IPL 9 Match 13, Review: Robin Uthappa sets up an easy win for KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders registered their second win on the trot after they easily beat Kings XI Punjab by 6 wickets at the PCA stadium, Mohali. Fans witnessed yet another lop-sided contest as the Punjab side proved to be no match to KKR’s disciplined all-round display.

On a pitch which looked to be a complete belter, the Kings XI Punjab side managed to set a target of just 139 runs batting first. In reply, opener Robin Uthappa (53 from 28 balls) slammed his way to his 15th IPL half-century and set the stage for a successful chase. But, the road to the win was not exactly a smooth one as the KKR side lost a clump of wickets after his dismissal but eventually overhauled the target in 17.1 overs.

KKR once again got off to a good start as Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa batted with a straightforward approach. The duo put on a quickfire 82 run stand for the first wicket in just 8.3 overs to virtually pocket the match before the halfway stage of the 2nd innings. Uthappa played the role of the aggressor while Gambhir was happy tapping singles and doubles. The opposition bowlers looked helpless as the runs the pair scored runs effortlessly.

The team raced past the 50 run mark in just 4.4 overs. At the end of the powerplay, KKR were sitting comfortably at 65 for none. Three balls later, Uthappa completed his fifty in just 24 balls, the third fastest fifty this season.

But, soon Kings XI Punjab tasted their first success as leg-spinner Pardeep Sahu managed to slam the brakes on the partnership after he claimed the wicket of Uthappa sending him back to the pavilion for a well made 53 off 28 balls.

The smooth looking run chase faced some roadblocks after KKR went on to lose skipper Gambhir (34 from 34 balls), Manish Pandey (12 from 11 balls) and Shakib Al Hasan (11 from 15 balls) in short successions. In spite of the late wickets, the target was too small to defend for the Punjab side as Surya Yadav (11* from 9 balls) and Yusuf Pathan (12 from 6 balls) eventually completed the task for their side.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir won the toss and asked the Kings XI Punjab side bat first, stating that he was banking on the side’ s ability to chase. The Punjab batting order, which showed some signs of revival in the last game, again took the regressive path.

The opening pair of Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra, the most settled in the batting order, failed to do well today. The pair could add only 21 runs for the first wicket before the young Vohra returned to the pavilion after being dismissed by Morne Morkel. Vijay also could not sustain long. A stunning googly from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla foxed Vijay who tried to cut the ball but the ball shaped back sharply to shatter the stumps.

Punjab continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. The middle order yet again looked fragile and surrendered meekly to the spinners. None of the batsmen could reach double figure mark.

Sunil Narine picked his first wicket since his comeback after he snapped the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha in the 11th over and then added the wicket of Glenn Maxwell to his tally in the 15th over. Yusuf Pathan chipped n with the wicket of the struggling opposition skipper David Miller who was failed to cut an incoming ball and was caught by Uthappa behind the wicket.

The only saving grace for Kings XI Punjab today was Shaun Marsh who played a face-saving knock of 56 off 41 balls. Marsh came in at number 3 and accumulated runs and kept the scoreboard moving at a brisk pace as wickets fell like nine pins from the other end. Kyle Abbott’s 12 runs off 6 balls towards the end also added valuable runs to the final total.

Brief Scores:

Kings XI Punjab – 138/8 in 20 overs (S. Marsh 56; S. Narine 2/22)

Kolkata Knight Riders – 141/4 in 17.1 overs (R, Uthappa 53; Pardeep Sahu 2/18)

Man of the Match – Robin Uthappa

Also, check out how the Twitter reacted to KKR’s win – Twitter Reactions: KKR cruise to a 6 wickets victory at Mohali