KKR landed a smooth victory against the five-times champions CSK in the first match of IPL 15, by six wickets. While chasing a target of 131, they finished off the match in 18.3 overs. Let’s take a look at the three important factors that helped KKR to be on the winning side.
Three Factors That Helped KKR Beat CSK by Six Wickets
In the first match of IPL 15, KKR was successful in snatching a comfortable victory from the Chennai Super Kings. It was the debut for Shreyas Iyer as the player and captain of the side. Let’s see the three considerable factors that were the key to Kolkata’s success in today’s match.
Umesh Yadav’s Powerplay Bowling
Umesh Yadav got back to his old franchise after years and was impressive in the first match itself. Despite starting with a no-ball, he smashed five fastest deliveries of the match, the highest being 142.4km/hour. He was in rhythm and picked up the two crucial wickets of Conway and Gaikwad, giving them a strong blow. It set the tone for the riders. He was also awarded the Man of the Match.
Rahane’s Opening Knock
KKR got a smooth opening partnership that helped them cope with the flow for the rest of the match. Ajinkya Rahane is to be credited for this, as his sheer brilliance of technical class with a massive mix of aggression, contributed a crucial 44 runs off just 34 balls. The handy knock at the powerplay gave momentum to the entire lineup.
Iyer’s Balanced Captaincy
The debutant captain for the Riders showed great maturity in the first match as each decision was sharp and practical. Right from the toss to electing bowling after winning to coming down with five bowlers and impressive usage of the bowlers, Iyer had a great captaincy on the field.
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