Cricket Highlights, 8 May: IPL 2023 (Match 53) – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings   

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings (Match 53) – Highlights

Kolkata Knight Riders take on Punjab Kings at home in the 53rd match of the IPL on Monday (May 8). Batting first in that match, Punjab Kings set a moderate target in the allotted 20 overs. Chasing that target, Kolkata Knight Riders reached the target with the last ball of the scheduled over. As a result, they left the field with a 5-wicket victory. Along with that, Andre Russell took the title of man of the match with great batting.

The last minute of almost every IPL match now has a lot of excitement. The breath-blowing conclusion is taking place. Every encounter produces entertaining and exciting matches, just like T20 is designed to be. The game between Punjab and KKR on Monday night was equally exciting. At Eden Gardens, KKR won the game at the very last ball.

In the current IPL, time is crucial. A victory can help a team advance. Yet again, a defeat can put the losing team far behind, making it impossible for them to hope to compete in the playoffs.

In that match, by defeating Punjab Kings on Monday night, KKR not only entertained the local fans but also maintained their playoff position.

Punjab Kings scored 179 runs after choosing to bat first and losing 7 wickets. In reply, with the very last ball of the innings, Rinku Singh responded by hitting a boundary to give KKR the victory. After 11 games and with this victory, KKR moved up to fifth place in the standings with 10 points. With equal points, Punjab remained in seventh place.

Batting first, in 47 balls, Shikhar Dhawan scored 57 runs. Shah Rukh Khan scored 21 runs in 8 balls and remained undefeated. In 18 balls, Jitesh Sharma scored 21 runs. Liam Livingstone scored 15 runs. In just eight balls, Prabhsimran Singh scored 12 runs. In 11 balls, Rishi Dhawan scored 19 runs. Harpreet Brar also scored 17 runs off just 9 balls.

For KKR, Varun Chakaravarthy claimed three wickets. Suyash Sharma and Nitish Rana each grabbed one wicket, while Harshit Rana took two wickets.

Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz got off to a strong start while batting with a target of 180 runs. Gurbaz, though, was out after making 15 runs off 12 balls. In 24 balls, Jason Roy scored 38 runs. Nitish Rana, the captain, took 51 runs off 38 balls. In 13 balls, Venkatesh Iyer scored 11 runs.

The final over required 6 runs. Andre Russell and Rinku Singh were on the wicket. The bowler was Arshdeep Singh. This pacer has the excellent slog-over-bowling ability. The first ball was a dot. The second and third balls were then used by Russell and Rinku to score one run each. The fourth ball resulted in two runs for Andre Russell. Four runs were already taken off four balls.

Then in the fifth ball, Arshdeep Singh returned the devastating Russell. The ball was being played by Russell. He was unable to strike the ball with the bat. Rinku Singh attempted to take a run. And he ran quickly. But it’s too late for Andre Russell to answer the call as he didn’t get that call. He later ran because of this. Before Russell could get to the crease, the keeper gave the ball to Arshdeep, who quickly broke the stamp. So, Andre Russell had to leave the field.

Then the final ball needs to score two runs. Rinku Singh was the batter. Shardul Thakur was on the other side. Rinku Singh skipped the two runs. He launched the ball directly outside the boundary line. It was a four. The KKR camp and all of Eden Gardens immediately erupted in celebration. In that match Russell was stormy. He hit three boundaries and three sixes as he scored 42 runs off 23 balls. At the conclusion, Rinku Singh had 21 runs off 10 balls and was still undefeated.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Scoreboard    

Punjab Kings – 179/7 (20.0)  

Kolkata Knight Riders – 182/5 (20.0)  

Result – Kolkata Knight Riders won by 5 wkts   

Player of the match – Andre Russell

Andre Russell

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Playing XIs