CLT20 KKR vs PS: KKR defeat Perth Scorchers by three wickets

Hyderabad: Perth Scorchers started with a bang but lost momentum in the middle. Though Adam Vogues led from the front but the middle-order surrendered to tactical spin bowling from Kolkata Knight Riders. Kuldeep Yadav, the chinaman bowler, impressed and this time, it was Robin Uthappa behind the stumps who doesn't make much mistakes and got him two quick wickets by taking the bails off. He finished with figures of three for 24.

However, Knight Riders' hero was yet again the magician Sunil Narine who picked up four wickets.

Knight Riders have to rely on captain Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa to chase the total.

Perth Scorchers 151/7 (19.0); A Voges 71* (52), Y Arafat 10 (6)

The two-time IPL champions KKR are on a roll winning their both games in CLT20. The KKR unit will be keen to maintain their winning run as they face Perth Scorchers. While Sunil Narine-led KKR bowling attack is in pink of health, they must make sure not to tumble in their chase; something that happened in their last two games.

The side from Australia although won their previous game against Dolphins, they crossed the winning line with last gasp heroics from Mitchell Marsh. While it means they must learn to close down the games at the earliest, it also gives them confidence to come back from any position.

Key players:

Kuldeep Yadav:

For obvious reasons, Sunil Narine will be KKR’s trump card. However, India’s only chainaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav will be a player to watch out for. While Manvinder Bisla cost him a wicket or two in his debut game for KKR, the young spinner impressed one and all with his guile and accuracy.

Mitchell Marsh:

This tall and lanky Australian is doing his bit to secure a reputation of being someone who can tonk a cricket ball across field. While that claim is not too obnoxious, it would be interesting to witness how he tackles a spin-heavy KKR bowling attack.

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Robin Uthappa, Manvinder Bisla (wicketkeeper), Yusuf Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis.

Perth Scorchers: Craig Simmons, Adam Voges (captain), Sam Whiteman, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner, Hilton Cartwright, Yasir Arafat, Jason Behrendorff, Joel Paris, Brad Hogg, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Simon Mackin, Cameron Bancroft (wicketkeeper), Michael Beer.