IPL 2020 Points Table: Latest Standings after KKR, KXIP secure contrasting wins
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thumped the Delhi Capitals (DC) by 59 runs in Match 42 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at Abu Dhabi. After winning the toss, skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to field first.
Anrich Nortje breathed fire with the new ball in hand, sending Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi back to the pavilion within the powerplay itself. Dinesh Karthik could not make an impact either as Kagiso Rabada sent him packing.
What followed was absolute carnage from Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine, as the duo went ballistic during a 115-run partnership. Narine hammered a 32-ball 64 before falling victim to Rabada.
Nitish Rana continued taking the bowlers on and finished with a brilliant knock of 81(53). A 9-ball cameo, yielding 17 runs, by skipper Eoin Morgan helped the Knight Riders post a mammoth total of 194/6.
Chasing 195 for the victory, the Capitals' innings never got going as Pat Cummins wreaked havoc in the powerplay, sending both DC openers back into the hut. However, skipper Shreyas Iyer joined hands with Rishabh Pant and put up a gritty 63-run partnership.
The introduction of Varun Chakravarthy in the twelfth over proved to be a masterstroke as the wily spinner snared five wickets in his four overs.
Chakravarthy picked up the wickets of Iyer, Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel, and was responsible for a spectacular middle-order collapse which left DC reeling at 112/7. In the end, the Capitals could manage only 135 runs for the loss of 9 wickets from their allotted quota of 20 overs, losing the match by 59 runs.
In the second match of the day, it was the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) who emerged victorious over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 12 runs at Dubai. After being invited to bat first, KXIP scored a paltry total of 126 runs for the loss of 7 wickets from their 20 overs.
Skipper KL Rahul contributed with a run-a-ball 27 while his partner at the top of the order, Mandeep Singh, scored a 14-ball 17 before chipping one off Sandeep Sharma. Chris Gayle was unusually cautious in his approach and could manage only a run-a-ball 20 before falling victim to Jason Holder.
SRH were in complete control in the middle overs as the Punjab outfit were unable to collect a boundary for a span of nearly eleven overs. Nicholas Pooran anchored the innings and remained unbeaten on a 28-ball 32 as he helplessly watched the wickets tumble at the other end. Pooran whacked some meaty blows towards the end which helped KXIP post a below-par 126/7 on the board.
In reply, the Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a flier courtesy of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who scored 35 and 19 runs respectively during a 56-run opening stand. Abdul Samad could not make the most of his opportunities at the top of the order, scoring just 7 runs before Mohammad Shami dismissed him.
Vijay Shankar (26 off 27 balls) and Manish Pandey (15 off 29 balls) looked to play responsible knocks and ensured that SRH did not lose any further wickets. SRH seemed to be in complete control of the game as their score read 100/3 at the end of 16 overs.
However, an unbelievable display of bowling at the death by Arshdeep Singh and Chris Jordan helped KXIP pick up seven wickets in the last four overs, while conceding only 14 runs, eventually winning the game for the Punjab outfit by 12 runs.
IPL 2020 Updated Points Table:
Even after the result of these two matches, there have been no significant alterations in the standings. The Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders continue being placed second and fourth respectively. On the other hand, the Kings XI Punjab have swapped spots with the Sunrisers Hyderabad after their win tonight.
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A Super Sunday awaits us tomorrow as some of cricket's biggest juggernauts will be in action. Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore will turn up in green as they lock horns with MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings at Dubai. This marquee clash will be followed by another mouth-watering contest between Steve Smith's Rajasthan Royals take on the Kieron Pollard-led Mumbai Indians at Abu Dhabi later in the day.