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Punjab and Kolkata Start on Winning Note in IPL 2018

The 11th season of The Indian Premier League kicked off on 7th April 2018, and we’ve already seen a couple of really thrilling games. The first game saw Chennai Super Kings staging an unbelievable comeback to beat Mumbai Indians by 1 wicket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Yesterday was the first double header of IPL 2018. In Game 1, Delhi Daredevils were put in to bat by Kings XI Punjab, and no one apart from captain Gautam Gambhir looked comfortable at the crease. He scored 55(42), which helped Delhi put up a decent score of 166/7.

Punjab picked 17-yr old Afghani spinner Mujeeb Zadran ahead of the big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle, and it turned out to be a great decision. Zadran took the important wickets of Colin Munro and Rishabh Pant, ending with figures of 2/28 on his IPL debut. It looks like he will keep his place for a few more games now!

Punjab opening batsman KL Rahul then made easy work of this target, smashing the FASTEST EVER IPL FIFTY, getting there in just 14 balls and beating Sunil Narine’s record of a 15-ball fifty last year. Karun Nair scored a fifty as well, and Punjab kicked off their campaign with a 6-wicket victory. Man of the Match: KL Rahul

Game 2 saw Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. RCB were made to bat first, and they managed a total of 176/7. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli’s ability to bat well together was on display yet again, putting on 64 in 6 overs and matching each other shot for shot. However, RCB lost them in successive balls, which didn’t allow a 200+ total.

Sunil Narine opened the batting for KKR yet again and smashed an 18-ball fifty, which considerably reduced the required run rate for his team. A couple of wickets fell towards the end, but a calm 35* from captain Dinesh Karthik ensured the Knights got home with 4 wickets and 7 balls to spare. RCB have continued from where they left off in IPL 2017, managing to lose games they should’ve won! Man of the Match: Sunil Narine.

Keep reading GutshotMagazine.com for daily highlights of the IPL 2018!

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