IPL 2018: KKR v RCB: Sunil Narine's batting onslaught is the SK Turning Point of the match
The second day of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League saw a double-header, first of which was contested between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils, while the second was between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
What characterized both the games was a stupendous and swashbuckling half-century by an opening batsman in the second innings of the game. While KL Rahul did it for the KXIP, Sunil Narine displayed his tremendous batting prowess, yet again, for the Kolkata-based franchise.
Virat Kohli came up against a new skipper, Dinesh Karthik, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the second IPL encounter of Sunday (April 8). The latter won the toss and chose to bowl first against the powerful batting line-up of RCB.
The men in red and black managed to reach a substantial total of 176-7 after 20 overs. It was a fighting total on the Kolkata pitch, wherein the ball keeps low on a slowish surface.
However, Karthik took a page out of the book of Gautam Gambhir, the previous captain of KKR, thereby sending Sunil Narine to open the innings for the hosts. The West Indian went bonkers with the bat and raked up fifty runs in just 19 deliveries. His knock swung the match in the favour of the Knight Riders and the winds were taken out of the RCB sails with every mammoth six he hit through its length.
The decision to send Narine upfront not only provided KKR with a thumping start but also created a depth in their batting line-up. Despite losing three wickets, they had Nitish Rana and Karthik at the crease midway through the innings. The impetus provided by the leg-spinner at the top of the order eased things up for these batsmen and gave them the room to settle into the proceedings, without having to go full throttle from the first delivery.
Narine's terrific innings included four boundaries and five massive sixes, four of which were spanked on the leg-side. He punished the RCB spinners and took their bowling apart with his fearless batting and composed disposition.
When he was dismissed, KKR were at a vantage point in the chase. They had raced to 65 runs in just 5.2 overs and a vital chunk of their 'real' batting line-up was yet to enter the arena. This allowed them to plan the chase accordingly and ultimately, helped them clinch the tie with 4 wickets in hand.