Riding on a well-crafted and unbeaten knock of 97 from Quinton de Kock and a combined effort from the bowlers, Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first win of the season. They beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in a low-scoring match on a tricky pitch in Guwahati.
The Royals were going nicely at one point but the shot selection of some of the batters led to a collapse, triggered by the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali, from which the Royals could never recover. With a modest total of 152, RR hoped their own spin pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Theekshana could replicate or better KKR’s efforts to defend the target. It was not to be.
KKR’s new opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Moeen started cautiously, with the latter batting at a snail’s pace during the Powerplay. A miscommunication between the two left-handers handed RR Moeen’s wicket. Ajinkya Rahane joined De Kock, adding 29 runs before falling to Hasaranga while attempting a big shot. None of the RR bowlers looked effective. Despite the assistance on offer, the entire bowling unit struggled with their lines.
De Kock anchored the innings brilliantly, keeping the required run rate in check with consistent scoring. With wickets in hand and De Kock going strong at one end, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given the freedom to play his shots. He made the most of it, smashing a well-compiled 22 to guide KKR comfortably towards the target.
In the first half, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson started with positive intent, but the latter was bowled by Vaibhav Arora, triggering a flurry of quick wickets. From 67/1, the Royals collapsed to 82/5, forcing them to bring in ‘Impact Sub’ Shubham Dubey. However, he too failed to fire. It was left to Dhruv Jurel and some late hitting from Jofra Archer to drag RR past 150.
RR’s decision to promote Hasaranga in an attempt to counter KKR’s spinners backfired. Jaiswal, Jurel and Riyan Parag all got starts but failed to convert. Parag, in particular, should be disappointed. Playing on his home ground, he looked set, but opted for an overly aggressive approach against Varun, which led to his downfall. Varun finished with 2/17 in four overs.
The pitch was tailor-made for spinners, and KKR hardly missed Sunil Narine, as Moeen stepped up with the crucial wickets of Jaiswal and Nitish Rana. The pacers also chipped in, with Arora and Harshit Rana taking two wickets each. Spencer Johnson was expensive once again but managed to claim a wicket. Rahane rotated his bowlers brilliantly, and the entire bowling unit delivered.