Kolkata Knight Riders were 89 for 5 wickets down in 11.3 overs. Royal Challengers Bangalore looked to gain another victory by 2 points in Match 9 of TATA IPL 2023. Tables turned when Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur settled for a partnership, each bringing 46 runs off 33 balls and 68 runs off 29 balls, respectively.
KKR did not just clinch the victory over RCB by a massive margin of 81 runs, but the side also brought a storm in the IPL points table.
Karn Sharma and David Dilley each picked up 2 wickets for RCB with the best economy rate. They received support from Siraj and Harshal Patel, along with Michael Bracewell, as they sent one player each back to the pavilion. Gurbaz was nearing a huge score at Eden Gardens with six 4s and three 6s to his name already. His innings came to an end when Sharma found the perfect length that delivered a catch to Akash Deep.
KKR skipper was sent back to the pavilion by Michael, with Dinesh Karthik keeping up with the pace to catch the ball behind the stumps.
RCB came to the field with the aim of chasing a target of 205 runs. Kohli and Plessis dropped without capitalizing on a fine momentum. What followed was a blunder by RCB, courtesy of Varun Chakaravarthy, who went on to pick 4 wickets. Suyash Sharma, an impact player, proved his worth by taking three wickets.
Plessis-led RCB fell short, losing all the wickets at 123 in 17.4 overs. This single match brought a storm on the points table, orange cap list, and purple cap list of TATA IPL 2023. It has further changed the odds of betting on cricket. The picture is only expected to get clear as the league matches inch closer to the conclusion.
GT continues to top the chart with 4 points and an NRR of +0.700. PBKS follows at the second spot with the same points but a lower NRR of +0.333. The list then goes on to include RR, LSG, CSK, RCB, DC, MI, and SRH, in the said sequence. This will change yet again when MI and SRH play their second match. Others are done with that second leg, but these two teams are.
The list for Orange Cap has Ruturaj Gaikwad dominating with a total of 149 runs and an average of 74.5 runs. Kyle Mayers and Shikhar Dhawan share the second point with 126 runs each.
Varun Chakaravarthy, who picked a single wicket in the opener, appears in the second position with five wickets following the victory of RCB. Mark Wood has 8 wickets to his name in 2 matches.
TATA IPL league matches continue. LSG and SRH will lock horns at Ekana Sports City for Match 10 at 7:30 pm IST.
