IPL 2020: Twitter explodes as KXIP choke against KKR in last-ball thriller
The first game on a double-header Saturday in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) saw the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bat first, and his team got off to a very poor start in the powerplay. Rahul Tripathi didn't look like a batsman on the back of a Man of the Match performance, and after he had his stumps rearranged by Mohammed Shami, Nitish Rana was involved in an embarrassing run-out.
Eoin Morgan, who came in at his preferred No. 4 position, steadied the KKR ship alongside Shubman Gill, before Ravi Bishnoi caused the Englishman to find long-on in soft fashion. Captain Karthik walked in at the fall of Morgan's wicket, and looked to attack right from the outset.
The wicket-keeper hit 8 fours and 2 sixes in his 29-ball 58, and KKR reached a par score of 164/6. Bishnoi and young left-armer Arshdeep Singh were excellent with the ball for KXIP as they registered identical figures of 1/25 in their 4 overs.
In reply, the consistent opening pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal never looked in trouble, apart from an early reprieve handed to the KXIP captain by Andre Russell.
The KKR bowlers lacked penetration for the major part of the innings, but the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Nicholas Pooran put brakes on the scoring. Prabhsimran Singh didn't do much at the crease, and Prasidh Krishna scalped the all-important wicket of KL Rahul off the last ball of the penultimate over.
Sunil Narine managed to defend 14 off the final over against Glenn Maxwell, with the final ball falling inches short of the boundary rope. Had it gone for six, the game would've gone to a Super Over.
Twitter had a lot to say, and here are the best reactions from the KXIP vs KKR IPL 2020 game.
Twitter reacts to IPL 2020, KXIP vs KKR