IPL 2018, RR vs KKR: Hits and Misses
Put in to bat by Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals got off to a slow start as they made 9 in their first 3 overs. But Ajinkya Rahane took the attack to the KKR bowlers and helped the hosts finish the powerplay at 48 for 0. However, KKR came back well and restricted the hosts to 160. D’Arcy Short struggled initially but recovered well and top-scored with 44. But it was some tight bowling from KKR that kept RR down to 160.
In reply, KKR lost Chris Lynn for a duck. But Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa steadied the ship with a 69-run stand before the former was run out. Uthappa continued to time the ball well but once again threw away a good start as he fell for 48. Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik polished off the chase with an unbeaten 61-run stand. This win also helped KKR climb to the top of the points table.
#5 Hit: Krishnappa Gowtham
Nobody would have expected Krishnappa Gowtham to be bought for a staggering sum of INR 6.2 crore. Rajasthan Royals paid a hefty sum for the Karnataka all-rounder. After not being used too much in the first couple of games, Gowtham took the big wicket of Brendon McCullum in the game against RCB.
Opening the bowling for the third consecutive time in this season, Gowtham gave RR the perfect start. He cleaned up the dangerous Chris Lynn to give the hosts an early breakthrough. He gave just one run in his first over before conceding 6 runs in his second over.
The 29-year-old off-spinner then came back for a spell in the middle-overs and was again very tight. He bowled a nice stump-to-stump line and didn’t allow the batsmen to get away. He then picked up his second wicket by dismissing Robin Uthappa and finished with figures of 2 for 23. Without a doubt, Gowtham was the pick of the RR bowlers.