That's all from this contest, folks! Switch tabs and join us for the 5th match of the ECL, starting soon. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of scorer/analyst Manish Bishnoi. CHEERS!
Pushkar Raj Thakur (Kolkata Superstars Captain): "Our team is the most balanced team of the tournament. There are certain areas we need to improve, which we will aim to improve in upcoming matches."
Sunny Karla (POTM): "I came from Dubai to play this match, and I loved it! Our bowling was very good."
Player of the Match: Sunny Karla
Time for the post-match presentation.....
8:02 PM IST, Local Time: Kolkata Superstars thump Bangalore Bashers by 35 runs and start their ECL campaign on a high note.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Sunny Karla (79) and Anuj Nagar (72) went honkers and bonkers from the outset and provided the Kolkata Superstars a rollicking start. The opening duo notched up their respective fifties in a jiffy and added 150 runs for the first wicket. All of a sudden, Kolkata Superstars lost five wickets in a jiffy, which included the wicket of both openers. Ankit Kumar grabbed a hat-trick of wickets in the penultimate over of the innings and helped his side restrict Superstars to under 200 runs. In response to 180 runs, the Bangalore Bashers lost Zala Vanrajsinh (0) and Abhishek Malhan (12) cheaply. However, Umang Sethi (50) and Ankit Kumar (36) steadied the innings with impressive knocks. Just when they seemed in control, the Kolkata Superstars fought back, taking four quick wickets to regain momentum in the game. Anuj Khurana smashed a quick 32 runs to keep his side in the hut, but Kolkata bowlers chipped in with wickets at regular intervals and skittled the Bashers for 145 runs in 9.3 overs. Rahul Garg shone with the ball for Kolkata Superstars, claiming 3 wickets. Rachit Sehrawat and Nikhil Badeja chipped in with 2 wickets each, while Afzal Hussain, Faisal Farooq, and Lakshay Singh contributed one wicket to the downfall.