Stats: KKR score the fifth-lowest powerplay total in IPL history

Earlier in October, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by a massive 82 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Men in Gold and Purple were looking to stage a comeback. However, things started going awry for them after they won the toss and elected to bat first. Nothing went in their favour. Nothing!

The Knights were rocked by a certain Mohammed Siraj, who replaced spinner Shahbaz Ahmed in the playing eleven. In the mandatory powerplay, the speedster made the KKR batters jump like cats on a hot tin roof. The batsmen had absolutely no clue about proceedings as they lost wickets at regular intervals. In the first six overs, Eoin Morgan and Co churned out 17 runs and lost four wickets.

Mohammed Siraj wrecks havoc

Siraj started the carnage, finding Rahul Tripathi’s outside edge. AB de Villiers took a sharp catch behind the wickets. In the very next ball, he rattled the woodwork of Nitish Rana, who managed to bag a golden duck. In the second over, Navdeep Saini joined the party and pinned Shubman Gill. Tom Banton, who batted at number four, smashed Saini for a couple of fours and looked good.

But the joys were momentary as Siraj accounted for the Englishman’s wicket as well. Banton edged one to De Villiers as the Knight Riders were left in utter shock. In fact, they lost all four wickets in the first 21 balls of the innings. It goes without saying that batting first on a seam-friendly surface backfired on them. Surprisingly, even RCB’s Virat Kohli wanted to bat first.

In the meantime, the Knights also registered the fifth-lowest score in the powerplay in the history of the tournament. It was KKR’s lowest score though. The overall lowest score of 14 for two is held by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) against the RCB itself back in the 2009 IPL at the Newlands in Cape Town.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had some rough games as they feature three times in the top four. RCB themselves are on the list as they scored 17 for one against the Super Kings in the 2014 IPL in Ranchi.

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