Skipper Nitish Rana’s flamboyant innings after opener Jason Roy’s half-century helped Kolkata Knight Riders post 200 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday. Roy got the team off to a blistering start with a 29-ball 56, studded with five sixes and four fours, while Rana (48 off 21 balls, four sixes, three fours) hit the death overs to help the team reach big scores. Vanindu Hasaranga scored 24 for RCB while Vijaykumar Visakh took two wickets for 41 runs.
RCB captain Virat Kohli won the toss and invited the Knight Riders to bat first, after which Roy and Jagadishan got the team off to a good start. After hitting two fours in the first over of Mohammad Siraj (1/33), Roy also hit a four in his next over. Jagadishan also opened the account with a four on David Willey and then in his next over, he got the ball to see the boundary twice. Roy welcomed Shahbaz Ahmed with four sixes as the Knight Riders scored 66 runs without losing a wicket in the power play. Roy completed his second consecutive half-century in just 22 balls with a single off Visakh.
However, he was lucky on this ball as Visakh failed to take his catch. Jagdishan, however, was caught by Willey at the boundary in Visakh’s next over trying to play a big shot. He hit four fours in 29 balls. Visakh also bowled Roy on the last ball of the same over to score Knight Riders 88 for two in 10 overs. Venkatesh Iyer completed the team’s century in the 12th over with two fours off Wanindu Hasaranga. In Visakh’s next over, Knight Riders captain Rana was lucky when Siraj dropped a simple catch at long-off.
Taking advantage of the lifeline, Rana brought Visakh’s ball to the audience at long off. Rana got a second life in Siraj’s over and this time Harshal Patel dropped the catch at fine leg. The Knight Riders captain took advantage of this lifeline with two sixes in the over. Rana scored 17 runs off Visakh in the 17th over with two fours and a six in consecutive balls. However, in the next over, he was caught by Visakh off the bowling of Hasranga. Hasaranga also got Iyer (31) caught by Glenn Maxwell in the same over. Rinku Singh (18 not out in 10 balls) hit a six and two fours in consecutive balls of Siraj in the 19th over while in the last over, David Voisey (12 not out in three balls) hit Harshal for two sixes to reach the team’s score of 200 runs. .
