IPL Results 2017: Scores, Points Table, Schedule After April 26
The Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets on Wednesday to top the Indian Premier League table.
Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir produced a sensational batting peformance for Kolkata as they chased down Pune's total of 182 for five almost on their own, racking up 87 and 62 runs respectively, punishing their opponents for two dropped catches.
Steve Smith also hit 51 as Pune set the target in the first innings, but his side almost entirely failed to trouble Kolkata with the ball.
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Here is the table as things stand:
| 1 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | Rising Pune Supergiant | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Kings XI Punjab | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Delhi Daredevils | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Gujarat Lions | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The upcoming schedule:
| Thursday, April 27 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Gujarat Lions |
| Friday, April 28 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Delhi Daredevils |
| Friday, April 28 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Saturday, April 29 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiant vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Saturday, April 29 | 11:30 a.m./4 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Mumbai Indians |
Rising Pune Supergiant vs. Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata, 184 for 3 (Uthappa 87, Gambhir 62), beat Supergiant, 182 for 5 (Smith 51*, Rahane 46), by seven wickets
A solid start saw Pune score 57 in the Powerplay overs, with Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane steadily accruing the runs.
The former was the more explosive of the two, hitting 38 in just 23 balls compared with Rahane's 46 from 41.
He was the first to fall when Sunil Narine saw him struck out in the eighth over, and his departure precipitated the arrival of Smith, who would add a cool unbeaten half-century to the Supergiants' tally, though they slowed down somewhat after Powerplay ended.
Kuldeep Yadav made a vital contribution for the away side in the 18th over as he took MS Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary in the space of three balls. Dhoni in particular had been building momentum with a four and two sixes in his 11 balls.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle praised the 22-year-old's effort:
Despite the setback, Pune were able to rally in the final two overs and score 30 more runs at the death, with Dan Christian providing the highlight with back-to-back sixes.
Commentator Ayaz Memon reflected on their innings and noted Kolkata's need to enjoy a good start to their own:
Narine being run out by Shardul Thakur in the third over was far from ideal, but Uthappa and captain Gambhir formed an electric partnership.
Uthappa benefited from a hefty slice of luck in the seventh over when a high sweeping shot was dropped—over the boundary for a four no less—and he made the hosts regret it with some aggressive and accurate shot-making, per Cricbuzz:
Gambhir also escaped after the ball came off his glove, allowing him to continue partnering Uthappa until the 17th over, with Pune unable to trouble the pair in the meantime as they comfortably chased down their target.
The captain fell the following over, but by the time they were both dismissed, their team-mates needed just four more runs to win.
Kolkata will be in action again on Friday when they take on the Delhi Daredevils, and they should have little trouble against a side who have won just two of six matches this year.
Pune face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday, where they will hope not to face a batting performance of such high quality.
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