IPL 2023: Shardul Thakur Masterclass & Spinners' Brilliance Help KKR Decimate RCB
KKR recorded a clinical win over RCB [Source: AP]
Riding on Shardul Thakur's counterattacking half century and spinners' spectacular performance, Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 81 runs in the ninth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The Knight Riders opened their account in the points table with this commanding victory.
Shardul Thakur's breezy fifty powers KKR to a mammoth total
Shardul Thakur hammered a breathtaking fifty [Source: AP]
After being put into bat first, Kolkata Knight Riders had a disastrous start to their innings, as David Willey removed Venkatesh Iyer and Mandeep Singh in two successive deliveries. Skipper Nitish Rana continued his poor run, being dismissed for 1 by Michael Bracewell.
However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz kept the scoreboard ticking through his sensational batting at one end. The Afghan keeper-batter, who looked comfortable in the middle, smoked six fours and three sixes for his gorgeous 44-ball 57.
But Karn Sharma changed the course of the match by dismissing Gurbaz and the dangerous Andre Russell in consecutive deliveries.
However, Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur executed a commendable resurrection, stitching a massive 103-run stand for the sixth wicket. While Thakur played the aggressor's role, smashing a magnificent 29-ball 68, Singh held his nerves for a well-compiled 46.
Their valiant efforts led KKR to a formidable total, helping them post 204 in 20 overs.
KKR spinners run riot as RCB fall like a pack of cards
KKR spinners ran through RCB's batting lineup
In their pursuit of 205, RCB got off to a flier, courtesy of a blistering 44-run opening stand between Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. However, things started going downhill for the visitors, as soon as Nitish Rana introduced his spin twins, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.
While Narine triggered the collapse by cleaning up Kohli, Chakravarthy bamboozled Du Plessis and Maxwell to wreak havoc in the RCB camp. As if that was not enough, the lethal spin duo dismissed Harshal Patel and Shahbaz Ahmed to ensure RCB's horrendous defeat.
Young spinner Suyash Sharma completed formalities as soon as he was introduced into the attack, cleaning the tail and restricting RCB to a paltry 123.
Brief Scores
Kolkata Knight Riders: 204/7 (20)
Shardul Thakur 68 (29), Rahmanullah Gurbaz 57 (44);
David Willey 2/16 (4), Karn Sharma 2/26 (3)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 123 (17.4)
Faf du Plessis 23 (12), Virat Kohli 21 (18);
Varun Chakravarthy 4/15 (3.4), Suyash Sharma 3/30 (4)
Kolkata Knight Riders won by 81 runs.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
