IPL: Karthik questions D/L method, vouches for VJD

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik termed the Duckworth-Lewis (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 27-ball 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.

"That was little surprising, because ideally if it would have been a 20-over game, they would have needed eight an over. If we could have got two quick wickets, the run rate would have kept going up. Suddenly after rain, they needed run-a-ball. I didn't understand that bit but I am sure people (calculating) Duckworth-Lewis is trying to figure out what it is," the newly-appointed captain added.

The VJD method was used in the domestic limited overs matches this season.

Asked about Andre Russell's injury after the West Indian all-rounded aggravated his hamstring during bowling and had to leave the field, Karthik said: "I've not spoken to him but he looks okay for now."

KKR scored just 45 runs in the last five overs of their innings after Lynn was dismissed in the 16th over.

Karthik admitted they were 10-12 runs short but maintained it was a par total and their bowlers failed in the face of Gayle-Rahul onslaught.

"Ideally we could have scored 50-60 runs in the last five overs. But we can't expect the tail enders to do it for us. We could have scored 10-12 runs more. But more importantly we did'nt bowl good enough to defend it."

KKR next take on Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla on April 27.

--IANS

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