Gautam Gambhir struck an unbeaten 72 off 49 balls to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to an eight- wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in their first home game of the Indian Premier League in Kolkata on Thursday.
Gambhir gunned down the opposition attack with a blazing inning, helping his team overcome the 171-run target in 16.3 overs.
Here are a few interesting statistics that emerged from the game:
Home advantage: The Kolkata Knight Riders have managed 11 consecutive successful chases at Eden Gardens. Their last defeat batting second in Kolkata came way back in 2012 (vs Mumbai Indians). Moral of the story? Win toss and put KKR in to bat.
Flying start: Powered by Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir, KKR slammed 76 Runs in the Powerplay – the most they have scored in Powerplay overs in the IPL. The previous record was 73 also by Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions when Chris Lynn and Gambhir had combined to deadly effect.
From mystery bowler to mystery opener: The highest position Sunil Narine had batted in IPL before this match was at No 8. So there was some risk involved but he delivered with an 18-ball 37 — his highest score in Twenty20 cricket.
Back on equal terms: A couple of game back, David Warner had moved ahead of Gambhir in the most fifties category but with his latest knock, Gambhir is back on level terms. Both now, have 33 fifties. Twenty eight of Gambhir’s fifties have come as captain. No other captain has scored even 20.
Making a bunny out of KXIP: KKR has beaten KXIP in 8 consecutive matches — this equals the longest winning streak between two sides in the IPL. The last such streak was recorded by the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils between the 2011-2015 seasons.