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IPL 2017 KKR vs GL, Match 23, Highlights: Raina’s 84 guides Gujarat to an easy win!

Suresh Raina's Gujarat Lions register their second victory in the tournament after beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets with 10 balls to spare

23:46 IST Gujarat Lions win by 4 wickets with 10 ball to spare!

23:45 IST  Faulkner takes a single off the first delivery, Jadeja on strike, 4 runs needed now. FOUR! Jadeja hits a boundary and gets GL side to their second win in the tournament.

23:44 IST James Faulkner takes three runs off the last ball of Kuldeep Yadav’s over, just 5 runs from the over needed.

23:42 IST WICKET! Suresh Raina c Pandey b Kuldeep Yadav 84(46)

23:41 IST Kuldeep Yadav comes into bowl, Jadeja and Raina are happy to pick up singles from his over, they know that they did the job early and now it’s just cruising. Wait, SIX! Raina sweeps the ball towards deep midwicket boundary, he is just unstoppable now. OUT! Jadeja became way too ambitious, departs after a match-winning six.

23:38 IST Raina on strike, Coulter-Nile is back into the attack. FOUR! Once again he welcomes the bowler with a boundary, he hits it straight past the bowler. A dot ball to follow. FOUR! Sheer timing on that one, just opens the face of the bat where he wanted to place the ball, second boundary off the over. SIX! The pick-up shot comes into play, Raina turns the match in GL side, a maximum towards mid-wicket boundary. Two more singles from the over, 16 runs from it.

23:31 IST Raina takes a single off the first ball towards point. He is creating pressure on Jadeja, three dot balls from Narine. SIX! That was high up in the air, Suryakumar Yadav takes the catch at boundary but trips over, first maximum for Jadeja. He takes a couple of runs off the last ball, 10 runs from it.

23:27 IST Raina on strike, Umesh continues. SIX! He hits a maximum first ball, picks the slower ball and sends it sailing over the ropes for a maximum. Next ball hits Raina’s pads, he takes a single anyway. Jadeja rotates strike, he is doing the right thing, bringing Raina on strike. Next ball, inside edge off the bat, Raina wanted a single but Jadeja sends him back, good call from Jadeja. FOUR! Raina places the ball wide of third man fielder, he is clearly leading the chase. He takes a single off the last ball, 12 runs from it.

23:23 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Raina takes a single going on the back foot on the first ball. Jadeja on strike, he takes a single towards covers. Raina chips the ball towards long on, takes another single. Raina sweeps the ball towards square leg, GL need a boundary every over. FOUR! Raina edges the ball, a lucky boundary for Raina. He takes a single off the last ball, retains strike. FIFTY for Raina.

23:19 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes into bat, he takes a single off the first ball, brings Raina on strike. Raina glances the ball towards fine leg for a single, Umesh’s first over comes to an end.

23:17 IST WICKET! Dwayne Smith b Umesh Yadav 5(4)

23:16 IST Umesh Yadav comes into bowl, his first over of the inning. Raina takes a single off the first ball. Smith tries to go for the big shot but did not get the elevation, just a single, Raina wanted a couple but denied. Raina takes a single towards square leg. Smith on strike, BOWLED!

23:14 IST Dwayne Smith on strike as he comes into bat, FOUR! what a way to get off the mark, boundary off the first ball. A dot one to end the over.

23:11 IST WICKET! Ishan c Umesh Yadav b Kuldeep Yadav Kishan 4(11)

Kuldeep Yadav continues, Raina on strike. FOUR! Raina hits a boundary first ball, puts pressure on Kuldeep on the first ball itself. He takes a single off the last ball. ishan Kishan on strike.

23:09 IST Raina and Kishan knock the ball around for single off the first two balls. FOUR! Raina goes inside out this time, times the ball with perfection. A dot ball to follow, good comeback from Narine. FOUR! Raina hits a boundary towards fine leg, second boundary off the over, A single off the last ball, Raina retains strike.

23:06 IST A brilliant over from Kuldeep Yadav, just 3 runs from it. Raina and Kishan need to accelerate now. GL need a boundary in an over now.

23:00 IST Woakes continues, Raina on strike. FOUR! Woakes lofts the ball over offside field, the ball races towards the extra cover boundary, good way to start the over. FOUR! Raina plays the pickup shot off that one, the ball goes towards square leg boundary for four! He takes a single off the next ball towards midwicket. Kishan on strike, he tries to pull the ball, misses it, Woakes appeals but the Umpire says no. Two more singles from the over.

22:56 IST Kishan takes a single off the first delivery towards onside. Raina takes a single towards backward point. They will be looking to build a partnership now. Two dot balls to Kishan, good bowling from Coulter-Nile.

22:51 IST WICKET! Dinesh Karthik c Gambhir b Coulter-Nile 3(3)

Nathan Coulter-Nile continues, Karthik on strike, he takes a couple of runs on the first ball.

22:50 IST Dinesh Karthik comes to bat but off strike, Raina takes a single towards midwicket, brings Karthik on strike. Karthik takes a single off the next delivery. Raina plays a dot to follow. FOUR! He ends the over with a boundary, ends the over on a high.

22:45 IST WICKET! Brendon McCullum c Pandey b Woakes 33(17)

22:45 IST Raina hits the bowl down the ground, takes a single off the first delivery from Chris Woakes’ over.

22:43 IST Shakib Al Hasan to bowl the last powerplay over, McCullum takes a single off the first ball. Raina tries the sweep shot, hits his pads, a couple of runs off that delivery. Raina takes a single, just pusing the ball towards long on. FOUR! McCullum sweeps adn sweeps hard, he hits it for a boundary. Next ball, he sweeps the ball firmly, takes a single towards square leg. Raina takes a single towards midwicket, 10 runs off the over.

22:36 IST The players are walking out in the middle, the match will start in few minutes.

22:32 IST The play will resume at 22:40 IST, Stay tuned for more updates.

22:22 IST If rain does not stop, Gujarat Lions are 21 runs ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders according to Duckworth-Lewis Method.

22:10 IST Rain stops play at Eden Gardens.

22:10 IST Narine comes into bowl again, Raina to take strike, he takes a single off the first ball. McCullum too takes a single off that one, good comeback from Narine. Edged and safe! Raina survives as Uthappa drops the catch, he is agitated with himself, shouts in anger. A slip in place for Narine, Raina takes a single towards long off. McCullum on strike, he hits the ball through covers, he takes a couple of runs towards sweeper cover as Coulter-Nile cuts it off. McCullum takes a single off the last ball, just 6 runs from the over.

22:07 IST Suresh Raina comes into bat but he is offstrike. McCullum on strike, FOUR! He cuts the ball away for a boundary, sheer timing, and power on that shot, what a way to counter-attack after a wicket. SIX! He pulls the ball into the air and over the fence, he is just going on and on. FOUR! This time he goes wide off third man fielder, another boundary, 16 runs from the over.

22:02 IST WICKET! Aaron Finch c Pandey b Coulter-Nile 31(15)

McCullum takes a single off the first ball of Nathan Coulter-Nile’s over. NO BALL! Coulter-Nile oversteps, FREE HIT to follow. A good slower delivery from Nathan, a dot ball.

21:59 IST McCullum takes a single off the second delivery, brings Finch on strike. FOUR! SIX! FOUR! Good batting from Finch, he is taking the game away from KKR straight away. The lions are roaring, this just keeps getting better and better.

21:55 IST Sunil Narine comes into the attack, he has not been beaten likes this in matches. He takes a couple of runs off the second ball. FOUR! SIX! FOUR! He has finessed Narine, a fitting reply from McCullum-Finch, more to come as far as I suspect.

21:52 IST Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum come out to bat, Shakib comes into bowl. Two boundaries off the first over as Finch takes a single off the second ball.

21:33 IST Shakib Al Hasan comes into bat on the last ball, he takes a single off the last ball, good over from Thampi!

21:31 IST WICKET! Suryakumar Yadav runout (Karthik/McCullum) 1(1)

21:31 IST Suryakumar Yadav comes into bat, he tries the reverse paddle, takes a single off the first ball. Pathan on strike now, he hits it straight, wants two, that is clearly a runout, Suryakumar has to go! Another wicket in the last over.

21:28 IST WICKET! Manish Pandey b Basil Thampi 24(21)

21:28 IST Thampi continues, he bowls a yorker to Pandey, a dot ball to start with. FOUR! He hits a boundary this time, goes back into the crease and hits it through covers, he is getting into the act now. BOWLED!

21:26 IST Yusuf Pathan comes into bat but he is off strike. Pandey on strike, a yorker from Praveen, he digs it out, just a single off that one. Pathan on strike, he hits the ball down the ground, Finch misfields, Pathan-Pandey take a couple of runs. FOUR! Pathan goes inside out, one bounce over the rope, first boundary of the innings for him. Last ball of the over, FOUR! he gets the ball towards deep midwicket, Praveen is not happy with himself, 12 runs from it.

21:21 IST WICKET! Robin Uthappa c McCullum b Praveen 72(48)

21:21 IST Praveen Kumar comes round the wicket, Pandey digs it out, manages just a single off that one. Uthappa on strike, he is on 72. OUT!

21:19 IST Basil Thampi continues, Uthappa on strike. FOUR! He goes inside out, hits the ball over covers fielder for a boundary. SIX! Slower full toss from Thampi and it goes over deep midwicket boundary for a maximum, good batting from Uthappa, he has moved onto 71. Lbw shout! The Umpire says no, that was plump in front, poor umpiring on display. He takes a single off the next ball. Pandey on strike, he picks up 3 runs from last two balls, retains strike.

21:16 IST Faulkner bowled a beautiful over here, just 5 runs from the 17th over. This is brilliant bowling under these circumstances.

21: 04 IST: Utthapa came into bat at number 3, after the fall of Sunil Narine. Basil Thampi starts the 16th over with a dot ball. KKR going strong at 141-2. Uthhapa cleared the rope FOUR! again. Utthapa has so far smashed 7 fours and 1 six. 8 runs from that over, KKR need boundaries now!

20: 59 IST: Ravindra Jadeja starts the 15th over with a dot ball.  With two consecutive fours, Robin Utthapa completes his another half century. What a knock!

20:54 IST Manish Pandey comes into bat, Jadeja comes back into the attack, he takes a couple of runs off the first ball. Pandey guides the next one towards long off, takes a single. Uthappa takes a single towards midwicket. Pandey takes a single towards fine leg. Another single to end the over, 6 runs from it.

20:50 IST Uthappa on strike, Faulkner bowls two dot balls followed a slog from the right-handed batsman, a couple of runs to end the over.

20:48 IST WICKET! Gautam Gambhir c Raina b Uthappa 33(28)

20:48 IST Uthappa on strike, James Faulkner comes back into bowl. FOUR! He guides the ball for a boundary past the wicketkeeper, Karthik was just a mere spectator there. He takes a single towards backward point, Gambhir on strike now. OUT! Raina departs.

20:45 IST Dhawal Kulkarni is back into the attack, Uthappa picks the length early, SIX! KKR have laid a foundation for a big score, we might see a boundary. 100 up for KKR! Two singles to follow, good thinking as they had got a boundary earlier in the over, FOUR! Uthappa guides the ball for a boundary towards third man, deft touch from Uthappa, he takes a single down the ground off the next ball. A dot ball to finish off the over, 13 runs from it.

20:41 IST Dwayne Smith continues, Gambhir on strike, he starts off with a dot ball. Next ball, Gambhir tries to take a quick single, the fielder takes a shy at stumps, FOUR! The ball goes to the boundary, that is just not what GL want, a boundary through overthrow. Four more singles from the over as they look to knock the ball around.

20:35 IST Jadeja continues, Gambhir on strike, he chips the ball but it lands short of McCullum, just a single off that one. Uthappa on strike, huge lbw shot, just a single off that one. Gambhir on strike now, SIX! he comes down the wicket and hits the delivery pitched in his zone, first maximum for him. He gets off strike on the next ball, takes a single. A quick single off the next one, they are putting pressure on the fielders now. Gambhir turns the next ball towards deep midwicket, takes a single, 11 runs from it.

20:32 IST Dwayne Smith comes into the attack, Gambhir on strike, he takes a single towards point. A quick single off the next ball as the ball nipped into Uthappa and he dabbed it behind the wicket. Gambhir tucks the next one on onside, takes a single. Uthappa rotates strike again, takes a single towards point.

WIDE! Smith drops that one short as Gambhir could not get bat on that. The ball was well above Gambhir’s head, he takes a single off the next delivery towards covers. Uthappa goes for the big shot but the ball goes under his bat, 6 runs off the over.

20:28 IST Uthappa on strike, Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his first over, a single off the first ball. Gambhir too takes a single towards mid off. Uthappa pushes the ball towards deep cover, takes another single. Gambhir tucks the ball towards onside for another single. They are looking to build a partnership. Uthappa goes on the backfoot, takes a single towards long on. Last ball of the over, Gambhir takes a single off it, 6 runs from the over.

20:25 IST Raina continues, Gambhir on strike, he takes a single off the first ball towards midwicket. Uthappa takes a single too as Finch at the deep midwicket drops the ball, good attempt though. Gambhir takes a single towards fine leg, Uthappa back on strike. FOUR! Uthappa sweeps that one to perfection, another boundary. He takes a single off the last ball, retains strike. 8 runs from it.

20:22 IST Dhawal Kulkarni comes into bowl, Uthappa on strike. FOUR! A boundary off the first ball, 50 up for KKR on the first ball of 5th over. Uthappa takes a single on the third ball after facing a dot one. Gambhir on strike, FOUR! He gets his first boundary towards covers, KKR in full flow. Gambhir drives again but the ball goes straight to the covers fielder, dot ball. A single off the last ball, Gambhir retains strike.

20:18 IST Gambhir takes a single after facing two dot balls. Robin Uthappa takes a single off the last ball, retains strike.

20:14 IST WICKET! Sunil Narine c Faulkner b Raina 42(17)

Gambhir once again takes a single off the first ball as Suresh Raina comes into bowl. Narine on strike, OUT! end of a cameo, Narine has done his work. Good captaincy from Raina.

20:13 IST Basil Thampi comes into the attack, Gambhir on strike, he takes a single off the first ball again, brings Gambhir on strike. Next ball, good bowling from the other end, Thampi follows Narine, a dot ball to him. FOUR! He picks the short delivery and hits it over deep midwicket for a boundary. FOUR! This time a juicy full toss, he hits through offside, another boundary for him. SIX! Here’s the first maximum of the innings, Narine is racing towards his half century. Swing and a miss! 15 runs from Thampi’s over.

20:07 IST James Faulkner to open the bowling from the other end, Gambhir on strike. He takes a single off the first ball, shows fate in Narine. FOUR! That was in the slot, drives the ball with perfection, even Faulkner is smiling. Three back-to-back boundaries for Narine, he is decimating Faulkner, 17 runs from the over.

20:04 IST Praveen Kumar to bowl the first ball, he starts off with a dot ball to Narine. FOUR! First boundary for Narine, he opens the arms once again, doing what he is supposed to do in the powerplays. Two dot deliveries to follow, Praveen beats the edge of the bat by a whisker. FOUR! Here’s the another one and it is not even the a slog, he hits the ball over the bowler for a boundary. FOUR! Another boundary to end the over, this is frustrating for Praveen, 12 runs from the over.

20:00 IST Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir to open the innings, Praveen Kumar to open the bowling.

19:33 IST Playing Xis

Gujarat Lions: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina(c), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi, Dhawal Kulkarni

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(wk), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Woakes, Sunil Narine, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav

19:30 IST Suresh Raina wins toss, elects to bowl first!

19:30 IST TOSS TIME! 

19:09 IST WIll KKR make any changes in the side or go with the winning combination?

Welcome to inUth’s digital coverage of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017’s Match 23 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Lions (GL) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. As far as this season is concerned, it is a battle between minnows (GL) and  Gautam Gambhir’s side who are at the second spot in IPL 2017 standings. Expect a run fest at Eden Gardens as the behaviour of the surface has turned upside down.

KKR’s side has performed reasonably well without the services of star player Chris Lynn who has been out of the side due to injury. GL need a boost to make a comeback in the IPL standings as they have missed the services of their star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. He is expected to make a comeback. His presence in the team will boost their bowling and give depth to their batting lineup as well.

KKR might replace Colin de Grandhomme with Shakib Al Hasan as his performance with both bat and ball has been scratchy. Promoting De Grandhomme up the order similar to Sunil Narine did not work out well for them. On the other side, Narine has become an indispensable part of KKR’s team once again. With Gambhir, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan in good form KKR are clear favourites going into the fixture.

On the other hand, GL did really well while chasing a gigantic total of 214. Kiwi opener Brendon McCullum getting into the groove has solved the problem of top order. Although Raina has not been timing the ball like he used to do despite showing a few glimpses in the previous game. If Bravo is not available, GL are inclined to drop one of the overseas batsmen and include all-rounder James Faulkner in the side

Domestic players Ishan Kishan and Basil Thampi have shown the potential they have in the previous fixtures. With Kishan playing a quickfire inning, he surely has cemented his place in the middle order. Thampi has bowled phenomenally in the death overs, he is one of the prospect for Indian side if he continues to do so.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir(c), Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa(w), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme, Chris Woakes, Kuldeep Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Lynn, Sheldon Jackson, Ankit Rajpoot, Trent Boult, Darren Bravo, Rishi Dhawan, Rovman Powell, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Ghosh, Ramsingh Sanjay Yadav

Gujarat Lions: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina(c), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Andrew Tye, Basil Thampi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Koushik, Praveen Kumar, Pradeep Sangwan, Shadab Bashir Jakati, James Faulkner, Dwayne Bravo, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Nathu Singh, Jason Roy, Munaf Patel, Chirag Suri, Akshdeep Nath, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya