IPL 2019 Match 26, KKR vs DC: Pure cricketing shots, exquisite timing and extraordinary awareness of field placements – Shubman Gill put on a show for every cricket purist with his brilliant batting on Friday night at the historic Eden Gardens. During the match 26 of lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), Gill was promoted to perform the role of opener by Kolkata Knight Riders’ team management in absence of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine.
After the wicket of debutant Joe Denly on the first ball of KKR innings’, Gill showed exemplary match awareness and constructed the innings with Robin Uthappa. He started with a flurry of boundaries against Chris Morris to provide some impetus to the hosts. Later, the 19-year-old from Fazilka send all Delhi bowlers on a leather hunt with Axar Patel facing the maximum heat of Gill’s blade. Along the way, Gill completed his second half-century of IPL and proved why he could be the best choice for KKR at the top of the order. Here’s how the fans and experts reacted on Gill’s masterclass in Kolkata:
The 19-year old was departed after playing a good hand of 65 off 39 balls that included seven fours and two huge maximums. He was sent back to the pavilion by Delhi all-rounder Keemo Paul.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens. The visitors made one change to the team that beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last match with West Indies pacer Keemo Paul replacing Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane with the Eden wicket having a tinge of grass on it.
Playing XIs–
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Colin Ingram, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Keemo Paul, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders: Joe Denly, Robbie Uthappa, Carlos Brathwaite, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (Captain/wicket-keeper), Andre Ruseel, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna