De Kock’s sparkling 97 guides defending champs to dominant eight-wicket win
Guwahati: Quinton de Kock struck a magnificent 97 not out on a tacky Barsapara wicket, anchoring Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase to perfection as they secured a dominant eight-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash on Wednesday.
Opting to bowl, KKR’s disciplined bowling attack, led by their spin duo Varun Chakravarthy (2/17) and Moeen Ali (2/23), restricted Rajasthan Royals to a below-par 151/9.
In response, De Kock remained 97 not out from 61 balls, his knock laced with eight fours and six sixes, as KKR comfortably chased down the target in 17.3 overs.
Despite the challenging nature of the surface, De Kock displayed controlled aggression, timing the ball beautifully while ensuring KKR’s chase remained on track.
The chase was never in trouble, with the required run rate hovering around a run-a-ball.
KKR lost Moeen Ali (5) and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (18) early, but De Kock held one end firm, finding an able partner in young Angkrish Raghuvanshi 22 (17 balls).
The duo stitched together an unbroken 83-run partnership that came off just 44 balls, sealing the first win of the season for the defending champions.
Earlier, Chakravarthy and Ali dismantled the Royals’ middle order, picking up two wickets each in successive overs right after the powerplay, shifting the momentum in KKR’s favour.
Seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33) was expensive but chipped in with two crucial wickets — regular Royals skipper Sanju Samson (13 off 11) with a yorker in the powerplay before dismissing impact substitute Shubham Dubey (9) cheaply.
Harshit Rana (2/36) was instrumental at the death, breaking Dhruv Jurel’s promising innings of 33 (28) and removing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer for just 7, both in the crucial penultimate over.
A quickfire cameo 16 from 7 balls from Jofra Archer ensured that they reached 150-mark but he fell to Spencer Johnson (1/42) in the penultimate ball of their innings.
