Batsmen let down Kolkata yet again

Delhi Capitals marched on to another victory on Thursday night as they overwhelmed a weary Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets.

The Capitals have got 10 points under their belt, levelling with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the points table.

Rishabh Pant rotated the bowlers extremely well to restrict Kolkata to 154/6 on a track that offered tremendous help to batsmen.

Delhi openers cripple KKR hopes early

Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw kept the Kolkata fielders in check in the powerplay by notching 67 runs in a flash.

Shaw took the game away from the Riders single-handedly.

He smacked five consecutive fours off Shivam Mavi’s first and only over after which KKR skipper Eoin Morgan did not give him the ball again.

He brought up his half-century of 18 balls, which is the fastest fifty of the season and joint second-fasted half-century by a Delhi player.

The batting prodigy was declared the Man Of The Match for his 82 (41).

Dhawan was no less than a spectator in the game and batted patiently for his 46 (47).

The left-handed was happily chipping the ball for singles with Shaw going berserk from the other end.

They brought up a second 100-run stand of the season tonight, making the chase a walk in the park.

How KKR is wasting Russell

Andre Russell is the only KKR player who has stepped up to the occasion so far.

But his contribution with the bat wasn’t significant enough to take Kolkata home.

Despite losing five of seven games this season, Morgan hasn’t elevated Russell’s batting order.

He has been creaming the ball all over the park, but his cameos only make KKR’s small total decent.

With Kolkata sliding down the points table and openers and middle-order consistency letting the team down, there appears to be no harm in promoting his batting position in a game or two.

Delhi Capitals 156 for 3 (Shaw 82, Dhawan 46, Cummins 3-24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 154 for 6 (Russell 45*, Gill 43, Yadav 2-13) by seven wickets.

Preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Punjab Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on lop-sided Punjab Kings at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday night.

Once an apprentice of Virat Kohli in RCB, KL Rahul will lead Punjab Kings against his former IPL franchise tonight.

Probable Player Of The Match

Rahul has impressive numbers against RCB.

The wicket-keeper batsman has scored 371 runs and averages 74.20 against Bangalore.

He has been Punjab’s highest run scorer (240) this season and he is likely to carry on with his sublime form on Thursday.

Match Prediction

Punjab Kings thumped Bangalore both times last season, but Kohli’s men look like a different team in 2021.

Bangalore have been on a rampage, winning five of their six games.

They thrashed reigning IPL champs Mumbai Indians in the league opener and haven’t looked back since.

Punjab’s journey in the tournament has been rather different.

They are ranked sixth in the points table with only two victories so far.

Hence, Bangalore are favourites for the Thursday clash.