the slower bowlers, Parag bowled a third and continued to keep it tight. Theekshana and RR then burnt a review going upstairs for an lbw decision, followed by a well-executed pull for a six by Rahane that eased some of the pressure. In the same over, de Kock reviewed an leg-before decision and this time too, the eventual decision went against RR. Hasaranga struck in his second over, getting Rahane to top-edge a sweep before de Kock cleared the deep midwicket fence to bring up a 36-ball fifty. He also struck a six off Parag in his final over, while Hasaranga was hit for two fours (one each for de Kock and Raghuvanshi) as KKR crossed 100 in the 13th over, an over quicker than RR. A boundary for Raghuvanshi off Rana brought down the required rate, which was 8.2 at the end of the 10th over, to 6.8 at the end of the 15th. Death overs – KKR win with plenty to spare Phase score – 35/0 [RR: 14.00, 4s/6s: 2/2] With 34 needed off 5 overs, it was smooth sailing for KKR. A boundary of Tushar Deshpande, was followed by Theekshana giving away 5 wides, making it easier for KKR. De Kock finished it off in the 18th over, striking a four and two sixes off Archer to power his team’s convincing victory. Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29; Varun Chakaravarthy 2-17, Moeen Ali 2-23) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 153/2 in 17.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 97*, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 22*; Wanindu Hasaranga 1-34) by 8 wickets. What next? The Royals stay back in Guwahati where they’ll play their next home game against Chennai Super Kings on March 30. The Knight Riders will fly to Mumbai for their next match against Mumbai Indians on March 31.
