
IPL 2021, PBKS vs KKR Highlights: Kolkata Knight Riders recovered from initial jitters to successfully chase down a modest 124-run target against Punjab Kings in 16.4 overs in an IPL match in Ahmedabad. For Punjab, opener Mayank Agarwal top-scored with a painstaking 31 off 34 balls but Chris Jordan’s 30 off 18 balls took them past 120-run mark.
Prasidh Krishna has best figures of 3 for 30 while Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine also chipped in with a couple of wickets each.
While chasing, KKR were in trouble at 17 for 3 before Rahul Tripathi (41 off 32 balls) and skipper Eoin Morgan (47 not out off 40 balls) put them on course with a 66-run fourth-wicket stand.
Punjab Kings
123/9 (20.0)Kolkata Knight Riders
126/5 (16.4)Kolkata Knight Riders beat Punjab Kings by 5 wickets
Arshdeep Singh into the attack. Eoin Morgan gets a single off the first ball. FOUR! Dinesh Karthik drives it past the mid-off fielder for a boundary. Karthik takes the aerial route, gets a couple of runs. FOUR! Karthik ends the match with a boundary. Morgan remains unbeaten on 47 on the other end. KKR beat PBKS by five wickets. KKR 126/5 after 16.4 overs
Deepak Hooda back in attack. Punjab need the wicket of Eoin Morgan here. The skipper takes a single off the second ball of the over. Dinesh Karthik takes a single towards long-on. FOUR! Morgan goes inside out and finds the boundary. That will relieve some pressure. SIX! This time he hits it in the air and gets the distance. PBKS coach Anil Kumble is not happy with Hooda. Meanwhile, Morgan completes 7,000 T20 runs. A single to end the over. KKR 115/5 after 16 overs
Dinesh Karthik comes in to bat at No.7. He gets a quick single towards mid-wicket and had to put in a dive to save his wicket. Eoin Morgan tries to play it fine but the top edge goes over first slip for a couple of runs. 100 up for KKR. One more single from the over. KKR 102/5 after 15 overs
Eoin Morgan plays Ravi Bishnoi's first ball of the over towards short third man and goes for a quick single. Arshdeep Singh picks it up and hits the stumps. Andre Russell departs for 10. KKR still ned 26 runs from 35 balls. Morgan's stay at the crease is even more crucial now. KKR 98/5 after 14.1 overs
Chris Jordan back in attack after an expensive first spell. He starts off with a dot ball. Eoin Morgan comes down the track and plays it towards point for a single. Andre Russell muscles the ball towards covers but finds the fielder, a dot ball. FOUR! Another boundary for Russell via an inside edge off the bat.Two more singles from the over. KKR 98/4 after 14 overs
Ravi Bishnoi back in attack. Eoin Morgan gets a single off the second ball. KL Rahul has a first slip for Andre Russell. He plays the googly towards square leg for a single. Morgan gets beaten by the wrong one again, a dot ball. Morgan goes for the sweep but mistimes. Fabian Allen does not go for the catch but stops the ball for a single. Bishnoi hits Russell's pads but it was going down the leg side, a dot ball. KKR 91/4 after 13 overs
Mohammed Shami back in attack to put some pressure. Andre Russell is the new batsman in. Eoin Morgan gets a single off the second ball he faces. Shami bowls well, two dot balls to Russell. FOUR! Inside edge off Russell's bat and it runs away for a boundary. A perfect yorker to end the over. KKR 88/4 after 12 overs
Deepak Hooda into the attack. Eoin Morgan gets a single first ball. FOUR! Rahul Tripathi sweeps and gets another boundary. Tripathi mistimes but gets a single towards on side. Morgan plays it back to the bowler, a dot ball. He drives it towards long-off for an easy single. WICKET! Tripathi mistimes it and finds the long-on fielder. He departs for 41. KKR 83/4 after 11 overs
Chris Jordan continues. Rahul Tripathi defends the first ball. Tripathi lofts it over short cover fielder and gets a couple of runs. FOUR! Tripathi opens the pace of the bat at the last moment and plays it fine of the third man fielder to get a boundary. Tripathi drives but finds Gayle, a dot ball. Jordan bowls a short ball and Tripathi misses it trying to guide it towards third man. Tripathi pulls the short ball and finds the gap, a couple of runs to end the over. KKR 76/3 after 10 overs
Ravi Bishnoi continues. Rahul Tripathi finds himself in an awkward position inside edging the ball after coming down the wicket. A single for him. Eoin Morgan goes on back foot and plays the ball towards long-on for a single. FOUR! Tripathi plays it fine and gets a boundary. Three more singles from the over. The partnership has gone past 50 now. KKR 68/3 after 9 overs
Chris Jordan in the attack. His quickfire 30 helped Kings get past 120. FOUR! Marginally short from Jordan and Rahul Tripathi pulls it for a boundary. Tripathi plays towards mid-wicket and Chris Gayle puts in a dive to save a single. FOUR! Poor delivery from Jordan as he bowls to Tripathi's pads. A boundary via leg byes. Game getting away from Kings here. They need wickets. Tripathi plays it towards point, gets a single. A dot ball to follow. FOUR! Tripathi lofts it over covers for a boundary. Poor over from Jordan, 13 runs from it. KKR 59/3 after 8 overs
Ravi Bishnoi introduced in the attack. Eoin Morgan beaten by the one that skids, a dot ball. Morgan mistimes but gets a single towards long-off. Rahul Tripathi takes an easy single towards long-on. Morgan misses out on cut shot again, a dot ball. He gets a single towards point. Bishnoi hits Tripathi's pads, one leg bye to end the over. KKR 46/3 after 7 overs
Mohammed Shami continues. FOUR! Bishnoi misfields again. What should have been a single to Eoin Morgan goes for a boundary. Bishnoi has undone the hard work of the catch earlier in the innings. Morgan defends the next ball to the bowler. He gets a quick single. Shami bowls a good length, Tripathi defends it, no run. He plays the next ball towards cover-point, denied a single. Another dot ball to end the over. KKR 42/3 after 6 overs
Arshdeep Singh continues. Rahul Tripathi takes a single off the second ball of the over. Eoin Morgan pulls the ball in front of square, gets a single. FOUR! Tripathi takes a couple of steps down the wicket and guides the ball behind square for a boundary. Slower ball from Arshdeep, a dot ball. FOUR! Bishnoi misfields and fails to save the boundary. Second boundary from the over off Tripathi's bat. KKR 37/3 after 5 overs
Mohammed Shami continues. Eoin Morgan defends the first ball, no run. DIRECT HIT! Chris Gayle hits the stumps but Rahul Tripathi puts in a dive to save his wicket. Even Tripathi thought he was out but in the end he made his ground. Another dot ball to follow. SIX! Eoin Morgan gets off the mark with a maximum. Short ball from Shami and Morgan hits it for a maximum. Another dot ball to follow. FOUR! Morgan comes down the wicket and hits it over wide long-on. KKR need Morgan to lead from front if they are to win this match. KKR 27/3 after 4 overs
Kolkata are spiralling right now! None of the batsmen can stay in the middle for long as Narine walks back to the pavilion on a four-ball duck. Arshdeep comes into the attack and scalps Narine's wicket off a catch by Bishnoi. Morgan up next! KKR: 17/3 (3 overs)
Punjab have assumed control of the contest! Gill tries to play across the line but Shami comes out as the winner! The ball hit Gill (9) dead in front and he gets trapped right between the wickets. Kolkata in real trouble now. Up next, Sunil Narine. KKR: 9/2 (1.5 overs)
Right after Gill provides a promising start, calamity strikes! Rana misjudged Henriques' delivery and he hits it straight to the fielder at cover. Sharukh with the catch. A soft dismissal which gives PBKS a dream start. Up next, Rahul Tripathi. KKR: 5/1 (0.4 overs)
Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana walk out to open the chase for Kolkata. Moises Henriques restarts the proceedings with the ball.
Prasidh Krishna bowls the final over. SIX! Chris Jordan hits the short and wide delivery for a huge maximum. This is turning out to be a brilliant cameo from Jordan. He goes for the big shot again but gets an outside edge. Nitish Rana fields it at third man boundary. Jordan decides against taking a single. SIX! Jordan slaps it over Krishna's head for another six. That is his third in the innings. BOWLED! Jordan deceived by the slow ball. He departs for an 18-ball 30 cameo giving Kings some momentum in the end. No. 11 batsman Arshdeep Singh comes in to bat. Arshdeep goes for a big shot but edges it to third man. He gets a single. Shami hits one down the ground and gets a single. PBKS 123/9 after 20 overs