Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 44th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: Indian Premier League, 2018 Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore Date & Time: May 12, 04:00 PM LOCAL

KL Rahul registered his third successive fifty © BCCI

Big win for KKR:

Two wickets for Krishna in the final over, with Ashwin missing a half-century by 5 runs. KXIP finish with 2124 for 8 to suffer a 31-run loss, their fourth defeat in five games. KXIP are still placed third on the points table but the win has enabled KKR close in. They have the same number of points and have moved up to the fourth spot.

200 up for KXIP:

In the 19th over. A little too late but Ashwin's cameo has ensured that the loss margin is being minimised.

65 needed off 18 balls:

Ashwin has scored well so far but the asking rate appears out of their reach. It's all about damage control now, trying to make sure that their NRR is not affected badly.

Finch departs:

After scoring a six off Searles, the Australian tries to play a scoop shot but hits the ball straight to Kuldeep at short fine leg to depart for 34 off 20. There goes KXIP's last hope.

150 up for KXIP:

It has taken them 15 overs to reach that mark, with half the side back in the hut. Finch is the key for KXIP in this chase now but KXIP need 96 more runs in five overs and need to score at nearly 20.

Axar departs...

...after scoring a six and a four off Kuldeep Yadav. He tries to go over long-off but fails to clear the fielder. KXIP are 119 for 5 after 12.

Big wicket:

After scoring two sixes off Narine, Rahul falls in his attempt to hit a third. He gets an inside edge while attempting a slog sweep and the ball deflects off his thigh onto the stumps. He departs for 66 off 29. A fine innings comes to an end and KXIP in more trouble at 93 for 4 after 9.

28 1

Mujeeb off the field

That's a blow. Whether it's a huge blow or not, we will get to know soon. For now. Mujeeb is off the field after hurting his hand while attempting a catch off his own bowling. Narine struck one back at him but the youngster was unable to hold onto the chance and in the process, hurt himself. Ravichandran Ashwin comes onto replace him and that means the skipper can only end up bowling 3.4 overs maximum. And Narine treats him with a four and a six to begin with.

The start:

Nine runs from the opening over, including two boundaries for Chris Lynn off Mohit Sharma. But that doesn't tell the complete story. Mohit might have had the opener both times he scored the boundaries, which were off inside edges that just missed the stumps. Mujeeb follows it up with a tight over, giving away only six while Lynn continues to live dangerously as KXIP miss a run-out opportunity with Axar Patel missing a direct hit. KKR are 15 for 0 after 2.

Toss and teams:

Three changes for KXIP as R Ashwin opts to bowl. Akshdeep Nath, Marcus Stoinis and Manoj Tiwary left out; Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch and Barinder Sran come in. KKR made two changes, bringing in Javon Searles for Tom Curran and Shubman Gill for Rinku Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (w/c), Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.

Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul (w), Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Karun Nair, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Ground reality:

"It's currently 41 degree Celsius and very, very hot," says Pradeep who adds: "Ashwin and Karun Nair are having a good look at the playing surface. There are some green patches but it looks well rolled and since it's a centre wicket, the dimensions are around the same on both sides." Despite the short boundaries in Indore, the batsmen haven't been able to get away in the last two games in Indore owing to sluggish wickets. Will it be any different today? Stay tuned.

Build-up:

Hello and welcome to the Live Blog of the 44th match of IPL 2018, featuring Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders. It's that's time of the IPL season when the race for the play-offs heats up and the two teams taking on each other in the first of the double-header Saturday (May 12) find themselves at crossroads. Kings XI Punjab, on either side of a seven-day break, have suffered three losses in four games. While they are still in the third position, other teams have made steady progress, keeping KXIP on their toes. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders are entering this game on the back of two losses, both against Mumbai Indians, and they'll be keen for a quick turnaround.

The last time these two sides faced, it was a high-scoring, rain-curtailed encounter in which KL Rahul and Chris Gayle over-powered the opposition. However, a lot has changed since then. The heavy reliance on their top-order has been the bane of KXIP, writes Pradeep, while he reckons consistency has been the biggest issue for Dinesh Karthik's men. While we await the toss details, here's the detailed preview.

Also read:How Ashwin's captaincy is logging a bold campaign for KXIP and Nayar's role in helping Dinesh Karthik soar