Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Rahul Tripathi was the standout performer for his team against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Wednesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Tripathi, who was promoted to open the innings, scored a brilliant 51-ball 81. However, the Dinesh Karthik-led side failed to capitalize and was bowled out for 167.
Meanwhile, Tripathi had picked up from where he left off against Delhi Capitals and raced to his fifth IPL fifty in 31 balls to give KKR a solid foundation after his captain won the toss and elected to bat.
All you need to know about Rahul Tripathi:
Born on March 2, 1991, Rahul Tripathi plays for Maharashtra in domestic cricket. He made his IPL debut for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017. During the season, Tripathi impressed one and all with his powerful hitting skills. He amassed 391 runs in the season at a strike rate of 146.44. His 93 off 52 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders - of which 78 runs came through boundaries - was one of the memorable knocks of the season.
He played for the Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and 2019 but did not have the best of seasons. In 2018, he played 12 matches and scored 226 runs at an average of 25.11 and a strike rate of 135.32. In 2019, Tripathi only got eight matches to play. He scored 141 runs in the season.
Meanwhile, the right-hand batsman was the leading run-scorer for Maharashtra in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy. He scored a whopping 504 runs in eight matches.
In the IPL auctions 2020, Rahul Tripathi was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for 60 lakhs.
Reportedly, he is an Army brat and has lived in several Indian cities before taking up cricket seriously in Pune's Deccan Gymkhana.
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