IPL: Playoffs still in Punjab Kings’ reach

Dubai, October 1

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Punjab Kings boosted their chances of making the IPL playoffs with a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders as effective death-over bowling and smart batting by skipper KL Rahul and Shahrukh Khan shaped their crucial victory in the Indian Premier League here today.

Rahul scored 67 runs off 55 balls and shared a 70-run stand with fellow opener Mayank Agarwal (40), knocking off a 166-run target with three balls to spare. Shahrukh produced an impactful 9-ball 22-run knock when it mattered and finished the match with a six. With his fifth fifty of the edition, Rahul climbed to the top of the run-getters’ list with 489 runs

Venkatesh Iyer hit a fluent 67, while Nitish Rana produced a fiery 31 off 18 balls before Punjab Kings managed to stop KKR at 165/7.

Invited to bat, the in-form KKR batsmen controlled the proceedings for a major part of their innings and had it not been for some excellent death-over spells by Mohammed Shami (1/23) and Arshdeep Singh (3/32), KKR would have got a bigger score on the board. Iyer and Rahul Tripathi (34 off 26 balls) raised a 72-run stand.

Brief scores: KKR: 165/7 (Iyer 67; Arshdeep 3/32, Bishnoi 2/22); PK: 168/5 in 19.3 overs (Rahul 67, Agarwal 40; Chakaravarthy 2/24). — PTI