Former two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) rode to a classy batting, as they tamed fellow former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. Apart from a fine bowling performance, it was opener Shubman Gill, along with Eoin Morgan, who shined with their composed batting.
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Although KKR were chasing a below-par total of 143, they were in trouble, having lost their opening three wickets for 53 in seven overs. Nonetheless, Gill, along with Morgan, took the charge of the innings thereon, as they did not allow the SRH bowlers to settle down. In the end, it was a comfortable seven-wicket win, with 12 balls to spare.
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Following the innings, Morgan, who stayed unbeaten on 42, heaped praise on Gill, terming the latter's batting as 'beautiful to watch'. It was the pair's unbeaten 92-run stand that played a pivotal role in KKR's victory.
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“I didn’t have to tell him a great deal, to be honest, he’s beautiful to watch on the eye, good bat swing, very languid style, magnificent to watch, he’s a good kid, very hungry to learn and I would love to bat with him once again. I think he deserves all the success,” he quoted following the match.
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KKR, in the process, registered their opening win of the tournament, having lost their opener to defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI). On the same note, Morgan was all praise for their bowlers too, who did a fine job at restricting SRH to a chasable total.
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“Nice feeling to get a win under our belt. It’s a long tournament, but obviously, this win helps us get some momentum and confidence going. We were a bit rusty in our last game against MI, but we won this match with our bowlers, they did a great job restricting a very strong Sunrisers batting line-up. Wickets of Bairstow and Warner at the top put us in a good position. They put them on the back-foot and we knew we didn’t have to put ourselves under pressure in the chase," Morgan concluded.
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KKR would now take on the champions from the inaugural edition, Rajasthan Royals (RR), on Wednesday, in Dubai. As of now, KKR are in the fifth spot, while RR are just a spot above them, in the fourth, having won their opening tie, while the latter take on Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Sunday.
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