debut: 2/16/17
40,656 runs
Player of the match, Dwaine Petorius
Player of the match, Dwaine Petorius: "I love playing for this franchise. The crowd came out again tonight, and I'm really glad we could get this win, as it makes our road forward a bit easier. It's always great to be playing against TKR, as they are a really strong side, so I'm happy about that performance. I'm trying to stay calm. I think Shai Hope's innings was unbelievable. It's always tough in these conditions, and we know it gets easier in the back end. He played really well. Moeen Ali bowled awesomely today, and overall, I think it was a great team performance. [Last over] Pollard was making me wait, so I thought, let him wait as well, and I tried to get something back [laughter]. TKR is a really strong team, and we know they have a lot of experience. Kieron Pollard came in today and played a great knock, but we pushed them hard today, and we'll see where we see them again."
11:00 pm A third new opening batting pair for the Warriors, Paul and Moeen Ali, backfired straight away as Ali gifted his wicket away in the third ball of the first over. Hosein picked up the wicket of the other opener too, as Paul got trapped in front while attempting a reverse sweep. Shai Hope started the counterattack with back-to-back sixes and a boundary against Russell. Hetmyer joined the party, striking a few big sixes, but he was dropped by Carty in the fifth over, a chance that proved costly. However, he was eventually caught by the same fielder at deep backward square leg after scoring 49 runs off 30 balls. After Hetmyer's dismissal, the run rate decreased as boundaries dried up. Hope, who was struggling with dot balls, also got trapped in front for 53 runs off 46 balls, and the required rate jumped from 7 to 11 runs per over. But with lots of twists and turns, Pretorius turned the game around, hitting two sixes off Russell's 18th over. In the end, Pretorius and Motie managed to take their team over the line, holding their nerves and fighting until the end. Hosein and Narine picked up two wickets each, and the Knight Riders' spin trio were brilliant, but the seamers didn't give them proper support to defend the total.