Kolkata: A timely unbeaten 53 from vice-captain Rinku Singh powered former champions Kolkata Knight Riders to their first win of the season as they defeated Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in the IPL in Kolkata Sunday.
The spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine applied the brakes effectively to restrict Rajasthan Royals to 155 for nine.
Opting to bat, Yashasvi Jaiswal (39) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (46) provided a flying start as RR reached 81-0 in 8.3 overs but spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy (3/14) and Sunil Narine (2/26) put in the squeeze to leave the visitors at 124 for 5 in 16 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer (15) and Riyan Parag (12) reached double digit scores but Kartik Tyagi (3/22 ) then scalped three wickets as they couldn’t recover, managing a below-par total.
In reply, KKR slipped 5 for 2 in 2nd over before losing half their side for 70 in 11th over.
Rinku then steadied the chase, sharing a decisive 76-run stand off 37 balls with Anukul Roy (29) to guide KKR home with two balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 155 for 9 in 20 overs (Jaiswal 39, Sooryavanshi 46; Chakaravarthy 3/14, Tyagi 3/22, Narine 2/26).
Kolkata Knight Riders 161 for 6 in 19.4 overs (Rinku 53 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 2/8).
PTI