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IPL 2022: Post Match Analysis: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders - KKR 3
Photo Credits: KolkataKnightRiders Twitter

It was a low scoring affair at the Wankhede where Kolkata Knight Riders won their second game with ease.

KKR won the toss and chose to bowl first.

It was a rather shaky start for the Kings who had beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first match.

Skipper Mayank Agarwal was unable to fire and was out cheaply for just a run.

Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa tried to steer the game for PBKS but for only a short while.

Other batters who contributed with very small scores were Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Brar and Kagiso Rabada.

The Punjab Kings were all out for just 137.

Kolkata Knight Riders started off brilliantly in the second innings. Ajinkya Rahane hit a couple of boundaries before he was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada.

Venkatesh Iyer too couldn’t do much and scored just three. Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings put the KKR innings back on track with 26 and 24.

Nitish Rana was lbw by Rahul Chahar for a duck.

Then came the big man Andre Russell who smashed the life out of Punjab Kings by scoring 70 runs off just 31 balls.

Eventually, Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 6 wickets and 33 balls to spare.

Player of the Match

Umesh Yadav for his 4/23 off 4 overs.

Post Match Reactions

Mayank Agarwal, Punjab Kings skipper said that they did not bat very well today although they were good with the ball. Mentioned that Andre Russell took the game away from them and that was what made a huge difference. Admitted that this sort of game at the start is okay. Ended by saying that the bowlers did put them back on track in the second innings but Russell played brilliantly.

Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders captain said that they were pretty surprised at the way the Punjab Kings batted at the start of the innings. He also mentioned that the quick wickets helped them restrict the opposition and after the end of the Powerplay, they decided to go into an attacking mode. Praised both Narine and Chakravarthy and said that both have different strategies which is useful for the team. Also was relieved to see Russell bat and said that Umesh Yadav is getting fitter with age. Ended by saying that he has been putting a lot of hard work into his batting and is hungry to perform well for the side.

Next Match

Punjab Kings will next play Chennai Super Kings at the Brabourne Stadium on the 3rd of April while the Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against Mumbai Indians on the 6th of April at the MCA Stadium.

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