A dominant bowling display, followed by a gritty stand between Tripathi and Morgan helped Kolkata to end their losing streak in Indian T20 League 2021 and they defeated Punjab by 5 wickets.
Toss: Kolkata opted to field first
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera
Detailed Match Report
First Innings (Punjab 123/9)
Kolkata didn’t make any change to the playing XI while Punjab included Chris Jordan. Shivam Mavi bowled some tight overs in his first spell and Cummins got the first wicket after picking KL Rahul on 19. Mavi bagged Gayle on the duck to end his spell with one for 13. Prasidh Krishna got Deepak Hooda on 1 and Narine picked well-set Mayank Agarwal after scoring 31. Punjab struggled in middle-overs and Kolkata dominated the game with too many dot deliveries. Chris Jordan played a short cameo of 30 off just 18 balls to help Punjab to cross 100. Prasidh Krishna bagged a 3-wicket haul and Kolkata restricted Punjab on 123. Narine and Cummins picked two wickets each.
Second Innings (Kolkata 126/5)
Kolkata’s top-order failed to provide a good start in this small chase. Shami and Henriques picked both openers Rana and Gill in the first two overs. Ravi Bishnoi’s stunning catch sent Narine on duck and Kolkata lost their three wickets on 17. Morgan joined Tripathi and the duo revived Kolkata from the pressure. They maintained the run rate and rotated the strike. Deepak Hooda provided the breakthrough when he got Rahul Tripathi on 41 but this 66-run stand assured Kolkata two points. Russell also got runout later but Morgan did the final job with an unbeaten 47 and Kolkata chased it down with 5 wickets in hand. Kolkata ended their 4-match losing streak and started the Ahmedabad leg on a winning note.
Star Performer of the Match
Eoin Morgan is our star performer of the match. He played a fearless knock of 47 when Kolkata were struggling at 17/3 and Punjab had the advantage. He focused on singles and doubles and kept the run-rate in control with boundaries. He finished the game for Kolkata.
5 impactful players of match
Eoin Morgan 47 (40)
Rahul Tripathi 41 (32)
Chris Jordan 30 (18)
Prasidh Krishna 30/3
Sunil Narine 22/2
