IPL 2018, Match 15: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals

Kolkata Knight Riders delivered a professional performance to beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur, putting their IPL campaign back on track with back-to-back victories. The highly-rated KKR spinners restricted Royals to 160 for eight before opener Robin Uthappa (48 off 36 balls), Nitish Rana ( 35* off 27 ) and captain Dinesh Karthik (42* off 23) did the job with the bat as the visitors cruised to victory in 18.5 overs.

It was a second emphatic performance in a row for Kolkata Knight Riders, who now have three wins from five games. Royals have lost two games out of the four they have played. The away team was always in control of the chase despite losing Chris Lynn in the first over.

Robin Uthappa (48 off 36 balls), Nitish Rana ( 35* off 27 ) and captain Dinesh Karthik (42* off 23) did the job with the bat as the visitors cruised to victory in 18.5 overs. Uthappa put up a show that is expected of him, entertaining the crowd with a blazing knock that comprised six fours and two sixes. Captain Karthik then batted responsibly alongside Rana, taking KKR home comfortably.

Earlier Royals, put in to bat, were not able to build on the start provided by captain Ajinkya Rahane (36 off 19) and D'Arcy Short (44 off 43) after the openers shared a 54-run stand off 41 balls. The trio of Piyush Chawla (1/18), Kuldeep Yadav (1/23) and part-timer Nitish Rana (2/11) conceded 52 runs in 10 overs, sharing four wickets amongst themselves. The highlight of Rahane's knock was hitting Narine for four consecutive boundaries in his opening over. His innings ended when KKR skipper and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik affected a brilliant run-out after collecting the ball from in front of the stumps.