IPL 2018: Kuldeep Yadav is an International Quality Bowler- Dinesh Karthik

Under the dynamic leadership of Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) managed another important win by six wickets against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

Having won the toss and opting to field, Knight Riders were unable to control the power hitting of Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi inside the powerplay overs. However, once Rahul Tripathi was dismissed, the visitors soon kept on losing wickets in regular intervals.

Buttler, who is in the form of his life, was dismissed in 10th over by Kuldeep Yadav. This has prompted a flurry of wickets in no time. No major contributions from the middle order once again hit Rajasthan big time.

However, some power hitting by Jaydev Unadkat has propelled Rajasthan’s score to a below par total of 142. They were all out inside 19 overs and had a tough time batting through the middle overs.

Kuldeep was the pick of the Kolkata bowlers on Eden Gardens. He contributed the team’s cause with four wickets, while others chipped in with very good performances in an all-round team effort.

Kolkata Batsmen Got The Job Done:

Asked to chase 143, Knight Riders were off to flier courtesy of Sunil Narine. However, quick knock did not last long as he was dismissed just in the second over.

On the other hand, Robin Uthappa also did not stay longer to make an impact. But young Nitish Rana along with Chris Lynn stabilized the innings as they took calculative risks.

One Rana was dismissed, Karthik was quite effective with the bat as well as he forged another important partnership with Chris Lynn.

The captain finished the game in style and got another important victory for Knight Riders.

Speaking after the game during the presentation, Karthik said: “I think they started off brilliantly; Buttler and Tripathi played really well. But it also shows our character where we just didn’t give up. Winning one and losing the next is a part of the IPL.”

Dinesh Karthik added Kuldeep has worked hard on his game to pay the rich dividends.

“Kuldeep is an international quality bowler, he is sometimes so confident that he ends up slacking off and giving out one bad ball. But he is very hardworking, always in the gym and if I can keep him motivated it is enough,” Karthik concludes.