The Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers put on a show, holding the Rajasthan Royals to 151 runs. Despite a star-studded lineup, the Royals’ big guns failed to make a significant impact. Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all got starts but couldn’t kick on. The Knight Riders’ spinners kept the Royals’ batsmen in check, not allowing them to unleash their big shots.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson opened the batting for the Royals, starting cautiously. Vaibhav Arora broke the partnership, bowling Samson for 13. Riyan Parag came in and started aggressively, smashing 25 runs off 15 balls, including three sixes. However, Varun Chakravarthy caught him out, ending his innings. Moeen Ali then made his debut wicket for the Knight Riders, dismissing Jaiswal for 29.
Solid bowling performance
All five Knight Riders’ bowlers completed their full quota of overs. Vaibhav Arora took 2 wickets for 33 runs, while Harshit Rana conceded 36 runs. The spinners, however, had a bigger impact. Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy were extremely frugal, giving away just 23 and 17 runs, respectively. Each of the four main bowlers picked up 2 wickets, with Spencer Johnson chipping in with 1.
Spinners casting their magic
First Varun Chakravarthy and then Moeen Ali
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The Royals’ debutant Wanindu Hasaranga was caught by Chakravarthy for just 4 runs. Impact player Shubham Dubey also fell cheaply, dismissed by Vaibhav Arora for 9. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel top-scored for the Royals with 33, hitting 5 fours in his 28-ball innings. In the final overs, Jofra Archer smashed 16 crucial runs off just 7 balls, including 2 sixes.