KKR vs RCB IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders hammer Royal Challengers Bangalore for their first win | Cricket News – Times of India

Thakur hits 29-ball 68 before Narine, Varun, Suyash choke RCB
KOLKATA: If one can question Kolkata Knight Riders’ calls at the auction table, there should not be any doubt about their choices in the trading window.
IPL 2023 SCHEDULE | IPL 2023 POINTS TABLE
One of the biggest trade deals in the build-up to the Indian Premier League mini-auction was done between Delhi Capitals and KKR when India all-rounder Shardul Thakur switched base to Kolkata. The team also got Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Gujrat Titans before the tournament.
Both the players emerged as Knights in shining armour to help the side beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 81 runs at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

Sunil Narine, Varun Chakraborty and 19-year-old leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, coming as an impact player replacing Venkatesh Iyer, then bowled in tandem sharing nine wickets among themselves to bowl out RCB for 123 in 17.4 overs. While Narine claimed 2 for 16, Sharma made his IPL debut memorable by returning with three for 30. Chakraborty was the most successful KKR bowler with four for 15 in 3.4 overs.
Very few expected KKR to get to 204 for seven after struggling at 89 for five by the 12th over. But Thakur went hammer and tongs after Gurbaz kept the side in the game with a 44-ball 57.

The Mumbai all-rounder changed the complexion of the match getting his highest T20 score with a hard-hitting 68 off just 29 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes.
Rinku Singh too opened up in the latter half of the innings getting 46 off 33 balls.

It was the 103-run sixth-wicket stand between Thakur and Rinku that put the smiles back on team’s co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, who arrived just before the match and came down to the ground to congratulate the boys after the win.
However, KKR’s top-order continued to remain a worry as they once again failed to get a good start.

David Willey must have given some comfort to RCB on a day it was learnt that Reece Topley was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder dislocation. The left-arm pacer drew first blood claiming a double wicket maiden in the fourth over of the innings after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and put the hosts in first.
The left-handed pacer clean bowled last-match’s impact player Iyer, who came in to open the innings and Mandeep Singh in consecutive deliveries.

Nitish Rana fell trying to reverse sweep off-spinner Michael Bracewell’s first ball only to get a thick edge for wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik to take an easy catch. But Gurbaz continued to play his shots to bring up his 50, sweeping Karn Sharma’s second delivery for a six over backward square leg.
However, Sharma then made a big difference in his second over picking up Gurbaz and KKR’s star all-rounder Andre Russell in consecutive deliveries. Thakur restored things hitting Bracewell for consecutive sixes.

The all-rounder got 50 off just 20 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes.
It seemed to be Thakur’s day as his mis-hits too landed in between fielders.