Kolkata Knight Riders Demolish Rajasthan Royals in the IPL
Winning this match came with a big reward for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they were able to book their spot in the play-off finals for the Indian Premier League. This match was a one-sided affair with the hosts laying waste to the visitors’ batting lineup in the first few overs. With the tail also crumbling quickly, the Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t have a huge challenge in finding the runs to quickly win this game.
India has always held a fascination with cricket as it’s main sport. The current posture of the Indian Premier League shows no signs of deceleration, and in-fact things will only get more exciting for the team as they traverse the country in packed stadiums next year. ©PDPics/Pixabay
It was the final group game in the series for both teams involved in this matchup. It was Kolkata Knight Riders frontman Shubham Gill that really took up the mantle in this fight and led the charge with the bat. Delivering a massive 56 off 44 balls, his contributions were a significant factor in the overall innings from the hosts who finished on an impressive 171-4 after the 20 overs.
On the opposite side of the coin, the Rajasthan Royals only managed a dismal 85 all out as the batting line-up crumbled in the face of some fantastic bowling from the Kolkata Knight Riders. They were sharp too in the field, capitalizing on several badly timed shots and taking some valuable early catches as the visitors desperately tried to keep up with the unrelenting run rate.
Indian Premier League cricket has for a long time been a staple of the game in the far east, and each season some of the world’s best and greatest players venture into the region to play in one of the sport’s most prolific leagues. Given the successful victory delivered this weekend for the Kolkata Knight Riders, they find themselves now sitting in 4th place guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs for the coveted trophy. Rajasthan Royals finish the season in 7th place, meaning their wait for another IPL trophy continues.
Kolkata Knight Riders Prove that Caution Prevails
In arguably the most important game of the season thus far for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team made a very cautious start not going too aggressive from the jump. With the slow run rate achieving just 20 runs off the opening 4 overs, it seemed like the batsman had a lot of work still to do when going into the innings.
This dynamic perfectly set the stage for Vekatesh Iyer to fulfill the expectations of his team and come to the crease with the bit between his teeth. The front-foot attacking batsman quickly sent the seam bowler Jaydev Unadkat for six twice in his first over. What followed can only be described as short but fearless innings, with the batsman smashing the ball all over the park for the next couple of overs before being dismissed on a poorly timed reverse sweep shot.
Next up at the crease was Gill, who picked up where his recently dismissed teammate had left off. The batsman was easily finding the boundary with bowling not finding the length to really challenge the attacking force being put in front of them. Then finally the most expensive signing in the IPL Chris Morris managed to prove his worth and take the wicket of Gill.
Eoin Morgan the veteran white-ball cricketer and current England captain then came to the crease to cap off the innings with an unbeaten 13 off 11 balls. Exquisitely finishing his innings with a beautifully clipped shot over the square leg on the penultimate ball of the innings. This fine shot was a display of the quality of the player that has been a tremendous servant of the game for both club and country.
Big Disappointment from Livingstone as Royals Crumble
The biggest disappointment from the match was the major underperformance of Liam Livingstone. The batsman specialists have only scored 42 runs in 5 innings for the Royals this year, an average that is far below the caliber of the player, and something that will need to be improved next year if the Royals are to regain their spot at the top of the IPL.
With the Indian Premier League powering on through COVID, this season has been one that will live long in the memories of many fans and players from all over the world. But perhaps for players like Livingstone, they will be hoping to gather their strength and regroup in time for the new season as it begins in the coming weeks/months.
Like many players at the Royals, Livingstone has been struggling to find a frequent run of form this season, and they’ll all be hoping to string together a batch of high-scoring innings. With the season now concluded it will be winter training camps and coming back in peak form at the top of the agenda for many of these talented squad players.
