A 69-run partnership between Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa helped hosts KKR beat Delhi Daredevils in their first IPL 2016 match at the Eden Gardens, on Sunday.
Earlier, Delhi Daredevils struggled on a green top and managed to score only 98, losing all their ten wickets in the process. Piyush Chawla (2), Bradd Hogg (3), John Hastings (2) and Andre Russel (3) were among the wickets, striking at regular intervals and leaving little space for DD to recover at any point in the match.
Commentary:
Two easy singles and KKR win the match with 35 balls to spare. Zaheer says he was trying to swing the ball "too much" and that cost him runs and wants his team to "express themselves on the field freely."
KKR 97/1 after 14 overs
Three boundaries and the KKR are just one hit away from victory - Pandey smashes one through the covers and the other over the midwicket fence.
The pace has dropped but they can afford to go slow - KKR have plenty in the bag. Score: 84/1 after 13 overs
Last over for Morris and looks like Pandey wants to finish this quickly but is unable to connect it. A couple of wild swings, and a cross bat shot have yielded only two runs in that over.
KKR 82/1 after 12 overs
Coulter Nile to bowl the next, and it's looking increasingly like they're just going through the motions. This has been a insipid performance from the DD. Gamhir manages to pull a 130ish kmph ball to the boundary, looks like he was expecting the short ball. That and two singles in the over, they now need less than 20 runs.
KKR 76/1 after 11 overs
Morris to bowl in his third over. Pandey gets going quickly, whips the ball, rather awkwardly, past Iyer at square leg and gets his first boundary. A couple of good yorkers in the over but KKR still manage to get seven off it. Pandey can get some good match practice here - twenty-three needed off 54 balls.
Too little, too late? Uthappa falls, as KKR score 69/1 after 10 overs
Clearly, the timeout hasn't helped DD. Wide and five runs off the first ball after the break - the target is well in sight for KKR. Out! Uthappa (25 off 33 balls), looking to up the ante, smashes one straight to Chris Morris at long-on. Not sure if this was part of DD's strategy but they'll take it. Manish Pandey replaces his Karnataka team mate at the crease.
Photo: K.R. Deepak It's all one-way traffic at the moment, KKR cruising comfortably, reach 62/0 after 9 overs
Oops! Brathwaite bowls a 130 kmph full toss at Uthappa, hits his upper part of the bat and that's a free hit. But he misses the free hit - a wild swing that offered nothing in return. A couple of singles in the middle, and he loses his line in the last ball, helping Gambhir to another boundary. And, it's 'strategic timeout'.
After 8 overs, KKR 53/0
Amit Mishra is here. The leggie is bowled a tidy first over - only 4 runs coming in that over and all of them in singles.
Only two runs off Brathwaite's first, KKR 49/0 after seven
Second change in the bowling, Brathwaite's been summoned to give DD a breakthrough. No boundaries in that over, but KKR are running away with the match and DD needs to stem the run flow soon. The equation remains easy for KKR - 50 runs needed from 13 overs.
End of powerplay overs, KKR 47/0
One run off the first three balls and Morris gets a similar treatment - Uthappa muscles the fourth ball past the bowler for a boundary. They've managed to get a boundary off almost every over.
After 5 overs, KKR 42/0
Zaheer's switched ends here. And, looks like it has worked for him. Uthappa again manages to slip in a boundary in the last ball of the over, drives one past the stumps with a straight bat. Seven runs off that over, a better one for Zaheer, considering the 16 run-run first over.
After 4 overs, KKR 36/0
Zaheer removes himself from the attack, gives Morris the ball. Another one through the square leg region, Uthappa puts the fourth ball past the ropes with ease. The pitch is still offering some steep bounce, Morris gets Uthappa jumping on his toes - but that's called a wide. The Karnataka batsman steals one off the last ball.
At nearly 10 runs per over, KKR 29/0 after 3 overs
Coulter Nile begins his second over with two dot balls, looks like he's trying to vary his length, something Zaheer didn't in his first over. Uthappa spoils a good over - edges one to thirdman and gets a boundary. More convincing this time. opens the face of the bat and drives the ball through the vacant cover region. The runs continue to flow for KKR.
KKR gets going, 20/0 after two overs
Zak's comeback begins with a wide down Gambhir's pads - he'll feel like he's missed out on that. Not this time, Gambhir picks one of his legs and gets an easy boundary. He's bowling in the 130s, and Gambhir seems at ease tackling Zak as he picks up another boundary in a similar manner. Not the kind of start the captain (Zaheer, of course!) would've wanted - bleeding 16 runs in that over.
After the first over, KKR 4/0
Coulter Nile gets the first ball to swing away from Uthappa and the second one in towards him - that's some swing bowling, an at good pace too! And Uthappa spoils a great over with a boundary off the last ball, clips it off his legs towards to square leg boundary. KKR off with a boundary.
Gambhir and Uthappa will open for KKR
Hastings finishes the tail, and DD finishes two runs short of the 100-run mark.
Hastings is back into the attack, will look to wrap up this innings. Zak is showing some resistance, slogs one over midwicket. The pattern continues - a wicket after a boundary. DD have managed to score only 98, and it looks like a below-par total. The innings ends at 98 and de Kock was the highest scorer at 17. The extras was the third highest contributor - 12 runs.
DD 93/9 after 17 overs
Chawla continues and the misery continues. Only 2 runs have come off the last 10 balls - and the run rate is 5.6. Over three balls have gone past the edge, Zak manages to play inside the line and let the ball spin past his outside edge. Chawla ends his four overs, returns with figures: 21 runs, two wickets.
Four more overs to go, DD 92/9 after 16 overs
And the ninth one falls. Mishra (3 runs off 9 balls) is unable to read the googly and guides one to Gambhir who's stationed himself at slips. Even 100 looks difficult now. Zaheer Khan's here. This is the scond wicket maiden of the match - Hogg finishes his quota of 4 overs, giving away 19 runs.
DD 92/8 after 15
Three runs off Chawla's third over. Hogg and Chawla have mangaged to keep it tight after the damage inflicted by the seamers.
After 14 overs, DD 89/8
Hogg gets the last recognised batsman - Sanju Samson. Uthappa takes a neat catch behind the stumps which brings Amit Mishra to the crease. Coulter Nile hits one straight down the wicket, and that's only the seventh 4 of the innings. Hogg replies with a googly, and escapes Nile's bat by a whisker. End of the another tight over.
After 13 overs, DD 87/7
Morris gets DD a much-needed boundary - drills one in the covers region. Chawla gets his second, slips one past Morris' defence. Seven runs off that over but it yielded one wicket.
After 12 overs, DD 80/6
The wrist spinners are posing a lot of problems here, the pitch, they say looks green but is "dry underneath" and aiding some spin. Hogg finishes another tidy over, runs coming only in singles. The last ball is a wide, and even worse, a boundary - and that's five crucial runs for DD. Can they get to 120?
The problems get bigger for DD, after 11 overs, 68/6
Piyush Chawla is brought into the attack. Brathwaite doesn't waste much time. First ball, and it's a six - it's five 6s of five balls now for Brathwaite. Chawla's got him with a googly, and DD lose their sixth wicket. Chris Morris makes his way to the crease. Samson has been watching all this from the other end for sometime now.
DD 55/5 after 10 overs
Bradd Hogg is here. Let's see if he can extract some turn on the green Gardens pitch. Negi is looking to heave it across the midwicket region, but fails and collects a single. The ball is spinnning, enough to pose questions to the batsman who have still not been able top pick him. They're playing him off the pitch. And it was one too many, Hogg throws one up to Negi (11 off 19 balls) who falls for the bait and the 'keeper does the rest. WT20 final hero Brathwaite's here.
After 9 overs, DD 53/4
Gambhir looking to tighten the screws around DD, brings Umesh back into the attack - his third over. Only 10 runs off the last 10 balls - runs are drying up for DD. When will the push come? Meanwhile, the commentators remind us that Negi went for Rs. 8.5 crore at the auction. Only four runs off that over. And, the first strategic timeout is here.
Andre Russel celebrates the dismissal of Mayank Agarwal. Photo: K.R. Deepak DD: 49/4 after 8
Colin Munro gets the ball. The New Zealander is not bowling at express pace, and looks like DD batsmen will target him. Yes, Negi steps downs the wicket and deposits the ball in the stands. Negi remains the key for DD - the slim left-hander is known for his big-hitting skills.
After seven, DD 42/4
Yadav continues. Sanju Samson deftly guides one past the third man for a boundary, or was it unintentional? Another quiet over, this. Negi and Samson manage to get seven runs off it.
A wicket maiden by Hastings, DD 35/4 at the end of powerplay overs
Hastings is getting the ball to swing prodigiously. Another one falls! Hastings throws in the sucker ball, and Agarwal falls for it. The wide one was there to be hit, but Nair gives the point fielder an easy catch, falls for 3. The procession to the pavilion continues - Pawan Negi is the next man in.
After 5 overs, DD 35/3
The ball's still swinging a bit. 140-160 will be a good score on this wicket? A couple of dot balls and there comes a big hit. Agarwal (9), trying to change the momentum, edges one to the third man, where 45-year-old Hogg was waiting for it. Sanju Samson hits a boundary off this first ball. Will it be his day today?
DD 26/2 after 4 overs
Hastings' here, bowls a quiet over - just what the KKR wanted at this stage. He's continuing the good work done by the opening bowlers. Two youngsters - Karun Nair and Agarwal - have a job on their hands. Just one run off that over. Even Gambhir is smiling!
Two quick wickets and the mood is set for what promises to be a stellar match! At the end of the 4th over, >#DD are at 26/2 >#IPL>#KKRvDD
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) >April 10, 2016
Russel strikes twice, 25/2 after 3 overs
Looks like a good wicket to bat on. A soft dismissal here, de Kock (17 off 10 balls) looking to be aggressive, mistimes a pulls and sends an easy catch to Yusuf Pathan at mid-on, who somehow manages to hold on to it. Shreyas Iyer is the next man in. Mr. Iyer (0) has a short stay at the crease. Russel traps him in front of the wickets.
DD 23/0 after the second over
Umesh will share the new ball with Russel. No swing for him, ball moving in straight lines at the Eden Gardens. de Kock dispatches the fourth ball, pounces on a short one - four. He picks the next ball off his hips, and sends it sailing across for a six. All timing there. Umesh's first over costs him 10 runs.
DD 13/0 after the first over
Mayank lofts the first one over covers, more pre-meditated that. DD starts with a four. Russel replies with a short one, but that's called a wide. The pitch has a "even cover of grass", the commentators reckon. An overthrow and five runs of the last ball. An eventful over comes to end, with the score reading 13/0.
DD's openers — Shreyas Iyer and Quentin de Kock — make their way to the pitch. And, it's West Indian Andre Russel who'll open the bowling for KKR.
Final XI:
KKR: Gambhir, Uthappa, Pandey, Munro, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Russell, Chawla, Hastings, Hogg, Umesh
DD: Agarwal, Iyer, De Kock (wk), Nair, Samson, Brathwaite, Negi, Morris, Mishra, Zaheer, Coulter-Nile.
KKR captain Gautam Gambhir wins the toss, and elects to bowl. He says the "pitch will stay like this through the match."
Here's our take on the teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders
The team has a strong batting line-up backed by a good bowling attack. The batting is led by Gambhir, Uthappa, Pandey, Pathan, Andre Russell and Shakib Al-Hasan.
The automatic choices for the four foreign players are Narine, Russell, Shakib and Morkel. Gambhir has several options like John Hastings, Colin Munro and Chris Lynn on the bench.
Delhi Daredevils
The new-look Delhi Daredevils will be led by the former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan. The batting is led by Quinton de Kock, Duminy, Mayank Agarwal, Sanju Samson. Captain Zaheer Khan will spearhead the bowling, along with Imran Tahir, Mohammed Shami and Coulter-Nile.
All eyes on ‘King Carlos’
Just a week after his unbelievable exploits in World T20 final made him the toast of the cricketing world, Carlos Brathwaite will be back at the Eden Gardens. >Continue reading..
