KKR skipper Karthik questions D/L method

kolkata — Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the DuckworthLewis (D/L) method “strange” and vouched for Indian counterpart of the rule, the “VJD method”, after his team lost to Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in a rain-truncated Indian Premier League (IPL) game here on Saturday.

“I have always thought that the VJD is an Indian method and it’s an Indian domestic tournament, why not think about it in the future? It’s been proven that it’s a really good method, we have used in domestic tournaments. Only for IPL, we use D/L. Why not think about VJD here and promote it?” Karthik said at the post match press conference.

Asked to bat first, KKR rode Chris Lynn’s 41-ball 74 to post a challenging total of 191/7.

But Punjab opener Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul made short work of the chase with their whirlwind knocks. The D/L method also came in their favour by reducing the target.

When play was interrupted by rain, Punjab needed 96 runs to win in 11.4 overs with ten wickets in hand and Gayle (49, 27b not out) and Rahul (46 off 23 not out) in full swing. Punjab were 96/0 in 8.2 overs when drizzle accompanied by a squall hit the Eden hard.

But after a 95-minute stoppage, the revised target was 125 in 13 overs, meaning the R Ashwin-led side needed 29 runs for victory off 28 balls.

Punjab breezed to the target with 11 balls to spare as Gayle remained unbeaten on 62 off 38 balls and Rahul had scored a 27ball 60. “It is interesting that at the stage rain stopped play, they needed about eight runs an over but after the D/L method, they come back and they need six runs an over, a run a ball,” Karthik said. —