IPL Results 2016: Latest Points Table, Scores After Knight Riders vs. Kings XI
Kolkata Knight Riders moved to the top of the 2016 Indian Premier League on Wednesday, heaping more misery on bottom side Kings XI Punjab in a gripping seven-run win.
Another excellent opening stand between Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir helped Kolkata to 164 for three after their 20 overs.
In response, Punjab got off to a disastrous start, losing three wickets in the first 19 balls. Glenn Maxwell's stunning 42-ball 68 gave Kings XI a chance, but it proved too little, too late for visitors who, despite a late flourish from Axar Patel, came up just short in the final over.
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Here’s a look at the table following Kolkata’s victory, the matches scheduled for the coming days and a closer examination of Wednesday’s fascinating contest.
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.359 |
| Gujarat Lions | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.236 |
| Delhi Daredevils | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.547 |
| Mumbai Indians | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.009 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.060 |
| Rising Pune Supergiants | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +0.130 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.031 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.753 |
| May 5 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Delhi Daredevils vs. Rising Pune Supergiants | Delhi |
| May 6 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Gujarat Lions | Hyderabad |
| May 7 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Rising Pune Supergiants | Bengaluru |
| May 7 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Delhi Daredevils | Mohali |
| May 8 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Mumbai Indians vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad | Visakhapatnam |
| May 8 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Gujarat Lions | Kolkata |
Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata, 164 for three, (Uthappa 70, Singh 0 for 8) beat Punjab, 157 for nine, (Maxwell 68, Russell 4 for 20) by seven runs.
Once again Kolkata’s tremendous opening pairing led the way with the bat, as Kings XI won the toss and opted to field.
Gambhir was the anchor at the top of the order, manipulating the ball into space, running hard and rotating the strike. His partner, Uthappa, was more aggressive in his batting, seeking to hit gaps and put bowlers under pressure.
The end result was another strong partnership, with Punjab’s bowling attack looking very toothless. As cricket statistician Bharath Seervi noted, they’re a duo who so often get the Knight Riders off to a solid start:
It wasn’t a particularly quick start, though, meaning when Gambhir was run out for 54 in the 14th over, Kolkata had a mediocre total of 101 on the board. But it meant they could bring the big hitters in early, with Yusuf Pathan joining Uthappa at the crease.
The latter freed his arms at this point, seeking to up the run-rate against a toiling Kings XI bowling attack. Indeed, it was another run out that did for the opener as he pushed hard, falling for a brilliant 70 from 49 balls.
Alongside Pathan, Andre Russell helped Kolkata muster a final total of 164 for three, with the latter run out off the final ball for 16 and his team-mate 19 not out. It meant that three of the batsmen out were dismissed by run-outs, something that has not happened for a long time, per statistician Mohandas Menon:
Kings XI would have felt that total was gettable as they began their chase, but they were dealt some crushing setbacks early on.
Marcus Stoinis and Manan Vohra were both dismissed for ducks inside three overs, while dependable skipper Murali Vijay fell off the first ball of the very next over for six. Russell had two wickets, was pumped up and Kolkata were well on top.
One of Punjab’s strengths is they have quality down the order, though, and while Wriddhiman Saha helped steady the ship with 20 before being dismissed, it was Maxwell, known as the Big Show, who hauled his team back into this contest.
He played his natural, aggressive game to race to 50 from just 29 balls. Suddenly only 56 runs from the final six overs were needed and with Maxwell teeing off, the run-rate was coming down rapidly.
Kolkata badly needed a wicket, and much to the delight of their assembled supporters, in the 16th over it came, with Piyush Chawla pinning Maxwell in front LBW for 68. The momentum was back in their favour once again and the team's Twitter feed was delighted:
After seeing the run-rate plummet, following Maxwell's departure, it started to soar again, with more than two per ball needed with three overs to go.
When David Miller fell in the 18th over to Russell, Punjab's chances seemed to have finally been extinguished. Still Kings XI came strong again, with Axar Patel hammering a couple of enormous sixes in the 18th over, meaning just 22 were required off the final 12 balls. After more scrambling in the penultimate over, that became 12 from six.
Patel took a single off the first ball before he was run out off the next, with a testing 11 runs needed from four balls. That became 11 from three when Gurkeerat Singh was, remarkably, also run out off the very next ball. Ultimately, it was too much for Kings XI to muster, who came up an agonising seven runs short on 157 for nine.
Kings XI will be hugely disappointed not to have gotten over the line in this one. Kolkata's total was gettable, and although it looked as if Maxwell was going to save the day at one stage, it's almost impossible to win matches in the IPL when the top order falters quite so spectacularly.
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