IPL Results 2016: Scores, Points Table and Fixtures After Latest T20 Action
Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed their third win of the 2016 Indian Premier League Twenty20 season on Tuesday, easily beating Kings XI Punjab by six wickets.
Knight Riders restricted Punjab to 138 for eight, led by Sunil Narine and his fellow spinners, and Robin Uthappa got the chase on track with a quick 53 from 28. Kolkata cruised to the finish line with 17 balls to spare.
Here’s a look at the latest IPL standings:
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| 1 | KKR | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1.075 | 573/69.4 | 566/79.1 | 6 |
| 2 | GL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0.714 | 473/55.4 | 467/60.0 | 6 |
| 3 | DD | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.249 | 403/52.4 | 401/54.1 | 4 |
| 4 | RCB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.901 | 418/40.0 | 374/39.1 | 2 |
| 5 | RPS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.338 | 441/54.4 | 438/56.4 | 2 |
| 6 | SRH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.672 | 469/57.3 | 515/58.2 | 2 |
| 7 | MI | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -0.880 | 594/79.1 | 605/72.1 | 2 |
| 8 | KXIP | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.155 | 563/78.4 | 568/68.2 | 2 |
This is the schedule for the upcoming IPL fixtures:
| April 20 | 3:30 p.m/8 p.m. | Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Mumbai |
| April 21 | 3:30 p.m/8 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajkot |
| April 22 | 3:30 p.m/8 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Pune |
| April 23 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Delhi Daredevils vs. Mumbai Indians | Delhi |
| April 23 | 3:30 p.m/8 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kings XI Punjab | Hyderabad |
| April 24 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Rajkot |
| April 24 | 3:30 p.m/8 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Kolkata Knight Riders | Pune |
Click here for the full tournament schedule. Watch all matches live on Sky Sports, and access live stream via Sky Go (UK only).
Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata, 141/4 (Uthappa 53, Narine two for 22) beat Punjab, 138/8 (Marsh 56, Sahu two for 18) by six wickets (with 17 balls remaining).
Kolkata won the toss and elected to bowl, and per cricket writer Ayaz Memon, it’s easy to see why:
The visitors attacked Punjab with a heavy dose of spin, and from the first over, Punjab found themselves on the back foot. Manan Vohra (eight from 12) didn’t find the boundary once before he was caught by Shakib Al Hasan, and Murali Vijay (26 from 22) fared only marginally better.
Shaun Marsh’s unbeaten 56 was the only highlight of Punjab’s innings, as every partner the hosts sent out to bat with him failed to score double figures. Kolkata’s vaunted bowlers kept Punjab in check throughout the contest, led by Narine, who looked excellent in his second match back.
His new action looked fluid and consistent, leading to figures of two from 22 through four overs. He bowled 10 dot balls and gave up just a single boundary, and took care of Glenn Maxwell (four from seven) in the 15th over.
The Australian tried to play a reverse sweep and made it all too obvious, leading to an easy catch for Piyush Chawla. Memon didn’t understand:
Andre Russell gave up 18 runs in his only over, handing Punjab a late boost, but the target of 139 seemed like a walk in the park for Kolkata to chase.
Narine stole the show, but Morne Morkel also looked solid with the ball, finishing with figures of two for 27, and Russell was the only bowler to finish with an economy rate in double figures (18.00).
Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir (34 from 34) got to work, and while the latter has been Kolkata's in-form man so far this season, it was Uthappa who got the chase off on the right foot, crossing the half-century mark off just 24 balls.
Kolkata scored 65 in the powerplay overs, and the partnership of Gambhir and Uthappa lasted until the ninth over, when the latter was trapped leg-before-wicket. At that point, Kolkata had already scored 82 runs.
Maxwell produced a superb catch to get rid of Gambhir in the 11th over, diving full stretch to grab the ball just inches from the ground. Once Kolkata's two openers departed, the run rate slowed, but Knight Riders were still in an excellent position to grab the win.
Manish Pandey (12 from 11) and Al Hasan (11 from 15) patiently continued the chase, and Yusuf Pathan pushed his team over the line with a quick 12 from six.
Pardeep Sahu finished with excellent figures of two for 18, and Axar Patel was nearly as good, with two for 19 , but the total to defend was just too low.
Per ESPNcricinfo, David Miller didn't hide his disappointment:
"It's disappointing. We didn't score enough runs, lost too many wickets upfront, and missed a few opportunities on the field. We're not far away from a win, we're close. I believe in the boys. I'm confident we can turn it around. The middle order, myself to blame too. I haven't scored too many runs. In the bowling department, we've given away too many boundary balls. There were a lot of positives. Sahu bowled exceptionally well, very happy to see Shaun get runs under its belt. We have got some unbelievable plays in out squad.
"
Kolkata's bowling remains the team's biggest strength, and with Narine looking more than solid since his return, Knight Riders' chances of winning this year's IPL look even better.
The team is still too dependent on its openers to put up runs, but Pathan should round into form as the season goes along. If he and Russell can establish themselves as reliable scorers behind Gambhir and Uthappa, it will be difficult to keep Kolkata from winning this year's title.
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