Kolkata pulled off yet another remarkable defend in Abu Dhabi to give a heartbreak to Punjab who was almost on the winning line. On the final ball, Maxwell almost got the six but it's a game of cricket. Punjab fell short of just two runs to continue their losing streak.
Toss: Kolkata opted to bowl first
Team Changes: Chris Jordan comes in for Cottrell (Punjab)
Prasidh Krishna comes in for Shivam Mavi (Kolkata)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Detailed Match Report
Kolkata’s start was not so good as they lost Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana in first 4-overs. Gill and Morgan both put a steady stand of 49 but Bishnoi removed Morgan to give Kolkata a big blow. In middle-overs, Kolkata needed acceleration and Dinesh Karthik played an attacking knock of 58 off 29 balls to give Kolkata an upper hand. He added crucial 82 runs with Shubhman Gill (57) to take Kolkata 164 which was a competitive total in Abu Dhabi.
Punjab got a perfect start as they added 78 in first 10 overs. Kolkata’s bowlers tried to make the chase difficult but Rahul and Mayank both avoided any mistake in the first half. Both openers scored half-centuries and set the roadmap for the victory. Prasidh Krishna broke the opening stand and he ended up with 3-wickets haul. Punjab was almost there but regular wickets in flag-overs spoil the party for them. On final ball, they needed a six but Maxwell fell short of just 2 runs.
Star-performer of the match
Prasidh Krishna is our star performer of the match. Kolkata was almost out of the game when both openers were in middle. He picked important wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Simran Singh and KL Rahul. He went for just 29 runs in his 4-overs spell and he came out as a big survivor.
Top 5 players who made an impact in the game
Dinesh Karthik 58 (29)
Shubhman Gill 57 (47)
KL Rahul 74 (58)
Mayank Agarwal 56 (39)
Prasidh Krishna 4-0-29-3
