Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik so far has been one of the successful captains in the ongoing edition of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a>. Apart from match strategies and training sessions, Karthik is giving importance to many things, including Andre Russell's style statement.&nbsp;

During a promotional event, Karthik said, "Among the foreigners, Russell.. He kills it, so he`s got a good fashion sense as well."&nbsp;

Russell has been a picture of consistency for Kolkata, plundering 257 runs from just 121 balls with a stunning ball striking rate of 212.39 in this season of the IPL.&nbsp;

With his match-winning and entertaining knocks, Russell has become a cricket sensation among Indian fans and now he is standing out for his dressing sense too.&nbsp;

Apart from Russell, Karthik was also asked about the Indian players with the best dressing sense in the team.&nbsp;

He replied, "Kuldeep (Yadav) dresses really hard, Shubman (Gill) is somebody who is very stylish, Nitish Rana comes to my mind... These are all very fashionable guys."&nbsp;

Karthik took over from Gautam Gambhir last year and had said that he has it in him to steer the side to at least the playoffs.&nbsp;

Asked about which team is the favourite this time, Karthik said: "It`s difficult to say which team is the favourite since all 8 teams are on the same level. Hard to say which team is the big rival.. All teams are equally balanced and whoever plays better on the given day will be the winner."&nbsp;

Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik so far has been one of the successful captains in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. Apart from match strategies and training sessions, Karthik is giving importance to many things, including Andre Russell's style statement.

Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik so far has been one of the successful captains in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. Apart from match strategies and training sessions, Karthik is giving importance to many things, including Andre Russell's style statement. During a promotional event, Karthik said, "Among the foreigners, Russell.. He kills it, so he`s got a good fashion sense as well." Russell has been a picture of consistency for Kolkata, plundering 257 runs from just 121 balls with a stunning ball striking rate of 212.39 in this season of the IPL. With his match-winning and entertaining knocks, Russell has become a cricket sensation among Indian fans and now he is standing out for his dressing sense too. Apart from Russell, Karthik was also asked about the Indian players with the best dressing sense in the team. He replied, "Kuldeep (Yadav) dresses really hard, Shubman (Gill) is somebody who is very stylish, Nitish Rana comes to my mind... These are all very fashionable guys." Karthik took over from Gautam Gambhir last year and had said that he has it in him to steer the side to at least the playoffs. Asked about which team is the favourite this time, Karthik said: "It`s difficult to say which team is the favourite since all 8 teams are on the same level. Hard to say which team is the big rival.. All teams are equally balanced and whoever plays better on the given day will be the winner."

Russell, Kuldeep, Shubman or Nitish? Dinesh Karthik picks most stylish player in Kolkata team

Andre Russell's big-hitting prowess will be pitted against Kagiso Rabada's inch-perfect yorkers for the second time when Kolkata face Delhi in a return-leg fixture of the IPL on Friday.

IPL 2019: Who will win Russell-Rabada battle as Delhi take on Kolkata in match 26

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata defeated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-rajasthan-royals-vs-kolkata-knight-riders-208582">Rajasthan by eight wickets</a> at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.&nbsp;

Openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn tore the Rajasthan bowling attack to shreds to help Kolkata notch up an easy eight-wicket win.

Chasing 140 for a win, Narine (47) and Lynn (50) shared 91 runs for the opening stand in 8.3 overs to take the game away from Rajasthan as Kolkata reached the target with 6.1 overs to spare.&nbsp;

The win, which took Kolkata&nbsp;to the top of the table with eight points from five matches (4 wins and 1 loss), was the best of this season in terms of number of balls to spare.&nbsp;

Narine contributed 47, his best of this IPL season, from 25 balls from which he hit six fours and three sixes while Lynn made an exact 50 from 32 deliveries, with the help of six boundaries and three sixes.

Earlier,&nbsp;Australian batsman Steve&nbsp;Smith struck his first half-century of this IPL season as he remained not out on 73 off 59 deliveries after the home side were invited to bat on a tricky track.&nbsp;

The former Australia captain hit seven fours and one six in his unbeaten knock.&nbsp;

He shared 72 runs in 10.4 overs with opener Jos Buttler (37 off 34 balls) for the second wicket after captain Ajinkya Rahane was out cheaply for 5 in the second over.&nbsp;

On a slow track at the Sawai Man Singh stadium, the runs were a premium as the ball did not come on to the bat easily.

The stadium was also engulfed by a sandstorm before the tie but the match started on time.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKRiders</a> are placed atop the Points Table after Match 21 of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/0hyI8PGOFZ">pic.twitter.com/0hyI8PGOFZ</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1114944653969596417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The home side were 56 for 1 at halfway stage but increased the scoring rate at the back end of the innings to add 83 runs from the next 10 overs with Smith scoring the bulk of the runs.

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by eight wickets at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday. Openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn tore the Rajasthan bowling attack to shreds to help Kolkata notch up an easy eight-wicket win.

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by eight wickets at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday. Openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn tore the Rajasthan bowling attack to shreds to help Kolkata notch up an easy eight-wicket win. Chasing 140 for a win, Narine (47) and Lynn (50) shared 91 runs for the opening stand in 8.3 overs to take the game away from Rajasthan as Kolkata reached the target with 6.1 overs to spare. The win, which took Kolkata to the top of the table with eight points from five matches (4 wins and 1 loss), was the best of this season in terms of number of balls to spare. Narine contributed 47, his best of this IPL season, from 25 balls from which he hit six fours and three sixes while Lynn made an exact 50 from 32 deliveries, with the help of six boundaries and three sixes. Earlier, Australian batsman Steve Smith struck his first half-century of this IPL season as he remained not out on 73 off 59 deliveries after the home side were invited to bat on a tricky track. The former Australia captain hit seven fours and one six in his unbeaten knock. He shared 72 runs in 10.4 overs with opener Jos Buttler (37 off 34 balls) for the second wicket after captain Ajinkya Rahane was out cheaply for 5 in the second over. On a slow track at the Sawai Man Singh stadium, the runs were a premium as the ball did not come on to the bat easily. The stadium was also engulfed by a sandstorm before the tie but the match started on time. The @KKRiders are placed atop the Points Table after Match 21 of #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/0hyI8PGOFZ — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 7, 2019 × The home side were 56 for 1 at halfway stage but increased the scoring rate at the back end of the innings to add 83 runs from the next 10 overs with Smith scoring the bulk of the runs.

IPL 2019: Karthik's Kolkata beat Rahane-led Rajasthan by 8 wickets

Kolkata's Andre Russell smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 48 as Kolkata defeated Bangalore by five wickets in an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> match on Friday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.&nbsp;

Russell came out to bat with Kolkata needing 67 off 26 balls. Skipper Dinesh Karthik (19) got out in the next over and in the last three overs, the away side needed 53 runs off 18 balls.&nbsp;

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli even slammed the "unacceptable" effort of his pacers after the hosts suffered their fifth straight loss in the ongoing edition of IPL.&nbsp;

Chasing 206, Kolkata team was able to score 66 runs off the last 24 balls to snatch a sensational win from Bangalore, who are yet to win this season.&nbsp;

After the match, Twitterati came up with several hilarious memes that can be related to Bangalore's current situation.&nbsp;

Here are some Twitter reactions:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Virat Kohli is waiting for Marcus Stoinis and Tim Southee. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/QUlA0vuc22">pic.twitter.com/QUlA0vuc22</a>
— Kamal Sharma (@kamal25_sharma) <a href="https://twitter.com/kamal25_sharma/status/1114232885928693760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
After losing continuously ........<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Virat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Virat</a> Kohli be like - <a href="https://t.co/9bd1dCR1xU">pic.twitter.com/9bd1dCR1xU</a>
— Ronit Rao (@clownprince1777) <a href="https://twitter.com/clownprince1777/status/1114236104310513664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Virat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kohli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kohli</a> after losing 5 consecutive matches 😂😂<a href="https://twitter.com/EliteEvilQueen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliteEvilQueen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/yQgxhRQlxQ">pic.twitter.com/yQgxhRQlxQ</a>
— SIDDHANT (SÎD) (@shivamsngh20) <a href="https://twitter.com/shivamsngh20/status/1114232856086110208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Post match Virat kohli chasing siraj be like this 😡😡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvsKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvsKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/uIQECIWiSd">pic.twitter.com/uIQECIWiSd</a>
— Karan.Gill (@KaranGill66) <a href="https://twitter.com/KaranGill66/status/1114231303296233474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> Reaction on <a href="https://twitter.com/RCBTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCBTweets</a> Bowlers 😆😆😆 <a href="https://t.co/UDzeCuSWcB">pic.twitter.com/UDzeCuSWcB</a>
— F A N (@RAM_Sayss) <a href="https://twitter.com/RAM_Sayss/status/1114232276848484352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Earlier,&nbsp;Virat had said that the team will discuss to get the right balance of the team as there is still time left and now he will experiment with team combinations. &nbsp;

Kolkata's Andre Russell smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 48 as Kolkata defeated Bangalore by five wickets in an Indian Premier League match on Friday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kolkata's Andre Russell smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 48 as Kolkata defeated Bangalore by five wickets in an Indian Premier League match on Friday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Russell came out to bat with Kolkata needing 67 off 26 balls. Skipper Dinesh Karthik (19) got out in the next over and in the last three overs, the away side needed 53 runs off 18 balls. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli even slammed the "unacceptable" effort of his pacers after the hosts suffered their fifth straight loss in the ongoing edition of IPL. Chasing 206, Kolkata team was able to score 66 runs off the last 24 balls to snatch a sensational win from Bangalore, who are yet to win this season. After the match, Twitterati came up with several hilarious memes that can be related to Bangalore's current situation. Here are some Twitter reactions: Virat Kohli is waiting for Marcus Stoinis and Tim Southee. #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/QUlA0vuc22 — Kamal Sharma (@kamal25_sharma) April 5, 2019 × After losing continuously ........#Virat Kohli be like - pic.twitter.com/9bd1dCR1xU — Ronit Rao (@clownprince1777) April 5, 2019 × Virat #kohli after losing 5 consecutive matches 😂😂@EliteEvilQueen #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/yQgxhRQlxQ — SIDDHANT (SÎD) (@shivamsngh20) April 5, 2019 × Post match Virat kohli chasing siraj be like this 😡😡#IPL2019 #RCBvsKKR pic.twitter.com/uIQECIWiSd — Karan.Gill (@KaranGill66) April 5, 2019 × @imVkohli Reaction on @RCBTweets Bowlers 😆😆😆 pic.twitter.com/UDzeCuSWcB — F A N (@RAM_Sayss) April 5, 2019 × Earlier, Virat had said that the team will discuss to get the right balance of the team as there is still time left and now he will experiment with team combinations.

IPL 2019: Funny Twitter reactions after Virat Kohli-led Bangalore's defeat to Kolkata

Virat Kohli slammed Bangalore's bowling department for conceding too many runs in the last four overs after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-andre-russell-steers-kolkata-to-5-wicket-victory-over-bangalore-208257">his side's defeat to Kolkata</a> on Friday at Chinnaswamy Stadium.&nbsp;

Chasing 206, Kolkata team was able to score 66 runs off the last 24 balls to snatch a sensational win from Virat's side, who are yet to win this season.&nbsp;

In the post-match presentation, Virat said, "There is no guessing there (about where we lost the game), the last 4 four overs that we bowled was just unacceptable. We needed to be more clever, nothing came off and we just cracked under pressure. That's been our story this season so far."&nbsp;

"If you bowl with not enough bravery in the crucial overs, it's always going to be difficult against power-hitters like Russell," Kohli said.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-funny-twitter-reactions-after-virat-kohli-led-bangalores-defeat-to-kolkata-208255">Funny Twitter reactions after Virat Kohli-led Bangalore's defeat to Kolkata</a>&nbsp;

Talking about his own innings of 84, Kohli said, "I wasn't really happy getting out at that moment, could've got 20-25 more. AB didn't get much strike in the end. I thought the runs were enough on the board, we didn't have enough composure."

He further added, "If you can't defend 75 in the last four overs, then I don't know if you can defend 100. We can have a bit of chat about what went wrong, apart from that nothing much you can say. I don't think talking enough helps all the time.&nbsp;

"You need to give the guys some space and come back stronger in the next game. It's been a disappointing season so far, but we are still optimistic about our chances," added Kohli.&nbsp;

Virat Kohli slammed Bangalore's bowling department for conceding too many runs in the last four overs after his side's defeat to Kolkata on Friday at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Virat Kohli slammed Bangalore's bowling department for conceding too many runs in the last four overs after his side's defeat to Kolkata on Friday at Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing 206, Kolkata team was able to score 66 runs off the last 24 balls to snatch a sensational win from Virat's side, who are yet to win this season. In the post-match presentation, Virat said, "There is no guessing there (about where we lost the game), the last 4 four overs that we bowled was just unacceptable. We needed to be more clever, nothing came off and we just cracked under pressure. That's been our story this season so far." "If you bowl with not enough bravery in the crucial overs, it's always going to be difficult against power-hitters like Russell," Kohli said. Also Read: Funny Twitter reactions after Virat Kohli-led Bangalore's defeat to Kolkata Talking about his own innings of 84, Kohli said, "I wasn't really happy getting out at that moment, could've got 20-25 more. AB didn't get much strike in the end. I thought the runs were enough on the board, we didn't have enough composure." He further added, "If you can't defend 75 in the last four overs, then I don't know if you can defend 100. We can have a bit of chat about what went wrong, apart from that nothing much you can say. I don't think talking enough helps all the time. "You need to give the guys some space and come back stronger in the next game. It's been a disappointing season so far, but we are still optimistic about our chances," added Kohli.

IPL 2019: Here's what Virat Kohli has to say after losing to Kolkata

Kolkata's batting coach Simon Katich spoke highly of side's explosive batting unit that has inspired the team to two wins and a narrow defeat so far in the ongoing edition of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a>.&nbsp;

Kolkata defeated Hyderabad by six wickets in their campaign opener and registered another win in their second match against Punjab, however, they suffered a defeat to Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi in an intriguing match that concluded in a Super Over.&nbsp;

In an exclusive interview to WION, Katich said, "Lot of positives in the three matches so far. Didn't get up against Delhi especially in the Super Over, but proud of the way the boys fought back."&nbsp;

Against Delhi, Kolkata was at a score of 61 after losing five wickets but the middle batting order stepped up and ended up giving a 185-run target.&nbsp;

"We got highly skilled batsmen. Nice to have that balance, I trust the boys to go with their instinct," Katich said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The former Australia left-handed batsman talked about Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik's magnificent form in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League.&nbsp;

"We knew how much of a match-winner Russel can be but from a batting point of view, we tried to work on keeping his front leg still and that has allowed him to be in a much more powerful position," said Kolkata's batting coach on Russell's training.&nbsp;

He added, "Teams can't just throw the ball with pace or bowl wide yorkers and if he can continue to do that then he can be hard to bowl to."&nbsp;

Windies batsman Russell has been outstanding in the ongoing season, in the first match Hyderabad, he scored an unbeaten 49 off 19 and in the second match against he scored 48 off 17 balls. Against Delhi, Russell hit a half-century, he scored 62 runs off 28 balls.&nbsp;

Katich is confident that their captain Dinesh Karthik will once again excel in his designated finisher's role.&nbsp;

He said, "None of the guys would try to execute these shots unless they've done it in practice and they try to simulate the situation and Dinesh does it very well."&nbsp;

He added, "He has the experience and can be difficult to bowl to at the back end of the innings."&nbsp;

Ahead of the tournament, Katich had dropped a hint that Karthik would use the IPL to showcase his skill set in pressure games, making a case for his selection in India's World Cup squad.&nbsp;

Katich gave especially mention to the local players, who are well aware of the conditions.&nbsp;

He said, "It's the IPL, locals have a big advantage as they know the conditions."

"Big advantage for KKR with these players. Even Shubhman Gill is among them. He has had a great IPL he is not getting opportunities at the moment.&nbsp;

"If he does get the time he's got huge talent," said Katich.&nbsp;

Kolkata's batting coach Simon Katich spoke highly of side's explosive batting unit that has inspired the team to two wins and a narrow defeat so far in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League.

Kolkata's batting coach Simon Katich spoke highly of side's explosive batting unit that has inspired the team to two wins and a narrow defeat so far in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. Kolkata defeated Hyderabad by six wickets in their campaign opener and registered another win in their second match against Punjab, however, they suffered a defeat to Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi in an intriguing match that concluded in a Super Over. In an exclusive interview to WION, Katich said, "Lot of positives in the three matches so far. Didn't get up against Delhi especially in the Super Over, but proud of the way the boys fought back." Against Delhi, Kolkata was at a score of 61 after losing five wickets but the middle batting order stepped up and ended up giving a 185-run target. "We got highly skilled batsmen. Nice to have that balance, I trust the boys to go with their instinct," Katich said. The former Australia left-handed batsman talked about Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik's magnificent form in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. "We knew how much of a match-winner Russel can be but from a batting point of view, we tried to work on keeping his front leg still and that has allowed him to be in a much more powerful position," said Kolkata's batting coach on Russell's training. He added, "Teams can't just throw the ball with pace or bowl wide yorkers and if he can continue to do that then he can be hard to bowl to." Windies batsman Russell has been outstanding in the ongoing season, in the first match Hyderabad, he scored an unbeaten 49 off 19 and in the second match against he scored 48 off 17 balls. Against Delhi, Russell hit a half-century, he scored 62 runs off 28 balls. Katich is confident that their captain Dinesh Karthik will once again excel in his designated finisher's role. He said, "None of the guys would try to execute these shots unless they've done it in practice and they try to simulate the situation and Dinesh does it very well." He added, "He has the experience and can be difficult to bowl to at the back end of the innings." Ahead of the tournament, Katich had dropped a hint that Karthik would use the IPL to showcase his skill set in pressure games, making a case for his selection in India's World Cup squad. Katich gave especially mention to the local players, who are well aware of the conditions. He said, "It's the IPL, locals have a big advantage as they know the conditions." "Big advantage for KKR with these players. Even Shubhman Gill is among them. He has had a great IPL he is not getting opportunities at the moment. "If he does get the time he's got huge talent," said Katich.

Kolkata got 'highly skilled batsmen' says batting coach Simon Katich to WION

Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab will take Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a>.&nbsp;

Both teams had a winning start in their campaign opener as after Andre Russell's marvellous performance Kolkata defeated Hyderabad and in the other match, Punjab defeated Rajasthan.&nbsp;

While the Punjab-Rajasthan match saw a major controversy when Ashwin ran out Rajasthan's Jos Buttler, who was at the non-strikers' end, without giving him any warning while bowling the 13th over of the match.&nbsp;

Buttler's dismissal changed the course of game and Punjab eventually registered the victory, though Ashwin faced a severe backlash and the incident triggered a "spirit of the game" debate.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4FS4o7X7Gk" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Punjab's biggest star Chris Gayle scored a 47-ball 79 and his Jamaican rivalry with fellow mate Andre Russell, who also looked in blistering touch for Kolkata, will be one of the sub plots of the clash here.&nbsp;

A typical slow starter, Gayle was 14 off 18 balls but the opener hit top gear in the 12th over hammering Jaydev Unadkat for four successive boundaries. &nbsp;

A former Kolkata player, Gayle knows Eden Gardens like the back of his hand as he would look to continue his assault on the spin-oriented Kolkata attack.&nbsp;

Russell will be Kolkata's answer to Gayle as the KKR star also fashioned a sensational win, smashing an unbeaten 49 from 19 balls in their opening fixture against Hyderabad here two days ago.&nbsp;

The win saw their star spinner and explosive opener, Sunil Narine, hurt his finger and Kolkata would hope he is fit in time.&nbsp;

Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab will take Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday in the Indian Premier League. Both teams had a winning start in their campaign opener as after Andre Russell's marvellous performance Kolkata defeated Hyderabad and in the other match, Punjab defeated Rajasthan.

Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab will take Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday in the Indian Premier League. Both teams had a winning start in their campaign opener as after Andre Russell's marvellous performance Kolkata defeated Hyderabad and in the other match, Punjab defeated Rajasthan. While the Punjab-Rajasthan match saw a major controversy when Ashwin ran out Rajasthan's Jos Buttler, who was at the non-strikers' end, without giving him any warning while bowling the 13th over of the match. Buttler's dismissal changed the course of game and Punjab eventually registered the victory, though Ashwin faced a severe backlash and the incident triggered a "spirit of the game" debate. × Punjab's biggest star Chris Gayle scored a 47-ball 79 and his Jamaican rivalry with fellow mate Andre Russell, who also looked in blistering touch for Kolkata, will be one of the sub plots of the clash here. A typical slow starter, Gayle was 14 off 18 balls but the opener hit top gear in the 12th over hammering Jaydev Unadkat for four successive boundaries. A former Kolkata player, Gayle knows Eden Gardens like the back of his hand as he would look to continue his assault on the spin-oriented Kolkata attack. Russell will be Kolkata's answer to Gayle as the KKR star also fashioned a sensational win, smashing an unbeaten 49 from 19 balls in their opening fixture against Hyderabad here two days ago. The win saw their star spinner and explosive opener, Sunil Narine, hurt his finger and Kolkata would hope he is fit in time.

IPL 2019: Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab to face Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata at Eden Gardens

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-kolkata-knight-riders-vs-sunrisers-hyderabad-at-eden-gardens-205270">defeated Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led Hyderabad</a> to start their Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note.&nbsp;

After winning the toss, Karthik put Hyderabad to bat first at the high scoring pitch of Eden Gardens.&nbsp;

Batting first, the comeback-man David Warner struck 85 off 53 balls and shared a 118-run stand for the first wicket with wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (39).&nbsp;

Vijay Shankar contributed unbeaten 40 in Hyderabad's total to give Kolkata a 182-run target.&nbsp;

While chasing, Kolkata suffered a bumpy start but the middle order batsmen held inspired the team towards victory.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
And, that's a FIFTY from <a href="https://twitter.com/NitishRana_27?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NitishRana_27</a> 😎😎 
 
His 6th in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKR</a> 97/3 after 13 overs. <a href="https://t.co/dXbWnTViND">pic.twitter.com/dXbWnTViND</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1109810640779042818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Andre Russell played a whirlwind unbeaten knock of 49-runs to script his side's dramatic win after Nitish Rana scored 68 at top of the batting order.&nbsp;

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata defeated Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led Hyderabad to start their Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note. After winning the toss, Karthik put Hyderabad to bat first at the high scoring pitch of Eden Gardens.

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata defeated Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led Hyderabad to start their Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note. After winning the toss, Karthik put Hyderabad to bat first at the high scoring pitch of Eden Gardens. Batting first, the comeback-man David Warner struck 85 off 53 balls and shared a 118-run stand for the first wicket with wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (39). Vijay Shankar contributed unbeaten 40 in Hyderabad's total to give Kolkata a 182-run target. While chasing, Kolkata suffered a bumpy start but the middle order batsmen held inspired the team towards victory. And, that's a FIFTY from @NitishRana_27 😎😎 His 6th in #VIVOIPL #KKR 97/3 after 13 overs. pic.twitter.com/dXbWnTViND — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 24, 2019 × Andre Russell played a whirlwind unbeaten knock of 49-runs to script his side's dramatic win after Nitish Rana scored 68 at top of the batting order.

IPL 2019: Andre Russell steals thrilling win for Kolkata against Hyderabad

IPL 2019, Hyderabad vs Kolkata: Players to watch out for

From MS Dhoni's tactic to Jasprit Bumrah's yorkers, from Virat Kohli's strategy to Kuldeep Yadav's googlies, from Steve Smith's desperation to show his footwork to Andre Russell's sixers, the 12th edition of Indian Premier League will be all these and much more.&nbsp;

Two-time champions Kolkata will play all their Indian Premier League home matches at the Eden Gardens despite West Bengal going into polls during all seven phases of general elections, which is an advantage for the team as playing at home is always thrilling.&nbsp;

Skipper Dinesh Karthik led Kolkata to a third-place finish following their loss to Hyderabad in the second eliminator last year.&nbsp;

Karthik, who scored 3401 runs so far in the IPL including 16 half-centuries, will look to make most of the IPL opportunity to get the selectors' attention. &nbsp;

Kolkata have roped in Carlos Brathwaite to go alongside Andre Russell, Sunil Narine as they would look to reinforce their batting firepower with Chris Lynn.&nbsp;

Spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav along with Sunil Naraine will be key men in Kolkata's bowling department.&nbsp;

Both Kuldeep and Sunil have taken 17 wickets in the previous season.&nbsp;

Kolkata's spin bowling coach Carl Crowe on Tuesday lauded Sunil Narine for maintaining top standard despite having gone through action modification in recent years.

Narine's action was found to be suspect a multiple times and had to undertake corrective measures under Crowe, who is now a part of Knights' set-up.&nbsp;

Narine has been one of the chief architects behind the KKR's success in the Indian Premier League in 2012 and 2014 editions.&nbsp;

Crowe said the spin talents in Kolkata's armoury will pose a big threat to the opposition.&nbsp;

"Expectations are always good. You always want pressure. I think we have three good spinners who are proven performers. Great to have KC (Cariappa) joining us. He is in good form."&nbsp;

On papers, the Kolkata team looks balanced having efficient players in both the department. The bench comprises&nbsp;of young guns like&nbsp;Shubman Gill and&nbsp;Shivam Mavi.&nbsp;

Here is the squad:&nbsp;

Retained: Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Purchased: Carlos Brathwaite (Rs 5 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs 1.60 crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs 20 lakh), Nikhil Naik (Rs 20 lakh), Harry Gurney (Rs 75 lakh), Yarra Prithviraj (Rs 20 lakh), Joe Denly (Rs 1 crore), Shrikant Mundhe (Rs 20 lakh)

From MS Dhoni's tactic to Jasprit Bumrah's yorkers, from Virat Kohli's strategy to Kuldeep Yadav's googlies, from Steve Smith's desperation to show his footwork to Andre Russell's sixers, the 12th edition of Indian Premier League will be all these and much more.

From MS Dhoni's tactic to Jasprit Bumrah's yorkers, from Virat Kohli's strategy to Kuldeep Yadav's googlies, from Steve Smith's desperation to show his footwork to Andre Russell's sixers, the 12th edition of Indian Premier League will be all these and much more. Two-time champions Kolkata will play all their Indian Premier League home matches at the Eden Gardens despite West Bengal going into polls during all seven phases of general elections, which is an advantage for the team as playing at home is always thrilling. Skipper Dinesh Karthik led Kolkata to a third-place finish following their loss to Hyderabad in the second eliminator last year. Karthik, who scored 3401 runs so far in the IPL including 16 half-centuries, will look to make most of the IPL opportunity to get the selectors' attention. Kolkata have roped in Carlos Brathwaite to go alongside Andre Russell, Sunil Narine as they would look to reinforce their batting firepower with Chris Lynn. Spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav along with Sunil Naraine will be key men in Kolkata's bowling department. Both Kuldeep and Sunil have taken 17 wickets in the previous season. Kolkata's spin bowling coach Carl Crowe on Tuesday lauded Sunil Narine for maintaining top standard despite having gone through action modification in recent years. Narine's action was found to be suspect a multiple times and had to undertake corrective measures under Crowe, who is now a part of Knights' set-up. Narine has been one of the chief architects behind the KKR's success in the Indian Premier League in 2012 and 2014 editions. Crowe said the spin talents in Kolkata's armoury will pose a big threat to the opposition. "Expectations are always good. You always want pressure. I think we have three good spinners who are proven performers. Great to have KC (Cariappa) joining us. He is in good form." On papers, the Kolkata team looks balanced having efficient players in both the department. The bench comprises of young guns like Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi. Here is the squad: Retained: Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti Purchased: Carlos Brathwaite (Rs 5 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs 1.60 crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs 20 lakh), Nikhil Naik (Rs 20 lakh), Harry Gurney (Rs 75 lakh), Yarra Prithviraj (Rs 20 lakh), Joe Denly (Rs 1 crore), Shrikant Mundhe (Rs 20 lakh)

IPL 2019: Squad analysis of Kolkata

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been dropped from India's One-Day International (ODI) squad while batsman KL Rahul has returned to both ODI and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-australia-t20i-leg-spinner-mayank-markande-picked-kuldeep-yadav-rested-197608">T20 International squads</a> for the home series against Australia.&nbsp;

KL Rahul has been called back after the unsavoury comments on women in a TV talk show, following which he was asked to regain his form by concentrating on domestic cricket.&nbsp;

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced the 15-member squad on Friday for upcoming India vs Australia series for both T20 and ODI format.&nbsp;

India and Australia will play two T20Is and five ODI matches and the tournament will kick off from February 24.&nbsp;

Khaleel Ahmed, Shubhman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Siraj - all of whom were part of the squad in the recent tour of New Zealand, have also been left out.&nbsp;

The 21-year-old Markande was rewarded soon after his five-wicket haul, which powered India A to an innings and 68-run victory over England Lions in the second unofficial Test.&nbsp;

The pace attack includes Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami; Bhuvneshwar Kumar will join the squad from the third ODI onwards. Bhuvi has been rested for the first two ODIs.&nbsp;

Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped from the T20 squad but he will return to ODI with his spin action.&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant has found a place in both the squads.&nbsp;

India’s squad for 1st and 2nd ODI against Australia: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohamed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul.&nbsp;

India’s squad for remaining three ODIs: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant.&nbsp;

India's squad for T20I series against Australia: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit (vc), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Sidharth Kaul, Mayank Markande.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been dropped from India's One-Day International (ODI) squad while batsman KL Rahul has returned to both ODI and T20 International squads for the home series against Australia.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been dropped from India's One-Day International (ODI) squad while batsman KL Rahul has returned to both ODI and T20 International squads for the home series against Australia. KL Rahul has been called back after the unsavoury comments on women in a TV talk show, following which he was asked to regain his form by concentrating on domestic cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced the 15-member squad on Friday for upcoming India vs Australia series for both T20 and ODI format. India and Australia will play two T20Is and five ODI matches and the tournament will kick off from February 24. Khaleel Ahmed, Shubhman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Siraj - all of whom were part of the squad in the recent tour of New Zealand, have also been left out. The 21-year-old Markande was rewarded soon after his five-wicket haul, which powered India A to an innings and 68-run victory over England Lions in the second unofficial Test. The pace attack includes Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami; Bhuvneshwar Kumar will join the squad from the third ODI onwards. Bhuvi has been rested for the first two ODIs. Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped from the T20 squad but he will return to ODI with his spin action. Rishabh Pant has found a place in both the squads. India’s squad for 1st and 2nd ODI against Australia: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohamed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul. India’s squad for remaining three ODIs: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant. India's squad for T20I series against Australia: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit (vc), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Sidharth Kaul, Mayank Markande.

India vs Australia, ODI: Dinesh Karthik dropped, KL Rahul recalled

New Zealand beat India by four runs in Sunday's Twenty20 match at Hamilton to take the series 2-1.&nbsp;

The hosts were sent in to bat first and made 212 for four, with Colin Munro making 72 off 40 deliveries.&nbsp;

For his crucial contribution,&nbsp;Munro was given the player of the match award.&nbsp;

"Didn't really focus on trying to do anything different, tried to put pressure back on the bowlers. Just came out nice and free, had a bit of luck, which you certainly need in this match," said&nbsp;Munro.

New Zealand opener&nbsp;Tim Seifert won the man of the series award.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Tim Seifert is named the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvIND</a> T20I Player of the Series after finishing as the top run-scorer, with 139 runs at a strike rate of 173.75 at the top of the order 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/B6IT66qXtR">pic.twitter.com/B6IT66qXtR</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1094548288555106305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Great to have a performance like that, but it's great to get a victory, particularly a last-minute one like that," said&nbsp;Seifert.&nbsp;

"It's awesome in my hometown, that the crowd have come out in full support - hopefully they do so for the Super Smash final as well," he added.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
New Zealand take the series 2-1! 
 
The Blackcaps hold off India despite a late charge from Krunal Pandya and Dinesh Karthik to win by four runs in Hamilton.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvIND</a> scorecard ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Prav9ucvl2">https://t.co/Prav9ucvl2</a> <a href="https://t.co/Udx6Y6MNIE">pic.twitter.com/Udx6Y6MNIE</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1094542765000675328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

India were 208 for six at the close of their 20 overs. Vijay Shankar top-scored for the visitors with 43.&nbsp;

New Zealand beat India by four runs in Sunday's Twenty20 match at Hamilton to take the series 2-1. The hosts were sent in to bat first and made 212 for four, with Colin Munro making 72 off 40 deliveries.

New Zealand beat India by four runs in Sunday's Twenty20 match at Hamilton to take the series 2-1. The hosts were sent in to bat first and made 212 for four, with Colin Munro making 72 off 40 deliveries. For his crucial contribution, Munro was given the player of the match award. "Didn't really focus on trying to do anything different, tried to put pressure back on the bowlers. Just came out nice and free, had a bit of luck, which you certainly need in this match," said Munro. New Zealand opener Tim Seifert won the man of the series award. Tim Seifert is named the #NZvIND T20I Player of the Series after finishing as the top run-scorer, with 139 runs at a strike rate of 173.75 at the top of the order 🙌 pic.twitter.com/B6IT66qXtR — ICC (@ICC) February 10, 2019 × "Great to have a performance like that, but it's great to get a victory, particularly a last-minute one like that," said Seifert. "It's awesome in my hometown, that the crowd have come out in full support - hopefully they do so for the Super Smash final as well," he added. New Zealand take the series 2-1! The Blackcaps hold off India despite a late charge from Krunal Pandya and Dinesh Karthik to win by four runs in Hamilton.#NZvIND scorecard ➡️ https://t.co/Prav9ucvl2 pic.twitter.com/Udx6Y6MNIE — ICC (@ICC) February 10, 2019 × India were 208 for six at the close of their 20 overs. Vijay Shankar top-scored for the visitors with 43.

New Zealand beat India by four runs in third T20, take series

India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20I against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium, Wellington.

It might be for the first time when India will be playing with three wicketkeeper-batsmen. MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been inducted in the playing XI for the game.&nbsp;

India, which recently clinched the ODI series 4-1, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-nz-1st-t20-preview-india-look-to-carry-odi-momentum-into-t20s-195427">will eye T20 series also to end the tour on a historic note.</a>

Speaking after the toss, Rohit said, " We have had a good record chasing. Gives us another opportunity to see how well we can bat second. Looks like a good pitch, as we saw in the game earlier so we are looking to set a target. Like I said on the 5th ODI, we wanted to bat second as there was some moisture on the pitch and challenge our batsmen. We managed to get a win."

"A lot of the guys who have played ODIs have gone back. A few guys like Rishabh and Krunal are back and we need to give them some chances, so it is important to give them a chance as well in the overseas conditions and see how they fare," he added.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have not performed at par in the ODI series and may surprise the visitors today. &nbsp;

talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, "We were looking to have a bowl, based on the wicket on the other night. It's important to assess the conditions. Mitchell makes his debut today. Some regular faces, but the two missing out are Bracewell and Neesham. A new squad brings some freshness."

"Every time you get an opportunity to represent your country is a great one this is a great opportunity against a fantastic opposition so we are looking forward to a really good series ahead, " he concluded.

India will play three T20I before ending the New Zealand tour.&nbsp;

New Zealand Squad 
Playing XI: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson BenchJames Neesham, Doug Bracewell&nbsp;

India Squad&nbsp; 
Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, K Khaleel Ahmed BenchShubman Gill, Siddarth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20I against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium, Wellington. It might be for the first time when India will be playing with three wicketkeeper-batsmen.

India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20I against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium, Wellington. It might be for the first time when India will be playing with three wicketkeeper-batsmen. MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been inducted in the playing XI for the game. India, which recently clinched the ODI series 4-1, will eye T20 series also to end the tour on a historic note. Speaking after the toss, Rohit said, " We have had a good record chasing. Gives us another opportunity to see how well we can bat second. Looks like a good pitch, as we saw in the game earlier so we are looking to set a target. Like I said on the 5th ODI, we wanted to bat second as there was some moisture on the pitch and challenge our batsmen. We managed to get a win." "A lot of the guys who have played ODIs have gone back. A few guys like Rishabh and Krunal are back and we need to give them some chances, so it is important to give them a chance as well in the overseas conditions and see how they fare," he added. Meanwhile, New Zealand have not performed at par in the ODI series and may surprise the visitors today. talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, "We were looking to have a bowl, based on the wicket on the other night. It's important to assess the conditions. Mitchell makes his debut today. Some regular faces, but the two missing out are Bracewell and Neesham. A new squad brings some freshness." "Every time you get an opportunity to represent your country is a great one this is a great opportunity against a fantastic opposition so we are looking forward to a really good series ahead, " he concluded. India will play three T20I before ending the New Zealand tour. New Zealand Squad Playing XI: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson BenchJames Neesham, Doug Bracewell India Squad Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, K Khaleel Ahmed BenchShubman Gill, Siddarth Kaul, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav

1st T20I: Dhoni, Karthik and Pant in playing XI as India opt to bowl against Kiwis

It wasn’t easy being Dinesh Karthik in an era where Mahendra Singh Dhoni redefined the role of a keeper-batsman.

Having last played a Test match way back in 2010, Karthik, during all these years of soul searching, was honest in his analysis as to why he didn’t get a chance to wear the white flannels — “he was not good enough in presence of a special player like Dhoni”.

“Look, I think I wasn’t good enough, rather I was not consistent enough. That was a highly competitive environment and there was someone called MS Dhoni breathing down my neck, which caused a lot of stir in world cricket at that point of time. He went on to become one of the greatest captains India has ever produced,” Karthik said ahead of his comeback Test against Afghanistan.

Karthik, who came in as a replacement to injured Wriddhiman Saha, has not played 87 Tests since he played the last of his 23 Tests against Bangladesh in 2010.

In fact, a statistician will reveal the plight of the keepers during ‘Dhoni era’. Karthik’s 87 Test match gap is an Indian record but then the earlier record was held by Parthiv Patel, who made a comeback after 83 Test matches and eight year hiatus from the longest format.

“So, I didn’t lose my place to some normal cricketer he (Dhoni) was special. I respect him for that. At that stage, I could not produce enough performance to hold on to my side. I need to be honest with myself. Now, I have another opportunity and I guess, I will try my best,” the Chennai stumper said in an honest assessment.

If Dhoni kept him out of Test squad till 2014, the next four years saw emergence of Wriddhiman Saha as one of India’s most technically accomplished wicketkeepers.

While Saha’s injury has opened the door for Karthik, he wouldn’t like to over-burden himself by thinking how he could hold onto his place.

“If you go deep into the question on what I should do to keep out someone else, then you are taking energy away from the fact that you are competing with somebody (Afghanistan). That puts extra pressure to what already is there,” Karthik said.

“What I am trying to do — as cliched as it may sound — is trying to be the best cricketer that I can be, not on the field but also off the field. I am trying to be consistent there, even if I don’t get an opportunity. Even if I don’t play the sport at the highest level, I want to be content with the fact that I have given everything I had — both on and off the field,” he said.

“If I go into your question and start thinking about that aspect, then it will be subjective — I need to score this, I need to score that. I don’t want to keep it that way. I want to keep it in a way which is try and prepare as much as I can. And given a chance, try and deliver. I am keeping my whole process that way.”

The dashing keeper-batsman also feels that playing Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu kept him on his toes as the team was playing Ranji Trophy knock-outs almost every two years.

“I enjoyed playing the Ranji Trophy. It is a totally different challenge. There are not many people coming and watch you play, yet we play the sport because we enjoy playing it. I am lucky that way because I have always done that subconsciously. I have enjoyed being a part of Tamil Nadu team. Credit to them (TN Ranji side) as well for having put up with me over the tough years. I am really indebted to them. It is very easy to fade away but for Tamil Nadu to constantly competing in Ranji Trophy, that was challenge. Every alternate year, we put up performances. We were consistent. Every two years we would hit the knockouts and go to semis or final,” he said.

As a senior, Karthik was expected to perform and he has done that with aplomb over the years.

“As senior players, they (TNCA) expect you to perform well. I am happy to do that for the team. Along the way, if I have been able to help young guys, then it’s great. At the end of the day, I was happy to play for a team like Tamil Nadu which has backed me all these years. Today, I am really happy that I am sitting here.”

Karthik came in as a replacement to injured Wriddhiman Saha

It wasn’t easy being Dinesh Karthik in an era where Mahendra Singh Dhoni redefined the role of a keeper-batsman. Having last played a Test match way back in 2010, Karthik, during all these years of soul searching, was honest in his analysis as to why he didn’t get a chance to wear the white flannels — “he was not good enough in presence of a special player like Dhoni”. “Look, I think I wasn’t good enough, rather I was not consistent enough. That was a highly competitive environment and there was someone called MS Dhoni breathing down my neck, which caused a lot of stir in world cricket at that point of time. He went on to become one of the greatest captains India has ever produced,” Karthik said ahead of his comeback Test against Afghanistan. Karthik, who came in as a replacement to injured Wriddhiman Saha, has not played 87 Tests since he played the last of his 23 Tests against Bangladesh in 2010. In fact, a statistician will reveal the plight of the keepers during ‘Dhoni era’. Karthik’s 87 Test match gap is an Indian record but then the earlier record was held by Parthiv Patel, who made a comeback after 83 Test matches and eight year hiatus from the longest format. “So, I didn’t lose my place to some normal cricketer he (Dhoni) was special. I respect him for that. At that stage, I could not produce enough performance to hold on to my side. I need to be honest with myself. Now, I have another opportunity and I guess, I will try my best,” the Chennai stumper said in an honest assessment. If Dhoni kept him out of Test squad till 2014, the next four years saw emergence of Wriddhiman Saha as one of India’s most technically accomplished wicketkeepers. While Saha’s injury has opened the door for Karthik, he wouldn’t like to over-burden himself by thinking how he could hold onto his place. “If you go deep into the question on what I should do to keep out someone else, then you are taking energy away from the fact that you are competing with somebody (Afghanistan). That puts extra pressure to what already is there,” Karthik said. “What I am trying to do — as cliched as it may sound — is trying to be the best cricketer that I can be, not on the field but also off the field. I am trying to be consistent there, even if I don’t get an opportunity. Even if I don’t play the sport at the highest level, I want to be content with the fact that I have given everything I had — both on and off the field,” he said. “If I go into your question and start thinking about that aspect, then it will be subjective — I need to score this, I need to score that. I don’t want to keep it that way. I want to keep it in a way which is try and prepare as much as I can. And given a chance, try and deliver. I am keeping my whole process that way.” The dashing keeper-batsman also feels that playing Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu kept him on his toes as the team was playing Ranji Trophy knock-outs almost every two years. “I enjoyed playing the Ranji Trophy. It is a totally different challenge. There are not many people coming and watch you play, yet we play the sport because we enjoy playing it. I am lucky that way because I have always done that subconsciously. I have enjoyed being a part of Tamil Nadu team. Credit to them (TN Ranji side) as well for having put up with me over the tough years. I am really indebted to them. It is very easy to fade away but for Tamil Nadu to constantly competing in Ranji Trophy, that was challenge. Every alternate year, we put up performances. We were consistent. Every two years we would hit the knockouts and go to semis or final,” he said. As a senior, Karthik was expected to perform and he has done that with aplomb over the years. “As senior players, they (TNCA) expect you to perform well. I am happy to do that for the team. Along the way, if I have been able to help young guys, then it’s great. At the end of the day, I was happy to play for a team like Tamil Nadu which has backed me all these years. Today, I am really happy that I am sitting here.”

'I didn’t lose my place to a normal cricketer, it was MS Dhoni': Dinesh Karthik

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium on Friday, May 25 to book a berth in the Indian Premier League 2018 finals.

The winner of tonight's match will meet MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the IPL's finale on May 27 as team Chennai has already through to the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1.

It's very ironic when the table toppers at the end of league matches, struggle&nbsp;to reach the finals, now call it carelessness or the lack of performance from their middle-order, Hyderabad have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause of concern for Williamson's side in tonight's game.

Although, Hyderabad have the best bowling unit in the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Khan. The bowling side will try to take benefits from the Eden Gardens track but it is not easy to face Dinesh Karthik's side&nbsp;as the batsmen coming at the 6th and 7th position have potential to score runs.

In the presence of crazy fans at the Eden Gardens, Dinesh Karthik&nbsp;side definitely has an upper hand against Hyderabad.

In the first Qualifier, when Hyderabad had their match in the pocket with Chennai struggling at 62-6 while chasing 140 runs but the bowling strategy backfired in the death overs when Carlos Brathwaite leaked too many runs.

Also, Hyderabad's problem has been their batting which is heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at 57.05 average.

In order to resolve it, Shikhar Dhawan will have to rise to the occasion but it is the middle order that has created problems, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan will have to score in order to help the bowling unit to bowl without pressure.

On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik who will look to go unchanged unless there's an injury in the lineup.&nbsp;

Their biggest strength has been the team's ability to stand up and perform in case someone fails. That we have seen in the Eliminator match when the top batting order was out bowled then middle batting order scored to reach the target.

The clash is going to be very interesting as the result will give another finalist of the tournament.

Watch the preview:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQHzMLx2oSo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Playing XI (TBC):

Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium to book a berth in the IPL 2018 finals

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium on Friday, May 25 to book a berth in the Indian Premier League 2018 finals. The winner of tonight's match will meet MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the IPL's finale on May 27 as team Chennai has already through to the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1. It's very ironic when the table toppers at the end of league matches, struggle to reach the finals, now call it carelessness or the lack of performance from their middle-order, Hyderabad have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause of concern for Williamson's side in tonight's game. Although, Hyderabad have the best bowling unit in the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Khan. The bowling side will try to take benefits from the Eden Gardens track but it is not easy to face Dinesh Karthik's side as the batsmen coming at the 6th and 7th position have potential to score runs. In the presence of crazy fans at the Eden Gardens, Dinesh Karthik side definitely has an upper hand against Hyderabad. In the first Qualifier, when Hyderabad had their match in the pocket with Chennai struggling at 62-6 while chasing 140 runs but the bowling strategy backfired in the death overs when Carlos Brathwaite leaked too many runs. Also, Hyderabad's problem has been their batting which is heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at 57.05 average. In order to resolve it, Shikhar Dhawan will have to rise to the occasion but it is the middle order that has created problems, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan will have to score in order to help the bowling unit to bowl without pressure. On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik who will look to go unchanged unless there's an injury in the lineup. Their biggest strength has been the team's ability to stand up and perform in case someone fails. That we have seen in the Eliminator match when the top batting order was out bowled then middle batting order scored to reach the target. The clash is going to be very interesting as the result will give another finalist of the tournament. Watch the preview: × Playing XI (TBC): Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna. Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

IPL 2018, 2nd Qualifier: Karthik-led Kolkata have advantage at Eden against Hyderabad

After top batting order fell cheaply, skipper Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League &nbsp2018.&nbsp

While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes.

Earlier, Karthik and Shubman Gill added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team from early losses.

Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay.

From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings.

Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start.

Earlier, Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday.

After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions.

On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match.&nbsp

Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI.&nbsp

Playing XI:

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin 
&nbsp

While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls.

After top batting order fell cheaply, skipper Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League &nbsp2018. While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes. Earlier, Karthik and Shubman Gill added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team from early losses. Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay. From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings. Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start. Earlier, Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday. After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions. On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match. Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI. Playing XI: Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin

IPL 2018 Eliminator: Karthik, Russell power Kolkata to 169

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata in the Eliminator match of Indian Premier League 2018 at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday.

After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions.

On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match.&nbsp

Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI.&nbsp

Playing XI:

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin

Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata in the Eliminator match of Indian Premier League 2018 at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday. After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions. On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match. Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI. Playing XI: Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin

IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane opts to bowl against Kolkata in Eliminator match

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will host Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai for the second time in this year's IPL at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Tuesday.

The previous encounter was won by Rohit Sharma side by 13 runs and the victory sparked Mumbai's fight for survival in the play-off race.

So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash.

1. Hardik Pandya - The Mumbai all-rounder left no stone unturned in his last game against Kolkata. Be it bowling or batting, he displayed a magnificent performance in both the departments. He took two crucial wickets and even scored an unbeaten&nbsp;35 of 20 balls and was awarded 'Man of the Match'. He is definitely a player to look out for today.&nbsp;

2. Robin Uthappa - Recently,&nbsp;Robin Uthappa returned to a splendid form, he slammed a half-century against Mumbai in his previous game. His 54-run knock included&nbsp;six boundaries and three huge sixes. Today, against the defending champions, it is expected that he will hit towering sixes at the Eden Gardens Stadium.

3. Suryakumar Yadav - Surya Kumar got a massive opportunity when Mumbai's skipper Rohit Sharma chose his name as the opener of the team and he proved his capabilites by playing some marvelous knocks for his team.&nbsp;In his last match against Kolkata, he smashed 59 runs off 39 balls which included seven fours and two sixes. He stands at fourth position in the race of&nbsp;"Orange Cap'.&nbsp;

4. Dinesh Karthik - Another skipper in the ongoing league, who is making every effort to make sure his team qualifies for the play-off. Dinesh Karthik, who is in outstanding form, scored an unbeaten 36 runs off 26 balls, slamming five fours and one six. With some new plans and strategies, Karthik is set to give a head-to-head match to Mumbai.

5. Evin Lewis - An adequate opener for Mumbai who knows how to play his innings and help his team to set a required target or win the game. Altogether, he scored 247 runs in nine games. And, in the previous game against Kolkata, he scored 43 runs off 28 balls which included five fours and two sixes. A must watch player for today's match as he can single-handedly can damage the opponent's plans.&nbsp;

It will be a high-voltage encounter today, as its all comes down for the fourth position for qualifiers in IPL.&nbsp;

Their first encounter was won by Rohit Sharma side by 13 runs and entered among the top five teams in the ongoing league

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will host Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai for the second time in this year's IPL at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Tuesday. The previous encounter was won by Rohit Sharma side by 13 runs and the victory sparked Mumbai's fight for survival in the play-off race. So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash. 1. Hardik Pandya - The Mumbai all-rounder left no stone unturned in his last game against Kolkata. Be it bowling or batting, he displayed a magnificent performance in both the departments. He took two crucial wickets and even scored an unbeaten 35 of 20 balls and was awarded 'Man of the Match'. He is definitely a player to look out for today. 2. Robin Uthappa - Recently, Robin Uthappa returned to a splendid form, he slammed a half-century against Mumbai in his previous game. His 54-run knock included six boundaries and three huge sixes. Today, against the defending champions, it is expected that he will hit towering sixes at the Eden Gardens Stadium. 3. Suryakumar Yadav - Surya Kumar got a massive opportunity when Mumbai's skipper Rohit Sharma chose his name as the opener of the team and he proved his capabilites by playing some marvelous knocks for his team. In his last match against Kolkata, he smashed 59 runs off 39 balls which included seven fours and two sixes. He stands at fourth position in the race of "Orange Cap'. 4. Dinesh Karthik - Another skipper in the ongoing league, who is making every effort to make sure his team qualifies for the play-off. Dinesh Karthik, who is in outstanding form, scored an unbeaten 36 runs off 26 balls, slamming five fours and one six. With some new plans and strategies, Karthik is set to give a head-to-head match to Mumbai. 5. Evin Lewis - An adequate opener for Mumbai who knows how to play his innings and help his team to set a required target or win the game. Altogether, he scored 247 runs in nine games. And, in the previous game against Kolkata, he scored 43 runs off 28 balls which included five fours and two sixes. A must watch player for today's match as he can single-handedly can damage the opponent's plans. It will be a high-voltage encounter today, as its all comes down for the fourth position for qualifiers in IPL.

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Kolkata vs Mumbai clash

This will be the first time when Kolkata and Mumbai will come face to face in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. &nbsp;

With five wins in their kitty, the Dinesh Karthik-led team stands at number three, while the Rohit-Sharma-led Mumbai are currently placed at number five with just three win. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Being their first game, the fact automatically makes the match more intriguing and unpredictable.

So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform above par in today's game:

1. Suryakumar Yadav - The Mumbai opener smashed 42-ball-57 pouring six fours and three sixes against Punjab. He was also awarded the 'Man of the Match'. Being the most consistent performer for Mumbai, Yadav will score high at his home-ground -- Wankhede Stadium.&nbsp;

2. Rohit Sharma - As Mumbai requires to win every match they play to qualify for the play-off, skipper Rohit Sharma will surely be under tremendous pressure. In the last match against Punjab, he remained unbeaten and took the team to the victory side. He is definitely a player to watch out for today.

3. Shubham Gill - The young cricketing sensation played a splendid knock against Chennai to save its team from drowning. He displayed his calibre with an impeccable inning of an unbeaten 57 runs off 36 balls to bring victory home. This isn't the first time when he stood up for his team and would continue to do the same to help his team consolidate its position.&nbsp;

4. Dinesh Karthik - &nbsp;Another skipper in the ongoing league, who is making every effort to make sure his team qualifies for the play-off. Karthik, who is in red-hot form for his team, scored 45 runs off 18 balls, slamming seven fours and one six. Kolkata played their best and managed to beat the second-best team Chennai in the league table. His coolness on the ground makes him the player to watch out for today. 
&nbsp; 
5. Sunil Narine - The Kolkata all-rounder left no stone unturned in his last game against Chennai. Be it bowling or batting he performed in both the departments. He took two crucial wickets of Chennai and scored 20-ball-32 to give its team the required start. He was also awarded the 'Man of the Match'. Today, when Kolkata faces the defending champions, he would be prepared to swing wickets and score high for his franchise.&nbsp;

So overall, Mumbai will fight to save themselves from getting eliminated while Kolkata will play to strengthen its position. &nbsp;

This will be the first time when Kolkata and Mumbai will come face to face in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018

This will be the first time when Kolkata and Mumbai will come face to face in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. With five wins in their kitty, the Dinesh Karthik-led team stands at number three, while the Rohit-Sharma-led Mumbai are currently placed at number five with just three win. Being their first game, the fact automatically makes the match more intriguing and unpredictable. So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform above par in today's game: 1. Suryakumar Yadav - The Mumbai opener smashed 42-ball-57 pouring six fours and three sixes against Punjab. He was also awarded the 'Man of the Match'. Being the most consistent performer for Mumbai, Yadav will score high at his home-ground -- Wankhede Stadium. 2. Rohit Sharma - As Mumbai requires to win every match they play to qualify for the play-off, skipper Rohit Sharma will surely be under tremendous pressure. In the last match against Punjab, he remained unbeaten and took the team to the victory side. He is definitely a player to watch out for today. 3. Shubham Gill - The young cricketing sensation played a splendid knock against Chennai to save its team from drowning. He displayed his calibre with an impeccable inning of an unbeaten 57 runs off 36 balls to bring victory home. This isn't the first time when he stood up for his team and would continue to do the same to help his team consolidate its position. 4. Dinesh Karthik - Another skipper in the ongoing league, who is making every effort to make sure his team qualifies for the play-off. Karthik, who is in red-hot form for his team, scored 45 runs off 18 balls, slamming seven fours and one six. Kolkata played their best and managed to beat the second-best team Chennai in the league table. His coolness on the ground makes him the player to watch out for today. 5. Sunil Narine - The Kolkata all-rounder left no stone unturned in his last game against Chennai. Be it bowling or batting he performed in both the departments. He took two crucial wickets of Chennai and scored 20-ball-32 to give its team the required start. He was also awarded the 'Man of the Match'. Today, when Kolkata faces the defending champions, he would be prepared to swing wickets and score high for his franchise. So overall, Mumbai will fight to save themselves from getting eliminated while Kolkata will play to strengthen its position.

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Mumbai vs Kolkata clash

Kolkata have moved up on the IPL league's table after registering a comfortable win against then table-toppers Chennai.&nbsp

Young cricket talent Shubham Gill and skipper Dinesh Karthik dominated the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai while chasing a target of 176.&nbsp

Dinesh Karthik played a skipper's knock and scored 45 runs off 18 balls to earn two crucial points for the team and led from the front to take his team to the victory side.

After receiving the "Man of the Match" for his splendid innings, Dinesh Karthik went to meet a very special fan to share his winning moments.&nbsp

Karthik met a wheelchair-bound young man Harshul Goenka who has cerebral palsy. Harshul is a die-hard fan of Kolkata team and does not miss a single match.

He usually accompanied by his mother Rajani and watches all the matches of Kolkata which are scheduled to take place at Kolkata's home ground, Eden Garden stadium.&nbsp

Co-owner of Kolkata and Bollywood's leading actor Shah Rukh Khan once surprised Harshul by spending time with him.

Shah Rukh also ensures that tickets are sent to Harshul so that he never misses out on a single match.

​​​​​​Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKolkataKnightRiders%2Fvideos%2F10156364143869490%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border:noneoverflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Skipper <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshKarthik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DineshKarthik</a> shares a moment with <a href="https://twitter.com/harshulgoenka1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@harshulgoenka1</a>, our Special KnightRider! ? 
 
#KKRHaiTaiyaar#KorboLorboJeetbo <a href="https://t.co/cngGEexYpM">pic.twitter.com/cngGEexYpM</a>
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/992109698743595010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Kolkata have played nine matches so far and out of which they have won five. With ten points, team Kolkata is currently sitting at third places of the points table.

Dinesh Karthik played a skipper's knock and scored 45 runs off 18 balls to earn two crucial points for the team

Kolkata have moved up on the IPL league's table after registering a comfortable win against then table-toppers Chennai. Young cricket talent Shubham Gill and skipper Dinesh Karthik dominated the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai while chasing a target of 176. Dinesh Karthik played a skipper's knock and scored 45 runs off 18 balls to earn two crucial points for the team and led from the front to take his team to the victory side. After receiving the "Man of the Match" for his splendid innings, Dinesh Karthik went to meet a very special fan to share his winning moments. Karthik met a wheelchair-bound young man Harshul Goenka who has cerebral palsy. Harshul is a die-hard fan of Kolkata team and does not miss a single match. He usually accompanied by his mother Rajani and watches all the matches of Kolkata which are scheduled to take place at Kolkata's home ground, Eden Garden stadium. Co-owner of Kolkata and Bollywood's leading actor Shah Rukh Khan once surprised Harshul by spending time with him. Shah Rukh also ensures that tickets are sent to Harshul so that he never misses out on a single match. Watch the video here: × Skipper @DineshKarthik shares a moment with @harshulgoenka1, our Special KnightRider! ? #KKRHaiTaiyaar#KorboLorboJeetbo pic.twitter.com/cngGEexYpM — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 3, 2018 × Kolkata have played nine matches so far and out of which they have won five. With ten points, team Kolkata is currently sitting at third places of the points table.

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik meets his 'special fan'

Young cricket talent Shubham Gill and skipper Dinesh Karthik dominated the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai, while chasing a target of 176. &nbsp;

Gill and Karthik remained unbeaten and scored 57 and 45 respectively to defeat the IPL league's table-toppers.

Karthik played a skipper's knock and led from the front to take his team to the victory side.&nbsp;

His fabulous innings came in just 18 balls which included seven fours and one six. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Gill came to bat at number four when Kolkata were 64 for the loss of three wickets. He took some balls to settle but later smashed a half-century off just 36 balls.

Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine opened for the franchise an contributed 12 and 32 respectively.

Robin Uthappa failed to contribute this time and departed after making just six runs.&nbsp;

In the 33rd match of the IPL 2018, Kolkata won the toss and asked Chennai to bat first at the Eden Gardens.&nbsp;

Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis opened for Chennai and scored with the run rate of over 9 per over.&nbsp;

Kolkata bowlers could not get a breakthrough in the initial overs and the batsmen did not face much resistance from the bowlers.

Chennai ended the innings scoring 177 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Dhoni contributed a significant 43 runs.

Speaking after the toss, Karthik said, "We would like to bowl first. The way we have been chasing decently and we back that. It's important to be aware of your strengths and try to keep playing to that."

"I think we have been playing well both in terms of batting and bowling. One change for us. Nitish Rana is out and Rinku Singh is in," he added.

When Asked Dhoni about his strategy for today, he said, "We wanted to bowl first as well. The wicket has been so good that the outfield seems a bit smaller."

"Otherwise, it has been a good venue. Need to improve on our death bowling, what's important for us is to bowl according to our field. That's the only concern for us. Same squad for us," he added.&nbsp;

Teams:

Kolkata (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Piyush Chawla, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav

Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif

Karthik played a skipper's knock and led from the front to take his team to the victory side.

Young cricket talent Shubham Gill and skipper Dinesh Karthik dominated the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai, while chasing a target of 176. Gill and Karthik remained unbeaten and scored 57 and 45 respectively to defeat the IPL league's table-toppers. Karthik played a skipper's knock and led from the front to take his team to the victory side. His fabulous innings came in just 18 balls which included seven fours and one six. Gill came to bat at number four when Kolkata were 64 for the loss of three wickets. He took some balls to settle but later smashed a half-century off just 36 balls. Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine opened for the franchise an contributed 12 and 32 respectively. Robin Uthappa failed to contribute this time and departed after making just six runs. In the 33rd match of the IPL 2018, Kolkata won the toss and asked Chennai to bat first at the Eden Gardens. Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis opened for Chennai and scored with the run rate of over 9 per over. Kolkata bowlers could not get a breakthrough in the initial overs and the batsmen did not face much resistance from the bowlers. Chennai ended the innings scoring 177 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Dhoni contributed a significant 43 runs. Speaking after the toss, Karthik said, "We would like to bowl first. The way we have been chasing decently and we back that. It's important to be aware of your strengths and try to keep playing to that." "I think we have been playing well both in terms of batting and bowling. One change for us. Nitish Rana is out and Rinku Singh is in," he added. When Asked Dhoni about his strategy for today, he said, "We wanted to bowl first as well. The wicket has been so good that the outfield seems a bit smaller." "Otherwise, it has been a good venue. Need to improve on our death bowling, what's important for us is to bowl according to our field. That's the only concern for us. Same squad for us," he added. Teams: Kolkata (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Piyush Chawla, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif

IPL 2018: Gill, Karthik shine as Kolkata beat table-toppers Chennai by 6 wickets

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya&nbsp;are all set to represent India in ICC World XI against West Indies.&nbsp;

The International Cricket Council announced&nbsp;on Twitter.

Hardik Pandya confirmed his participation through Twitter.

The match is being organised to raise&nbsp;funds for stadia in the Caribbean that were badly damaged following Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.

Giles Clarke, former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) who is also the supporter of the event welcomed the two Indian players.&nbsp;

“This is a fantastic opportunity for fans of the Indian team to come out and watch these two flamboyant players, who bring both class and star value to what I’m sure will be a memorable match at Lord’s,” Clarke said.&nbsp;

"People would remember Pandya’s valiant 43-ball 76 against Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy last year while Karthik too has played Test cricket at Lord’s.&nbsp;

He has been in terrific form and recently blasted 29 off eight deliveries and sealed victory over Bangladesh in the final of the Nidahas Trophy with a last-ball six," he added.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Fans would be looking forward to India stars <a href="https://twitter.com/hardikpandya7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hardikpandya7</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshKarthik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DineshKarthik</a> playing for the ICC World XI at Lord’s this month. <a href="https://t.co/jFJPWGYVqz">https://t.co/jFJPWGYVqz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CricketRelief?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CricketRelief</a>
— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICCMediaComms/status/991966944642392064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Looking forward ???? <a href="https://t.co/tfRUHQW70u">https://t.co/tfRUHQW70u</a>
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) <a href="https://twitter.com/hardikpandya7/status/991968283644612610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The match is set to take place on May 31st in Lorde's stadium.&nbsp;

Currently, the two&nbsp;Indian players are players in the ongoing&nbsp;Ipl league.

Hardik Pandya plays for Mumbai franchise while Dinesh Karthik is leading Kolkata franchise.

The ICC World XI is set to take place on May 31st in Lord's stadium, London

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya are all set to represent India in ICC World XI against West Indies. The International Cricket Council announced on Twitter. Hardik Pandya confirmed his participation through Twitter. The match is being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean that were badly damaged following Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year. Giles Clarke, former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) who is also the supporter of the event welcomed the two Indian players. “This is a fantastic opportunity for fans of the Indian team to come out and watch these two flamboyant players, who bring both class and star value to what I’m sure will be a memorable match at Lord’s,” Clarke said. "People would remember Pandya’s valiant 43-ball 76 against Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy last year while Karthik too has played Test cricket at Lord’s. He has been in terrific form and recently blasted 29 off eight deliveries and sealed victory over Bangladesh in the final of the Nidahas Trophy with a last-ball six," he added. Fans would be looking forward to India stars @hardikpandya7 and @DineshKarthik playing for the ICC World XI at Lord’s this month. https://t.co/jFJPWGYVqz #cricket @icc @BCCI #CricketRelief — ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) May 3, 2018 × Looking forward ???? https://t.co/tfRUHQW70u — hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) May 3, 2018 × The match is set to take place on May 31st in Lorde's stadium. Currently, the two Indian players are players in the ongoing Ipl league. Hardik Pandya plays for Mumbai franchise while Dinesh Karthik is leading Kolkata franchise.

Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will be up against Chennai for the second time in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).&nbsp;

Their first encounter was won by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side by five wickets.

Both the teams won their last game so it automatically makes the match more intriguing and unpredictable.

So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - The Chennai Skipper played a flawless inning against Delhi in the last game. He smashed a 22-ball-51 which included two fours and five sixes. When Chennai needed him the most to set a decent score,&nbsp; he stood up and played like a true captain to lead from the front. Not to forget, Dhoni is also the most successful captain in the ongoing IPL till now.&nbsp;

2. Shane Watson - Chennai opener is all pumped up for this game as he played some great innings in the ongoing league. While, on the other hand, he still needs to work on his bowling technique. In his last game against Delhi, he played an impeccable inning, where he scored 78 runs off 40 balls and poured big seven sixes helping Chennai to set a target above 200. He is definitely a player to look out for today.&nbsp;

3. Chris Lynn - The opening batsman of Kolkata returned to his form in the last game where he scored an unbeaten 52-ball-62 against Bangalore. An important player behind Kolkata's victory in the last game. He was also awarded the 'Man of the match'. He will be hoping to continue his form today as well to help Kolkata jump up in the league table.&nbsp;

4. Andre Russell - Kolkata's fast bowler swung three crucial wickets in the last game against Bangalore. He also played a massive inning in the previous game against Chennai. He recorded an unbeaten 88 runs off just 36 balls which included enormous 11 sixes. He is expected to perform same today when Kolkata faces Chennai for the second time at Eden Gardens.&nbsp;

5. Ambati Rayudu - Recently being displaced by Rishabh Pant for the 'Orange Cap', Rayudu will definitely play an inning today to regain his glory. He scored 24-ball-41 in the last game against Delhi. Consistently, maintaining his form in recent games, Rayudu becomes a must-watch player in today's big clash.&nbsp;

A very crucial match for Kolkata as they will be up against the table-toppers today. They stand a big chance to win the game and join Chennai and Hyderabad in the top three. Chennai, on the other hand, will play their best to maintain the top position.&nbsp;

Their first encounter was won by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side by five wickets.

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will be up against Chennai for the second time in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL). Their first encounter was won by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side by five wickets. Both the teams won their last game so it automatically makes the match more intriguing and unpredictable. So, let's take a look at the players expected to perform in today's big clash 1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - The Chennai Skipper played a flawless inning against Delhi in the last game. He smashed a 22-ball-51 which included two fours and five sixes. When Chennai needed him the most to set a decent score, he stood up and played like a true captain to lead from the front. Not to forget, Dhoni is also the most successful captain in the ongoing IPL till now. 2. Shane Watson - Chennai opener is all pumped up for this game as he played some great innings in the ongoing league. While, on the other hand, he still needs to work on his bowling technique. In his last game against Delhi, he played an impeccable inning, where he scored 78 runs off 40 balls and poured big seven sixes helping Chennai to set a target above 200. He is definitely a player to look out for today. 3. Chris Lynn - The opening batsman of Kolkata returned to his form in the last game where he scored an unbeaten 52-ball-62 against Bangalore. An important player behind Kolkata's victory in the last game. He was also awarded the 'Man of the match'. He will be hoping to continue his form today as well to help Kolkata jump up in the league table. 4. Andre Russell - Kolkata's fast bowler swung three crucial wickets in the last game against Bangalore. He also played a massive inning in the previous game against Chennai. He recorded an unbeaten 88 runs off just 36 balls which included enormous 11 sixes. He is expected to perform same today when Kolkata faces Chennai for the second time at Eden Gardens. 5. Ambati Rayudu - Recently being displaced by Rishabh Pant for the 'Orange Cap', Rayudu will definitely play an inning today to regain his glory. He scored 24-ball-41 in the last game against Delhi. Consistently, maintaining his form in recent games, Rayudu becomes a must-watch player in today's big clash. A very crucial match for Kolkata as they will be up against the table-toppers today. They stand a big chance to win the game and join Chennai and Hyderabad in the top three. Chennai, on the other hand, will play their best to maintain the top position.

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Chennai vs Kolkata clash

Opener Chris Lynn's unbeaten 62-run knock powered Kolkata to register a six-wicket victory over Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

Earlier, Kolkata's Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to chase.&nbsp

Batting first, Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 68 off 44 which included five fours and three sixes to set a target of 176 runs for Kolkata but his efforts went in vain as Bangalore&nbspteam again failed to defend a decent total.

In the second innings, Lynn and Sunil Narine (27 off 19 balls) provided a solid&nbspfoundation adding 51 runs in the powerplay overs.

Sunil Narine lost his wicket to Murugan Ashwin after scoring 27 runs. Robin Uthappa scored 36 off 21 balls, which included three fours and three sixes before being caught in deep off Murugan's bowling.

Nitish Rana suffered an injury while playing and returned to his camp after scoring 15 runs. Andre Russell was outplayed Mohammed Siraj and returned to the pavilion after scoring a duck.

Dinesh Karthik played a beautiful inning in the death overs and his 23-run knock off 10 balls helped in reducing the asking rate.&nbsp

Under-19 start Shubman Gill finished the game by hitting a boundary with five balls remaining.

Kolkata scoreboard: 
&nbsp 
C Lynn not out 62 
S Narine c de Grandhomme b M Ashwin 27 
R Uthappa c Southee b M Ashwin 36 
N Rana retd hurt 15 
A Russell c de Kock b Siraj 0 
D Karthik c Kohli b Siraj 23 
S Gill not out 5

Extras (b-1, w-7) 8

Total (For 4 wkts, 19.1 Overs) 176&nbsp

Fall of Wickets: 1-59, 2-108, 3-139, 4-171

Bowler: Southee 4-0-34-0, Yadav 3.1-0-36-0, Chahal 4-0-29-0, Siraj 4-0-40-2, M Ashwin 4-0-36-2.

Virat Kohli faced the same issues again and he needs to re-strategise his bowling plans to salvage cricketing pride as the batting department did its job and bowlers and fielders failed miserably. 
&nbsp 
Openers Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum gave Bangalore a perfect start as the two build a partnership of 67 runs.

While de Kock contributed 29 runs, McCullum made 38 runs before losing their wickets.

Andre Russell bowled three overs and gave away 31 runs and took three wickets for his side.

Bangalore scoreboard:

Q de Kock c Gill b Yadav 29 
B McCullum c Karthik b Russell 38 
V Kohli not out 68 
M Vohra b Russell 0 
M Singh c Mavi b Russell 19 
C de Grandhomme not out 11

Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-5) 10&nbsp

Total (For 4 wkts, 20 Ov) 175&nbsp

Fall of Wickets: 1-67, 2-74, 3-75, 4-140,&nbsp

Bowling: Chawla 3-0-22-0, Narine 4-0-38-0, Johnson 3-0-38-0, Mavi 3-0-21-0, Yadav 4-0-20-1, Russell 3-0-31-3

Opener Chris Lynn's unbeaten 62-run knock powered Kolkata to register a six-wicket victory over Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium

Opener Chris Lynn's unbeaten 62-run knock powered Kolkata to register a six-wicket victory over Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Earlier, Kolkata's Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to chase. Batting first, Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 68 off 44 which included five fours and three sixes to set a target of 176 runs for Kolkata but his efforts went in vain as Bangalore&nbspteam again failed to defend a decent total. In the second innings, Lynn and Sunil Narine (27 off 19 balls) provided a solid&nbspfoundation adding 51 runs in the powerplay overs. Sunil Narine lost his wicket to Murugan Ashwin after scoring 27 runs. Robin Uthappa scored 36 off 21 balls, which included three fours and three sixes before being caught in deep off Murugan's bowling. Nitish Rana suffered an injury while playing and returned to his camp after scoring 15 runs. Andre Russell was outplayed Mohammed Siraj and returned to the pavilion after scoring a duck. Dinesh Karthik played a beautiful inning in the death overs and his 23-run knock off 10 balls helped in reducing the asking rate. Under-19 start Shubman Gill finished the game by hitting a boundary with five balls remaining. Kolkata scoreboard: C Lynn not out 62 S Narine c de Grandhomme b M Ashwin 27 R Uthappa c Southee b M Ashwin 36 N Rana retd hurt 15 A Russell c de Kock b Siraj 0 D Karthik c Kohli b Siraj 23 S Gill not out 5 Extras (b-1, w-7) 8 Total (For 4 wkts, 19.1 Overs) 176 Fall of Wickets: 1-59, 2-108, 3-139, 4-171 Bowler: Southee 4-0-34-0, Yadav 3.1-0-36-0, Chahal 4-0-29-0, Siraj 4-0-40-2, M Ashwin 4-0-36-2. Virat Kohli faced the same issues again and he needs to re-strategise his bowling plans to salvage cricketing pride as the batting department did its job and bowlers and fielders failed miserably. Openers Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum gave Bangalore a perfect start as the two build a partnership of 67 runs. While de Kock contributed 29 runs, McCullum made 38 runs before losing their wickets. Andre Russell bowled three overs and gave away 31 runs and took three wickets for his side. Bangalore scoreboard: Q de Kock c Gill b Yadav 29 B McCullum c Karthik b Russell 38 V Kohli not out 68 M Vohra b Russell 0 M Singh c Mavi b Russell 19 C de Grandhomme not out 11 Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-5) 10 Total (For 4 wkts, 20 Ov) 175 Fall of Wickets: 1-67, 2-74, 3-75, 4-140, Bowling: Chawla 3-0-22-0, Narine 4-0-38-0, Johnson 3-0-38-0, Mavi 3-0-21-0, Yadav 4-0-20-1, Russell 3-0-31-3

IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata beat Bangalore by 6 wickets

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi defeated Kolkata by 55 runs on Friday, April 27 at home ground Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

Delhi boys outplayed Kolkata in all departments and registered a much-needed victory to earn two crucial points and revive the team from&nbsplosing streak. Before the match, Shreyas mentioned that the team was under pressure. "It's tough, not impossible," said Shreyas Iyer when was asked about winning.

Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik had won the toss and opted to bowl to take the advantage of the pitch and playing first Delhi put up a mammoth target of 220 runs.

Shreyas Iyer player a splendid knock and his unbeaten 93-run knock helped Delhi to win against Kolkata. For his outstanding batting skills, he was awarded 'Man of the Match' award.

It was expected that Kolkata might dominate as Delhi recently have been through quite a lot and also placed at the bottom of the points table. From Injury woes to tragic defeats, Delhi has faced it all.

A few days back, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer was been given the responsibility to lead the team.&nbsp

Under Shreyas' guidance, Delhi team was looking a bit settled on the field today. Especially, the batsmen were able to hold the innings and did not throw their wickets.

The openers, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro gave a required start to the team. Munro scored 33 runs before Shivan Mavi outbowled him.

Under-19 star Prithvi Shaw played an extraordinary inning and score 63 runs for the team.

Above all, newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer thrashed the Kolkata bowlers and scored unbeaten 93 runs for the team.

He played at a strike rate of 140.91 and his knock included three fours and ten sixes.

Especially the last over, when he stunned Shivam Mavi and scored 28 runs.

Glenn Maxwell too made a crucial contribution and scored 27 runs for the team.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A convincing win at home! 
 
Onwards and upwards! ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DilDilli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DilDilli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dhadkega?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dhadkega</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DDvKKR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DDvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/4AHwidE9rA">pic.twitter.com/4AHwidE9rA</a>
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiDaredevils/status/989928280689016833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
And that's it from Delhi as they post their second win of the season.<a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiDaredevils?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiDaredevils</a> beat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKR</a> by 55 runs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DDvKKR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DDvKKR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/fSXywAP3TQ">pic.twitter.com/fSXywAP3TQ</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/989927620413288448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp

Shreyas Iyer player a splendid knock and his unbeaten 93-run knock helped Delhi to win against Kolkata

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi defeated Kolkata by 55 runs on Friday, April 27 at home ground Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi boys outplayed Kolkata in all departments and registered a much-needed victory to earn two crucial points and revive the team from&nbsplosing streak. Before the match, Shreyas mentioned that the team was under pressure. "It's tough, not impossible," said Shreyas Iyer when was asked about winning. Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik had won the toss and opted to bowl to take the advantage of the pitch and playing first Delhi put up a mammoth target of 220 runs. Shreyas Iyer player a splendid knock and his unbeaten 93-run knock helped Delhi to win against Kolkata. For his outstanding batting skills, he was awarded 'Man of the Match' award. It was expected that Kolkata might dominate as Delhi recently have been through quite a lot and also placed at the bottom of the points table. From Injury woes to tragic defeats, Delhi has faced it all. A few days back, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer was been given the responsibility to lead the team. Under Shreyas' guidance, Delhi team was looking a bit settled on the field today. Especially, the batsmen were able to hold the innings and did not throw their wickets. The openers, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro gave a required start to the team. Munro scored 33 runs before Shivan Mavi outbowled him. Under-19 star Prithvi Shaw played an extraordinary inning and score 63 runs for the team. Above all, newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer thrashed the Kolkata bowlers and scored unbeaten 93 runs for the team. He played at a strike rate of 140.91 and his knock included three fours and ten sixes. Especially the last over, when he stunned Shivam Mavi and scored 28 runs. Glenn Maxwell too made a crucial contribution and scored 27 runs for the team. A convincing win at home! Onwards and upwards! ?#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvKKR pic.twitter.com/4AHwidE9rA — Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) April 27, 2018 × And that's it from Delhi as they post their second win of the season.@DelhiDaredevils beat #KKR by 55 runs #DDvKKR #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/fSXywAP3TQ — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2018 ×

IPL 2018: Gautam-less Delhi trounce Kolkata at Kotla

Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 93-run knock helped Delhi to set 220-run target for Kolkata on Friday. Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik had won the toss and opted to bowl to take the advantage of the pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla.

It was expected that Kolkata might dominate&nbsp;as Delhi recently have been through quite a lot and also placed at the bottom of the points table. From Injury woes to tragic defeats, Delhi has faced it all.

Recently, Gautam Gambhir stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer was been given the responsibility to lead the team.

Under Shreyas' guidance, Delhi team was looking a bit settled on the field today. Especially, the batsmen were able to hold the innings and did not throw their wickets.

The openers, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro gave a required start to the team. Munro scored 33 runs before Shivan Mavi outbowled him.

Under-19 star Prithvi Shaw played an extraordinary inning and score 63 runs for the team.

Above all, newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer thrashed the Kolkata bowlers and scored unbeaten 93 runs for the team.

He played at a strike rate of 140.91 and his knock included three fours and ten sixes.

Especially the last over, when he stunned Shivam Mavi and scored 28 runs.

Glenn Maxwell too made a crucial contribution and scored 27 runs for the team.

Newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer thrashed the Kolkata bowlers and scored unbeaten 93 runs for the team with a strike rate of 140.91

Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 93-run knock helped Delhi to set 220-run target for Kolkata on Friday. Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik had won the toss and opted to bowl to take the advantage of the pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla. It was expected that Kolkata might dominate as Delhi recently have been through quite a lot and also placed at the bottom of the points table. From Injury woes to tragic defeats, Delhi has faced it all. Recently, Gautam Gambhir stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer was been given the responsibility to lead the team. Under Shreyas' guidance, Delhi team was looking a bit settled on the field today. Especially, the batsmen were able to hold the innings and did not throw their wickets. The openers, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro gave a required start to the team. Munro scored 33 runs before Shivan Mavi outbowled him. Under-19 star Prithvi Shaw played an extraordinary inning and score 63 runs for the team. Above all, newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer thrashed the Kolkata bowlers and scored unbeaten 93 runs for the team. He played at a strike rate of 140.91 and his knock included three fours and ten sixes. Especially the last over, when he stunned Shivam Mavi and scored 28 runs. Glenn Maxwell too made a crucial contribution and scored 27 runs for the team.

IPL 2018: Shreyas shines in skipper role as Delhi set 220-run target for Kolkata

Gautam Gambhir has not been included in the squad of Delhi for the match&nbsp;against Kolkata on Friday, April 27 at Feroz Shah Kotla.

A few days back, Gambhir had stepped down as Delhi's captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team.

So far Gambhir has scored just 85 runs in all six matches he played with a strike rate of 96.59 which is lowest among all other captains of IPL 2018.

Currently, MS Dhoni's strike rate is best of all, which is above 151 and his outstanding batting is reflected in Chennai's overall performance as well.

In a recent media interaction, when Gambhir had announced&nbsp;that he quit the captaincy, chief of Delhi franchise, Hemant Dua, had indicated that Gambhir will be guiding the players.

So, does that mean that Gautam Gambhir has been dropped from the team following his poor performance in IPL 2018?

Gautam Gambhir has not been included in the squad of Delhi for the match against Kolkata

Gautam Gambhir has not been included in the squad of Delhi for the match against Kolkata on Friday, April 27 at Feroz Shah Kotla. A few days back, Gambhir had stepped down as Delhi's captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team. So far Gambhir has scored just 85 runs in all six matches he played with a strike rate of 96.59 which is lowest among all other captains of IPL 2018. Currently, MS Dhoni's strike rate is best of all, which is above 151 and his outstanding batting is reflected in Chennai's overall performance as well. In a recent media interaction, when Gambhir had announced that he quit the captaincy, chief of Delhi franchise, Hemant Dua, had indicated that Gambhir will be guiding the players. So, does that mean that Gautam Gambhir has been dropped from the team following his poor performance in IPL 2018?

IPL: After stepping down as Delhi captain, Gambhir dropped?

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and has opted to bowl at Feroz Shah Kotla against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi.

Karthik has kept the playing XI almost similar to the previous clash, there is only one change in the squad, Mitchell Johnson is back at Tom Curran's place.

It was assumed that Andre Russell might not play as he had stretched his right hamstring in the last clash but contrary to that, he is fit and healthy available for tonight.

Recently, former Delhi skipper, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team.

Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team is slightly under pressure.

Delhi need to win seven out eight remaining matches to qualify further but "it's tough, not impossible," said recently appointed skipper, Shreyas Iyer.

Delhi have entered into today's clash after making two changes.

Surprisingly, Gautam Gambhir is not playing and also Dan Christian, Vijay Shankar and Colin Munro are in at their places.

Playing XI:

Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Gautam Gambhir not included in playing XI of Delhi

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and has opted to bowl at Feroz Shah Kotla against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi. Karthik has kept the playing XI almost similar to the previous clash, there is only one change in the squad, Mitchell Johnson is back at Tom Curran's place. It was assumed that Andre Russell might not play as he had stretched his right hamstring in the last clash but contrary to that, he is fit and healthy available for tonight. Recently, former Delhi skipper, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team is slightly under pressure. Delhi need to win seven out eight remaining matches to qualify further but "it's tough, not impossible," said recently appointed skipper, Shreyas Iyer. Delhi have entered into today's clash after making two changes. Surprisingly, Gautam Gambhir is not playing and also Dan Christian, Vijay Shankar and Colin Munro are in at their places. Playing XI: Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik opts to bowl against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi host Kolkata on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of&nbsp;points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team.

Under the guidance of new captain, team Delhi is looking forward to reviving the current&nbsp;form.&nbsp;

Kolkata is currently placed at number four and will look to earn two crucial points to stretch the lead from Rajasthan.

On one hand, Delhi eye to salvage&nbsp;their pride but on the other Kolkata will be happy as their opponents are going through such a poor state.

The only change for Kolkata would be Andre Russell because he stretched his right hamstring while fielding in the last clash against Punjab. Other than that, the squad is fit and healthy.

For Delhi, under-19 stars have managed to fix their spots but Shreyas Iyer might rehash the squad to make a fresh start in the ongoing tournament. Also, Shahbaz Nadeem is expected to come back as Amit Mishra was effective in the last match.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmiRj4mQ3Z0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Playing XI (TBC)

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Nadeem, Liam Plunkett, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult.

Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi host Kolkata on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team. Under the guidance of new captain, team Delhi is looking forward to reviving the current form. Kolkata is currently placed at number four and will look to earn two crucial points to stretch the lead from Rajasthan. On one hand, Delhi eye to salvage their pride but on the other Kolkata will be happy as their opponents are going through such a poor state. The only change for Kolkata would be Andre Russell because he stretched his right hamstring while fielding in the last clash against Punjab. Other than that, the squad is fit and healthy. For Delhi, under-19 stars have managed to fix their spots but Shreyas Iyer might rehash the squad to make a fresh start in the ongoing tournament. Also, Shahbaz Nadeem is expected to come back as Amit Mishra was effective in the last match. × Playing XI (TBC) Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Nadeem, Liam Plunkett, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Delhi vs Kolkata

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method strange and vouched for Indian counterpart of the rule, the VJD method, after his team lost to Punjab by nine wickets in a rain-interrupted encounter on Saturday.

Speaking to media post-match, Karthik said, "I have always thought that the VJD is an Indian method and it's an Indian domestic tournament, why not think about it in the future? It's been proven that it's a really good method, we have used in domestic tournaments."

"Only for IPL, we use D/L. Why not think about VJD here and promote it?" Karthik added.&nbsp

Asked to bat first, Kolkata rode Chris Lynn's 41-ball 74 to post a challenging total of 191/7.&nbsp

But Punjab opener Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul made short work of the chase with their whirlwind knocks. The D/L method also came in their favour by reducing the target.

When play was interrupted by rain, Punjab needed 96 runs to win in 11.4 overs with ten wickets in hand and Gayle, 49, and Rahul, 46, were in full swing.&nbsp

Punjab were 96/0 in 8.2 overs when rain accompanied by a squall hit the Eden garden hard.

But after a 95-minute stoppage, the revised target was 125 in 13 overs, meaning the R Ashwin-led side needed 29 runs for victory off 28 balls.

Punjab breezed to the target with 11 balls to spare as Gayle remained unbeaten on 62 off 38 balls and Rahul had scored a 27-ball 60.

"It is interesting that at the stage rain stopped play, they needed about eight runs an over but after the D/L method, they come back and they need six runs an over, a run a ball," Karthik said.

"That was little surprising, because ideally if it would have been a 20-over game, they would have needed eight an over. If we could have got two quick wickets, the run rate would have kept going up. Suddenly after rain, they needed run-a-ball. I didn`t understand that bit but I am sure people (calculating) Duckworth-Lewis is trying to figure out what it is," he further added.

The VJD method was used in the domestic limited overs matches this season.

Kolkata rode Chris Lynn's 41-ball 74 to post a challenging total of 191/7.

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method strange and vouched for Indian counterpart of the rule, the VJD method, after his team lost to Punjab by nine wickets in a rain-interrupted encounter on Saturday. Speaking to media post-match, Karthik said, "I have always thought that the VJD is an Indian method and it's an Indian domestic tournament, why not think about it in the future? It's been proven that it's a really good method, we have used in domestic tournaments." "Only for IPL, we use D/L. Why not think about VJD here and promote it?" Karthik added. Asked to bat first, Kolkata rode Chris Lynn's 41-ball 74 to post a challenging total of 191/7. But Punjab opener Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul made short work of the chase with their whirlwind knocks. The D/L method also came in their favour by reducing the target. When play was interrupted by rain, Punjab needed 96 runs to win in 11.4 overs with ten wickets in hand and Gayle, 49, and Rahul, 46, were in full swing. Punjab were 96/0 in 8.2 overs when rain accompanied by a squall hit the Eden garden hard. But after a 95-minute stoppage, the revised target was 125 in 13 overs, meaning the R Ashwin-led side needed 29 runs for victory off 28 balls. Punjab breezed to the target with 11 balls to spare as Gayle remained unbeaten on 62 off 38 balls and Rahul had scored a 27-ball 60. "It is interesting that at the stage rain stopped play, they needed about eight runs an over but after the D/L method, they come back and they need six runs an over, a run a ball," Karthik said. "That was little surprising, because ideally if it would have been a 20-over game, they would have needed eight an over. If we could have got two quick wickets, the run rate would have kept going up. Suddenly after rain, they needed run-a-ball. I didn`t understand that bit but I am sure people (calculating) Duckworth-Lewis is trying to figure out what it is," he further added. The VJD method was used in the domestic limited overs matches this season.

IPL 2018: After Punjab defeat, Dinesh Karthik questions D/L method

Opener Chris Lynn single-handedly gave Kolkata a brilliant start in their clash against Punjab at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Lynn smashed 41-ball 74 to help his team set a target of 192 runs. His innings included six fours and four sixes, before giving away his wicket to Andrew Tye.

Robin Uthappa and skipper Dinesh Karthik took the responsibility on their shoulders to help Kolkata set a decent target.

While Uthappa contributed 34 of 23 balls, Karthik made 43 runs off 28 balls.&nbsp

For Punjab, bowlers Barinder Sran and Andrew Tye took two wickets each while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ravichandran Ashwin had one each.

Earlier, Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl.

After winning the toss, Ashwin said, "We are going to bowl first. This is sort of a fortress for the Kolkata and we will try to restrict them to a decent total."

There is just one change in Punjab's squad, Ankit Rajpoot has replaced Mohit Sharma.

For Kolkata, there is not any change in the playing XI.

Dinesh Karthik said, "Looks a good wicket and it will remain same. We have made no changes. It's been a good start and it's important we stay consistent."

Lynn smashed 41-ball 74 to help his team set a target of 192 runs.

Opener Chris Lynn single-handedly gave Kolkata a brilliant start in their clash against Punjab at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Lynn smashed 41-ball 74 to help his team set a target of 192 runs. His innings included six fours and four sixes, before giving away his wicket to Andrew Tye. Robin Uthappa and skipper Dinesh Karthik took the responsibility on their shoulders to help Kolkata set a decent target. While Uthappa contributed 34 of 23 balls, Karthik made 43 runs off 28 balls. For Punjab, bowlers Barinder Sran and Andrew Tye took two wickets each while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ravichandran Ashwin had one each. Earlier, Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl. After winning the toss, Ashwin said, "We are going to bowl first. This is sort of a fortress for the Kolkata and we will try to restrict them to a decent total." There is just one change in Punjab's squad, Ankit Rajpoot has replaced Mohit Sharma. For Kolkata, there is not any change in the playing XI. Dinesh Karthik said, "Looks a good wicket and it will remain same. We have made no changes. It's been a good start and it's important we stay consistent."

IPL 2018: Lynn, Karthik help Kolkata set 192 runs target

dinesh-karthik

Dinesh Karthik, News on Dinesh Karthik, stories on Dinesh Karthik, articles on Dinesh Karthik, Dinesh Karthik stories at Wion, Dinesh Karthik news, Dinesh Karthik latest news

dinesh karthik

Russell, Kuldeep, Shubman or Nitish? Dinesh Karthik picks most stylish player in Kolkata team

IPL 2019: Who will win Russell-Rabada battle as Delhi take on Kolkata in match 26

IPL 2019: Karthik's Kolkata beat Rahane-led Rajasthan by 8 wickets

IPL 2019: Funny Twitter reactions after Virat Kohli-led Bangalore's defeat to Kolkata

IPL 2019: Here's what Virat Kohli has to say after losing to Kolkata

Kolkata got 'highly skilled batsmen' says batting coach Simon Katich to WION

IPL 2019: Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab to face Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata at Eden Gardens

IPL 2019: Andre Russell steals thrilling win for Kolkata against Hyderabad

IPL 2019, Hyderabad vs Kolkata: Players to watch out for

IPL 2019: Squad analysis of Kolkata

India vs Australia, ODI: Dinesh Karthik dropped, KL Rahul recalled

New Zealand beat India by four runs in third T20, take series

1st T20I: Dhoni, Karthik and Pant in playing XI as India opt to bowl against Kiwis

1st T20I: Dhoni, Karthik and Pant in playing XI as India opt to bowl against Kiwis

'I didn’t lose my place to a normal cricketer, it was MS Dhoni': Dinesh Karthik

IPL 2018, 2nd Qualifier: Karthik-led Kolkata have advantage at Eden against Hyderabad

IPL 2018 Eliminator: Karthik, Russell power Kolkata to 169

IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane opts to bowl against Kolkata in Eliminator match

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Kolkata vs Mumbai clash

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Mumbai vs Kolkata clash

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik meets his 'special fan'

IPL 2018: Gill, Karthik shine as Kolkata beat table-toppers Chennai by 6 wickets

Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik to represent ICC World XI in Lord's

IPL 2018: Players to watch out for in Chennai vs Kolkata clash