KKR vs KXIP: Heroes of the match

Gautam Gambhir‘s team pulled off an easy victory against Kings XI Punjab to secure a long-due two points.

The win didn’t help their position on the table but it will have done enough to get them going, as they witnessed some key elements clicking in their squad.

For Punjab, it was yet another lacklustre display barring a few individual efforts. Let’s take a look at the top performers in the game:

Gurkeerat Singh

The Kings XI batting line up usually contains three foreign batsmen, justifiable by the fact that the team doesn’t boast of big domestic talent. The problem with this is that the international batsmen tend to make up a bulk of the top order, leaving the lower-middle order very thin.

Given those circumstances, Gurkeerat Singh has been a revelation for the Kings. Coming in almost exclusively at number six, Gurkeerat Singh has been instrumental in many late surges for them and his knock of 28 off just 15 balls was crucial to Punjab’s cause at the end of the innings.

Jacques Kallis

Ask anyone associated with cricket, and they’ll tell you that amongst the toughest things to do is to face a bowler who can swing at pace or to keep a rampaging left-handed batsman quiet.

What tends to go unnoticed is the job of a cricket writer, for what MORE does a writer say about the prowess of someone like Jacques Kallis? Enough can be said and written, and there will never be an end.

Fast bowling is not highly looked upon in the strategic side of the Knight Riders’ approach and is often a manifestation of cricketing tradition that a few bouncers are a must in every innings.

That Jacques Kallis has delivered his share of those isn’t a big surprise. And he did again against Punjab as he conceded only 14 runs in his four overs and grabbed the wickets of Gilchrist and Hussey.

Because that much is only satisfactory by his standards, he then came in at 10/2 and played a trademark innings to pull KKR out of trouble and ensure victory. Man of the Match, indeed.

Manvinder Bisla

Manvinder Bisla has had an indifferent start to his season after a brilliant culmination to last year’s edition when he came out of nowhere to play a stunning innings in the finals.

This year, he’s been used extensively as the domestic wicket-keeper batsman to lend balance to the batting line up. His season hadn’t been anything to cherish, however.

He had only one score worth more than a boundary before this match, which was a comeback game for him.

His fortune blessed him when Mandeep Singh dropped him early on in the innings and he made full use of it to bat through and remain unbeaten, playing aggressor to Kallis and second fiddle to Morgan. 51 of the most gratifying runs that ensured Kolkata didn’t have any hiccups.

Azhar Mahmood

It has been 20 years since Azhar Mahmood first played in a first-class game and in those two decades, one thing hasn’t changed and that is his resolve.

He wasn’t known to be a tearaway fast bowler at any point in his career, but his effectiveness was guaranteed almost every time due to his impeccable accuracy. It was clearly on display against Kolkata as he did enough to disturb three different batsmen with the first three deliveries of his spell – two of whom were dismissed. A dropped catch meant he couldn’t pick up Manvinder Bisla and with that chance went the possibility of Punjab winning the match.

In the end, even he couldn’t keep Morgan quiet, but his spirited 3/35 was pleasing to watch.

Supporting act: Eoin Morgan(42)