Smith, Rahane power RPS to a total of 182/5
KKR had won the toss and decided to field first.
Most of the top order batsmen
FollowIf Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) want to continue with their winning streak then they will have to bowl extremely well to defend that total of 182 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a formidable batting lineup and they feel they can get over the line. But it is going to be a good run chase.
KKR had won the toss and decided to field first and that has been the trend in this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. The wicket looks extremely good to bat on but the ball has been gripping when the slower bowlers were bowling. KKR batsmen would be wary about that.
Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets in his four overs. His last over of his spell was excellent. The chinaman bowler picked up the crucial wicket of MS Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary in that same over and that pulled things back a little. Or else it looked like the score could have reached 200 if Dhoni and Steve Smith stayed for another over or two.
Smith scored a brilliant half century and remained unbeaten. His partnership with Ajinkya Rahane set up the foundation for Dhoni and the rest of the batters to finish things off in style. Rahane, especially looked elegant with his stroke play as well.
Brief score:
RPS: 182/5 in 20 overs; Steve Smith 51*, Ajinkya Rahane 46 | Kuldeep Yadav - 4-0-31-2.
