CRICKET NEWS - Kolkata Knight Riders kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a seven-wicket victory against the Rajasthan Royals in the opening game of the week.
Having restricted the Royals to 152 for two KKR chased the runs down with five balls to spare.
David Miller managed just 11 from 14 balls after coming to the crease at 44 for three and the previously dominant Gujarat Titans limped to a modest 143 for eight against the Punjab Kings for whom Kagiso Rabada claimed 4-33 to set up a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.
Faf du Plessis helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore return to winning ways with a quickfire 38 from 22 balls (4x4, 1x6) to set up a total of 173 for eight which was 13 runs too many for struggling Chennai Super Kings.
Dwaine Pretorius’s hitherto successful run for Chennai came to an abrupt halt with a return 3-0-42-1.
Australian opener David Warner finished 92 not out for Delhi Capitals against the team he left in acrimonious circumstances to set up a 21-run win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad for whom Aiden Markram was once again in the runs with 42 from 25 balls before being caught on the deep midwicket boundary to end the run chase.
Anrich Nortje took 1-35 in his four overs.
Mumbai Indians collected another consolation victory by five runs against the Titans with Daniel Sams conceding just four runs from the final over with only nine required for victory and Miller stranded at the non-striker’s end on 19* from 14 balls (1x4, 1x6).
On Saturday Rajasthan Royals chased down Punjab Kings’ daunting total of 189 for five thanks to Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 31 from 16 balls at the death while Quinton de Kock’s quickfire 50 from just 29 balls (4x4, 3x6) set the Lucknow Super Giants up for a resounding 75-run victory against the increasingly erratic KKR who were dismissed for a miserable 101.
Du Plessis played another captain’s innings for RCB on Sunday afternoon batting through the innings to finish 73 not out from 50 balls (8x4, 2x6) to set up a daunting total of 192 for three which was far too many for Sunrisers who faded to 67-run defeat with Markram contributing a subdued 21 from 27 balls.
Dinesh Karthik smashed 30* from just eight balls for RCB with a four and four sixes.
In the final game of the week CSK walloped Delhi Capitals by 91-runs with South African-Kiwi Devon Conway smashing 87 from 49 balls in a total of 208 for six.
Nortje again enjoyed a troubled evening with 4-0-42-3 and Delhi were bowled out for a paltry 117 in just 17.4 overs.
