Kolkata Knight Riders proved they are no one-dimensional team as they replaced Mumbai Indians at the top of the Indian Premier League table with a seven-wicket victory over Rising Pune Supergiant yesterday.
The visitors got over the line with 11 balls to spare in chasing down a target of 183 with Robin Uthappa leading the way with a 47-ball knock of 87 runs.
Pune were without the services of all-rounder Ben Stokes, who bowled well in their last match, but still managed to put up a total of 182 for five on a pitch that captain Steve Smith later described in the post-match presentation as “slow, but the dew came on in the chase. The wicket just sped up and became very good to bat on.”
Uthappa, who has had a quiet tournament so far, chose to step up to the plate for Kolkata. He later said he was always “really confident” in himself.
Despite being the IPL’s new leaders, Uthappa had a word of caution: “It is very important to respect the momentum we have created.
“Teams tend to fall off in the second half of the tournament, so it is something we have spoken about.”
It was an evening for the top-order batsmen for both sides. For Pune, openers Ajinkya Rahane (46) and Rahul Tripathi (38) continued where they left off from Monday with Smith completing his half-century before their quota of 20 overs were completed.
In reply, Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir (62) provided able support to Uthappa after they got off to a flying start from Sunil Narine. The makeshift opener scored 16 of the team’s first 20 runs on the board before he was run out.
Royal Challengers Bangalore host Gujarat Lions today.
* The National staff
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