Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured a last-ball win over Punjab Kings in a nail-biting encounter at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. KKR’s victory was spearheaded by their spinners, who restricted Punjab to a decent total of 179/7 after the Kings’ captain, Shikhar Dhawan, top-scored with 57 runs off 47 balls.
KKR’s Nitish Rana provided a solid start to their chase with a half-century, but the slow surface made batting difficult for their other batters. However, Andre Russell’s late charge, where he smashed 20 runs off a crucial 19th over, brought KKR back into the game. The equation was reduced to six runs off the final over, which was bowled by Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh.
Despite some tense moments, KKR held their nerve as Rinku Singh struck the winning boundary off the final delivery of the match. With this win, KKR kept their playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Varun Chakaravarthy was once again the standout performer for KKR with the ball, as he picked up three crucial wickets for just 26 runs in his four overs. Meanwhile, Punjab’s other batters, apart from Dhawan, failed to make an impact, with Rishi Dhawan and M Shahrukh Khan providing some late fireworks to take their team to a competitive total.
KKR have made a huge jump on the points table after today’s win. Before this game, KKR were on the 8th spot in the Points Table. Now, they have jumped 3 places and are now in the 5th spot with 10 points in 11 games. Punjab Kings on the other hand, have slipped down to the 7th place in the Points Table as they have lost 3 out of their last 5 games. It is also worth noting that teams from Rank 4 to Rank 8 all have 10 points to their names, with their Net Run Rates (NRR) being the only differentiators. Since the calculations for playoffs have already started, the NRR will play a crucial role now.
Here’s the updated points table after KKR vs PBKS Match 53:
| Rank | Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Results | Points | NRR |
| 1. | Gujarat Titans | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 16 | +0.951 |
| 2. | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 13 | +0.409 |
| 3. | Lucknow Super Giants | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 | +0.294 |
| 4. | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | +0.388 |
| 5. | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | -0.079 |
| 6. | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | -0.209 |
| 7. | Punjab Kings | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | -0.441 |
| 8. | Mumbai Indians | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | -0.454 |
| 9. | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | -0.472 |
| 10. | Delhi Capitals | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | -0.529 |
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