Rain ruins KKR-Punjab Kings clash

Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh posted an opening partnership of 120 in just 11.5 overs to lay the platform for a Punjab Kings total of 201-4 in their IPL match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Saturday but rain had the final say with the home side marooned on 7-0 after just one over when the heavens opened.

Twenty-four-year-old left-hander Arya played a gloriously uninhibited innings of 69 from only 35 balls with plenty of improvisation to gather eight fours and four sixes before pulling Andre Russell to long    deep-midwicket but the total had reached an intimidating 160-1 before Prabhsimran departed driving a low full-toss to long off with 83 from 49 balls with half a dozen sixes and fours.

Captain Shreyas Iyer included a six and a four in his unbeaten 25 from 16 balls to push the total just beyond 200, but the promotion of big-hitting allrounders Glenn Maxwell (7 off 8 balls) and Marco Jansen (3 off 7) failed dramatically with Punjab hoping for a total in excess of 220.

The former was beaten with ease by legspinner Varun Chakravarthy’s quicker ball and bowled while Jansen drove seamer Vaibhav Arora (2-34) straight to long off.

Russell’s modest-looking figures (3-0-27-1) do not reflect the way he changed the course of the innings by removing dangerman Arya and conceding less than 10 runs per over with Punjab set for an all-out batting onslaught with so many wickets in hand.

The result moves the Punjab Kings into sole possession of fourth place on the log with 11 points from nine matches while KKR move into seventh place with seven points from as many matches.

PUNJAB KINGS:Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Josh Inglis (wkt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wkt), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy