The Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and the decision paid off well as they dismissed opener Rohan Mustafa for just 8 in the first over. However, Vipers didn’t lose momentum and counter-attacked the Knight Riders.
England batter Alex Hales was the star of the innings, smashing a brilliant 110 off 59 deliveries, with the help of 7 fours and 6 sixes. He was well supported by New Zealander Colin Munro, who scored 56 off 41 balls. Riding on Hales and Munro’s splendid knocks, the Vipers set a formidable target of 219/4, which proved to be too much for the Sunil Narine-led side.
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In the chase, the Knight Riders got off to a poor start and were never able to recover. They could not keep up with the scoring pace set by the Vipers and were bundled out for just 108, losing the contest by 111 runs. Power-hitter Andre Russell was the top scorer for the Knight Riders with 57 off 29 balls, but his efforts were not enough to take his side over the finish line.
The Vipers’ bowlers took wickets at regular intervals and never allowed the Knight Riders to build any momentum. Their fielding was also top-notch, with quite a few spectacular catches being taken, which further dented the Knight Riders’ chase. For the Vipers, Sheldon Cottrell and Wanindu Hasaranga were the most successful bowlers, returning with figures of 3/14 and 2/21, respectively.
Hales was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his exceptional performance with the bat. He set the tone for the Vipers’ innings and was the main reason for their strong total.
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