KKR opens their account in IPL

Kolkata, April 09: West Indies All rounder Sunil Narine Splendid Innings (19 balls 50 runs) has helped the Kolkata Knight Riders in a comprehensive win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Royal Challengers Batted first with help of Mandeep Singh and Mr 360 Ab Devilliers helped the RCB to post 176 margin in 20 overs.

KKR player Rana (2/11) picked up the big wickets of AB de Villiers and skipper Virat Kohli in successive deliveries to reduce the visitors to 127/4 in 14.3 overs. Later, Mandeep Singh's 18-ball 37 helped RCB to a challenging 176/7,

In response, Kolkata Knight Riders reached the target in 18.5 overs, Opener Sunil Narine and Decent batting from skipper Dinesh Kartik helped the Hosts in a comprehensive win.

Narine brought up his fifty in 17 balls only to perish two balls later without adding to the tally, his wicket pocketed by Umesh Yadav.

While Narine and vice-captain Robin Uthappa (13) associated for a 49-run stand for the second wicket, newly appointed skipper Dinesh Karthik, who was unbeaten on 35 off 29 balls, joined hands with Rana for a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

For RCB, Yadav (2/27) bowled well to bag the wickets of Narine and Uthappa (13) while English pacer Chris Woakes (3/36) was the pick of the bowlers, picking up the wickets of big-hitting Australian opener Chris Lynn (5), Rinku Singh (6) and Andre Russell (15).

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Mandeep Singh has said that Sunil Narine's 19-ball 50 took the game away from them and handed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) a winning start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here.