IPL 2019: Kolkata Knight Riders Crush Rajasthan Royals By 8 Wickets To Go Top Of The Table

Kolkata Knight Riders rode on a half-century by Chris Lynn and fearless knocks by Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa to crush Rajathan Royals by eight wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday. With this emphatic win, Dinesh Karthik-led KKR claimed the top position in the IPL 2019 points table with four victories in five matches. After opting to bowl, KKR restricted Rajasthan to a below-par 139/3 despite Steve Smith's unbeaten knock of 73. KKR batsman made a mockery out of the small target and chased it down inside 13.5 overs.

Narine (47) and Lynn (50) shared 91 runs for the opening stand in 8.3 overs to take the game away from Rajasthan Royals.

The win was the best of this season in terms of number of balls to spare.

Narine contributed 47, his best of this IPL season, from 25 balls from which he hit six fours and three sixes while Lynn made an exact 50 from 32 deliveries, with the help of six boundaries and three sixes.

When Rajasthan Royals batted, the slow track at Sawai Man Singh stadium looked like a difficult one with the ball not coming on to the bat easily, but the KKR batsmen made the nature of the track irrelevant with runs and boundaries coming thick and fast.

The stadium was also engulfed by a sandstorm before the tie but in the end it was the home side who were were swept away by KKR who first put up a brilliant bowling performance to restrict the Royals to 139/3 and then running away with the match in quick time.

Robin Uthappa gave the finishing touches with 26 not out from 16 balls as KKR reached 140 for 2 in 13.5 overs.

KKR took 10 runs from the first over bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni with Lynn hitting two boundaries but more fireworks came in the second over with Narine smashing a six and four boundaries to take 22 runs off Krishnappa Gowtham.

The stunned home crowd then witnessed Rahul Tripathi dropping Narine in the first ball of the fourth over bowled by Kulkarni and then endured the agony of seeing a lucky Lynn surviving despite an inside edge off his bat hitting the stumps.

The inside edge glanced the leg stump but the bails could not be dislodged to the misery of Kulkarni and the home team.

The scoring rate dropped a bit but KKR still scored 65 for no loss in the powerplay overs.

Debutant leg-spinner Sudhesan Midhun looked promising for a few balls before Narine sent him for two sixes in the eighth over.

Earlier, Australian batsman Steve Smith struck his first half century of this IPL season as he remained not out on 73 off 59 deliveries to anchor Rajasthan Royals to 139 for 3 after the home side were invited to bat on a tricky track.

(With PTI inputs)