PICS: Morgan steers KKR to victory over Punjab Kings

Images from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Ahmedabad, on Monday.

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Skipper Eoin Morgan clamed early jitters after fine display by his bowlers to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a five-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the IPL encounter, in Ahmedabad, on Monday.

After the bowlers put up a superb show to restrict Punjab Kings to 123 for 9, the Knight Riders overcame early hiccups and got to the paltry target in 16.4 overs, Morgan, who also took three catches, scoring an unbeaten on 47 off 40 balls. 

Earlier, Prasidh Krishna (3-30), Pat Cummins (2-31) and Sunil Narine (2-22) choked Punjab after the young Shivam Mavi (1-13) bowled an astounding 15 dot balls in his four-over spell.

The victory saw KKR end their four-match losing streak and rise to fifth, with four points from six games, on the eight-team table.

Punjab Kings dropped a notch below.

Medium pacer Moises Henriques opened the bowling for Punjab, who needed a few early wickets to defend the low total.

Henriques began with a poor delivery -- a full one on the pads -- which Shubman Gill glanced fine for a four to get off the mark.

The batsman drove the next ball to mid-off and pulled the third to deep square leg for one before the Aussie pacer struck.

Nitish Rana was out for a duck to the first delivery he faced. He hit a full toss from Henriques uppishly and was caught in the covers by Shahrukh Khan.

KKR lost their first wicket with only five on the board.

Mohammed Shami bowled the second over and struck with his fifth delivery, dismissing Gill, who played across the line, missed and was trapped leg before wicket.

The opener did not even bother to seek the review. He was out for 9 off 8 balls, including two fours.

It only got worse for Punjab Kings when left-arm pace bowler Arshdeep Singh dismissed Sunil Narine with the last delivery of his first over.

Narine tried to slog a good length delivery across the line  and was caught brilliantly by Ravi Bishnoi at deep mid-wicket.

Bishnoi sprinted in and dived full forward length to pull off a blinder. Narine was out for a duck and KKR were reduced to 17-3 after the third over.

Skipper Eoin Morgan replaced Narine, and with Rahul Tripathi went about steadying and building the innings.

They put on 60 runs for the fourth wicket to guide KKR to 76-3 by the end of the tenth over.

However, Tripathi was halted in his stride by part-time spinner Deepak Hooda in the next over.

He stepped out to hit the bowler big, but couldn't get to the pitch of the ball and only succeeded in lofting a catch to Shahrukh, who ran in to his left and took it at long-on.

Tripathi was out for 41 off 32 balls, which included 7 fours and KKR were 83 for 3 after the 11th over.

Punjab Kings then kept their slim hopes alive, having dangerman Russell run-out for 9.

Morgan steered the first delivery of the 15th over from Bishnoi to short third man and took off for a single. However, Russell was caught a touch short as Arshdeep fielded and made a direct hit.

He had to walk back after scoring 10 as KKR lost their fifth wicket for 98.

Dinesh Karthik, who replaced Russell at the wicket, suffered a scare when he took a risky single on the leg side off Bishnoi in the 15th over to get off the mark before Morgan then top-edged the sweep over the wicketkeeper for two runs to bring up KKR's 100.

Morgan then took on Hooda, hitting him through the covers for a four before playing an inside-out lofted shot off the next ball for a six.

KKR were in control at 114 for 5 in 16 overs, with Morgan on 46 off 39.

Needing 10 runs from four for victory, Karthik got the job done, hitting Arshdeep for two fours in the 17th over to seal the contest.

He was unbeaten on 12 off 6 balls as KKR registerde an emphatic five-wicket victory with 3.2 overs to spare.

Their second win in six matches in IPL 2021 also end KKR's run of four straight defeats.

The victory took them to fifth in the eight-team league with four points from six games.

Punjab Kings are a rung below with the same number of points from six games.

Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers turned in a clinical display to restrict Punjab Kings to a paltry 123 for 9.

Electing to bowl, they struck at regular intervals to have Punjab reeling at 42 for 3 in the eighth over.

Had Chris Jordan not scored an 18-ball 30, which included three sixes, at the end of the innings the Kings may not have got past the 100-run mark.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, led the demolition, taking three wickets for 30 runs in his four overs. He was well-supported by fellow-pacer Pat Cummins (2-31) and spin ace Sunil Narine (2-22).

Much credit though should go to fast bowler Shivam Mavi, who bowled a superb first spell for figures of 13 for 1, sending down 15 dot balls.

Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl. The Eoin Morgan-led side, which suffered four defeats in a row, were unchanged from their previous game.

Punjab made one change, bringing in England pacer Chris Jordan in place of spin all-rounder Fabian Allen.

K L Rahul and Mayank Agarwal opened Punjab Kings innings while Shivam Mavi sent down Kolkata Knight Riders' first over and did well, conceding just 2 from it.

Pat Cummins came in from the other end for the second over and started his spell with a wide down the leg side to Agarwal, who then top-edged the next delivery all the way behind the wicketkeeper for a six. He ran the third ball down to third-man for a single before Rahul cut the last one to point for a four.

Cummins conceded 12 from the over as Punjab were 14-0 at the end of two.

The Aussie pacer was taken off and replaced with Sunil Narine for the fourth over. But he returned for the fifth over and struck with his fourth delivery, dismissing Rahul.

The opener, after a cautious start, hit a pitched-up delivery and ended up floating it to mid-off, where Narine took an easy catch.

Rahul was out for 19 off 20 balls, which included 2 fours and a six, just before Punjab ended the powerplay overs with 31 for 1.

KKR decided to persist with Mavi, who had conceded just nine runs from his first three overs. The move paid off as the pacer snared the big wicket of Chris Gayle with the third delivery of his fourth over.

Mavi made a vociferous appeal for caught behind, as the West Indian poked away from his body, but it was turned down.

KKR immediately took the review and Ultra Edge indicated a spike. Gayle given out caught behind for a first-ball duck.

Mavi ended his spell with figures of 13 for 1, having sent down 15 dot balls, as Punjab were reduced to 41-2 after the seventh over.

The KKR bowlers continued to dominate. Right-arm medium pacer Prasidh Krishna was introduced into the attack in the eighth over and immediately tasted success, dismissing Deepak Hooda for 1.

Hooda hit Krishna's fourth delivery straight to point, where Morgan took the catch to have Punjab in big trouble at 42 for 3 in the eighth over.

Narine returned to the attack in the 12th over for his second over and struck. Agarwal tried to pull the spinner, but ended up offering a catch to Rahul Tripathi at deep midwicket.

Agarwal was out after a 34-ball 31 struggle and Punjab 60 for 4 in the 12th over.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran, who had scores of 0, 0, 9, 0 in Punjab’s first four matches, finally got going and hit Varun Chakravarty for a 6 and 4 off successive deliveries in the next over to get to 18 off 17 balls.

Narine struck again with the first delivery of his third over, the 14th of the innings, to dismiss Moises Henriques bowled. The West Indian got the ball to turn and race between the gap between bat and pad and rattle the stumps. Punjab were reduced to 75-5 in the 13th over.

They continued to deteriorate as Pooran, in a bid to get some runs for the team, tried to swing Chakravarthy over the leg side but missed and was bowled for 19.

Punjab were reduced to 79 for 6 in the 15th over.

Ravi Bishnoi then got a leading edge to a delivery from Cummins in the penultimate over and gave Morgan his third catch of the match at cover.

Cummins picked his second wicket in the process to finish with 2 for 31.

Chris Jordan then hit Krishna for two sixes in the final over before perishing for a useful 30 off 18 balls, including a four and 3 sixes, to give the Punjab total some respectability at 123 for 9 after 20 overs.

Krishna finished with three wickets for 30 runs.

• IPL 2021