Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) battled it out against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Batting first, KL Kahul & Co. posted a paltry score of 123/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Knight Riders’ skipper Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi built on a 66-run stand to help their side win the match by five wickets.

However, early in the second innings, PBKS had put a strong foot forward when they rattled through KKR’s top-order. KKR lost three wickets in quick succession, leaving their batting line-up once again in complications. In such tense moments, Chris Gayle provided the much needed hilarious moments to calm the fans’ nerves.

It all happened in the fourth over when Gayle was positioned at short leg. Tripathi gently guided a ball on his leg stump towards the Universe Boss, who, in an attempt to stop the former from stealing a run, dived amusingly and goofed up the throw.

KKR’s Andre Russell, who had padded up in the dugout, couldn’t stop giggling at his former West Indies’ teammate.

Russell’s mirth was caught on camera, and netizens flooded social media with his video after the game was over.

Here’s the video:

Andre Russell laughing from the dugout after watching Chris Gayle dive in the field. pic.twitter.com/Ij2je7NJB1

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 26, 2021

Retained by PBKS for this season, Gayle has had a disappointing IPL this far. In six matches, he has only scored 119 runs at an average of 23.80.

PBKS have won just two out of their six matches and are positioned at the sixth number in the IPL 2021 points-table. They are scheduled to play their next match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the same venue on Friday (April 30).

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In the 21st match of the ongoing IPL, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will clash with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

KL Rahul & Co. have been inconsistent since they have only won two of their five matches. PBKS have shown sparks of brilliance at times, whereas at other times, they have faltered. They will likely field the same team that played in the last game.

On the other hand, KKR’s campaign has been mired in complications. Even though they have a strong team on paper, the Eoin Morgan-led franchise has failed to convert their efforts into wins. It will be interesting to witness if Sunil Narine will be promoted to bat up the order to give his team the required start in powerplays. They’ll make no changes in their playing XI from the last game.

Head-to-Head record

Played: 27 | Punjab Kings: 9 |Kolkata Knight Riders: 18 | No Result: 0

Pitch Report:

The Motera pitch is known for assisting pacers who can bowl slower ones. Batters have a good time if they get themselves in before trying to accelerate. Spinners can rule the roost if the game is being played on the pitch that has red soil.

Probable XIs:

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (c&wk), Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Match Predictions:

Case 1:

• PBKS wins the toss and bowls first
• Powerplay score: 40-45
• KKR Total: 160-165

Case 2:

• KKR wins the toss and bowls first
• Powerplay score: 45-50
• PBKS Total: 165-170

Team batting second to win the match.

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