The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 got off to a decent start for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The Nitish Rana-led side lost their first game of the IPL 2023, however, they made a resilient comeback in their second game against the Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kolkata posted 204 on the board and followed it up with a fabulous performance with the ball. After registering their first win of the season, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to congratulate the side on their win.
“Today’s victory is extremely special because it is also the first match of the season in Eden Gardens Stadium! Heartiest congratulations to the @KKRiders; every single player gave their best. Good luck for all upcoming matches!,” she tweeted.
KKR’s spin attack too much for RCB
Kolkata got off to a decent start to the first innings thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored a brilliant half-century. Furthermore, it was Rinku Singh and the fabulous knock of Shardul Thakur that propelled the hosts to a score of 204.
In the second innings, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Suyash Sharma further mounted the pressure on an already struggling Bangalore side. The visitors were bundled out for just 123 runs as Kolkata Knight Riders won the game by 81 runs.
After registering their first win of the IPL 2023, Kolkata will next be going up against the defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, April 9. The Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat picked up right where they left off in the IPL 2022, winning both of the matches that they have played so far.
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