IPL 7 KXIP vs KKR: Kolkata thrash Punjab to seal finals berth

Qualifier 1 (May 28, Kolkata): Kolkata Knight Riders hosted Kings XI Punjab in the first qualifier today in Kolkata. The match was earlier scheduled for yesterday but play wasn't possible due to heavy rainfall over the previous two days. The winner of this match straightaway qualifies for the finals on June 1. Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to bowl first. KKR put up a fighting total of 163 for 8 on their home ground, and with a forecast for thunderstorms at some stage and a slow outfield, it proved to be a winning total. Robin Uthappa continued his good run with the bat, top-scoring with 42 off 30 deliveries. Barring skipper Gautam Gambhir (1 run off 3 balls), every other batsman chipped in with 17 to 21 runs, and late flourish by Piyush Chawla (17 off 9 deliveries) saw the home team impose a 160+ run target for the visitors. KXIP got into trouble from the word go, losing Virender Sehwag (2 runs off 3 balls) on the first ball of the second over. Even as Manan Vohra (26 off 19) and Wriddhiman Saha (35 off 31) stabilised the innings a bit, the team was in dire trouble at the score of 87 for 6 in 13.3 overs. The Maxwell-Miller pair failed to fire today, making 6 and 8 runs, respectively. It became increasingly difficult for the tail towards the end of the game, with 34 runs required from the last two overs. A stellar penultimate over from Sunil Narine choked the visitors, giving away just 4 runs. The last nail in the coffin was when skipper George Bailey (26 off 17 balls) holed out on the first ball of the last over, and KXIP surrendered at 138 for 8, well short of the 164-run target. With their record eighth win on the trot, KKR sail into the finals (on June 1) while KXIP will have to face CSK to see if they can make it to the finals - or not.

Why KXIP have an 80% chance to win... without a ball being bowled

With Kolkata rains making play impossible yesterday, Kings XI Punjab now face Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier today, May 28, Wednesday, at 2.30pm UAE time. Luckily according to the IPL rules regarding playing conditions, the first qualifier has a reserve day, which is today.

As of now, the match is set to played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, even as Tuesday’s play wasn’t possible due to heavy rainfall over the last two days.

Click here for IPL 7 T20 schedule, points table, records

Match umpires, including the third umpire and match referee, made an early inspection of the ground at the Eden Gardens at 3.45pm UAE time yesterday, and determined, after consultation with the curator, that there was no possibility of the ground being fit for play on the day.

With the match being pushed to the reserve day (today), things are not looking entirely clear in Kolkata today either, with Weather.com suggesting thunderstorms, a high of around 90F (32.2C), and south-westerly winds at 10 to 20mph (16 to 32kmph). All that’s fine, but the weather forecast also says: “Chance of rain 80%.”

That is a problem – for KKR, because the rules are in favour of the table-toppers (KXIP in this case). According to IPL playing conditions, if play is not possible even on the reserve day, “the team that finished highest in the league table after the 56 matches of the regular season shall be declared the winner of the relevant playoff match.”

That’s KXIP, which now has an 80% chance of doing a victory rain dance today.

Of course, the IPL playing conditions insist that every effort is made to see if a condensed play is possible. In case of further delays due to rain, organisers will try to see if a 5-over a side match is possible, with or without interruptions. If even that is not possible, a super over will be evaluated next – in which each side gets to play six balls each and the side scoring more runs is declared the winner.

If, however, there is a tie in the super over or if a super over is not possible, then the side that finished higher in league matches (KXIP, by far) will be declared winner.

While cricket fans will be eagerly hoping that rain doesn’t play spoilsport for a second day, this is the situation as of now, with thunderstorms forecasted until 4.30pm UAE time (6pm India time) today. The good news? Sun is out in its full glory at the time of writing this piece, about 11am UAE time (12.30pm India time).

If match undergoes as planned, KXIP fans will hope they win the toss and chase – KXIP brag of a 100% record in run-chases in this edition of IPL. They’ve chased six times in the 14 matches they played – and won each of them.

KKR fans will be hoping the same too – that their team gets to chase any runs put up by KXIP. The home team doesn’t have an impeccable chasing record as of the day’s rivals, but have still won their last six run-chases this year.

Another piece of trivia that may surprise some – if you thought batting was KXIP’s strength, consider this. In the Indian leg of this year’s IPL, Robin Uthappa has scored 516 runs, which is 151 more runs than the second-highest run-getter. Yes, he scored next to nothing here in the UAE, but seems to have found his form in India quickly galloped to becoming the highest run-getter this season. 

Moreover, KKR have a head-to-head advantage against KXIP in IPL, and at Eden Gardens, today’s venue. KKR have won seven of their 13 previous encounters with KXIP, and have won 3 of their 5 matches against KXIP at Eden Gardens.

But as we all know, stats on paper mean nothing and it is how the 22 men on the field today perform with the bat and bowl that will decide which of the two will need to go through the eliminator and which one will cruise through to the finals. Hopefully, it will be a case of the best performing team today that wins today - and not a rain-inspired 'team with previous best record' walking away with the honours. 

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