Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bounced back after a defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2023 opener to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 81 runs on their return to the Eden Gardens.
Shardul Thakur's stunning counter-attacking innings of 68 off 29 balls coupled with calculated knocks from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (57 off 44) and Rinku Singh (46 off 33) helped KKR post a daunting total of 204/7 after recovering from 89/5. The KKR spinners then came to the party as Varun Chakravarthy (4/15), Sunil Narine (2/16) and debutant Suyash Sharma (3/30) spun a web around the RCB batters to bowl them out for a paltry 123 runs and win the match by 81 runs.
KKR vs RCB IPL 2023 match in numbers
- 204/7, KKR’s total against RCB is the highest IPL total for a team after losing the first five wickets before 100 runs on the board. KKR were reduced to 89/5 inside 12 overs. The previous highest was also by the Knight Riders, when they scored 202 after teetering at 31 for 5 against CSK in 2021.
- The three KKR spinners scalped 9 wickets in the match- the most by spinners in an innings in the IPL. The previous best was eight wickets picked up by CSK’s spinners on three separate instances.
{{/usCountry}}- The three KKR spinners scalped 9 wickets in the match- the most by spinners in an innings in the IPL. The previous best was eight wickets picked up by CSK’s spinners on three separate instances.
{{/usCountry}}- Thakur's score of 68 is the joint second-highest individual score while batting at No. 7 or lower in the IPL. Andre Russell scored an unbeaten 88 against CSK batting at No. 7 in 2018, while Dwayne Bravo struck 68 batting at No. 8 against MI in the same season.
- KKR added 115 runs from the last 8.3 overs at a run rate of 13.5 Only once has a team scored at a higher run rate after losing five wickets inside 100 runs in the IPL. MI had a run rate of 13.8 after they lost five wickets for 46 runs against PBKS in 2015.
- Suyash Sharma was brought on as the Impact player by KKR and his figures of 3 for 30 are the second best for a spinner on IPL debut behind Mayank Markande’s 3 for 23 against CSK in 2018. They are also the sixth-best bowling figures for an Indian on IPL debut.
- RCB have conceded 200-plus runs on 21 occasions in the IPL, the second most after PBKS (22).
- KKR spent INR 10.75 crore to sign the cricketer from Delhi Capitals and in his second match for the franchise, the 31-year-old justified the reason behind his huge price tag.