By Vadiraj Kanakagiri

If you've been in a situation that has produced bad outcomes for you too many times, then that situation will not be alien to you anymore. You will have experienced that enough times, that it'd have started to feel like normal. And when it's normal, the fear of bad outcome happening again won't bother you anymore. 

Punjab Kings have been involved in a lot of blockbusters game in the last couple of seasons. But one thing have been consistent that most of those games have ended in a Punjab loss, many of those from a position of strength. That is why, sides deliberately have been pushing the games deep, enticing a Punjab collapse. But Kolkata couldn't perform the act perfectly yesterday, thanks to a Shah Rukh Khan, from the other camp, holding his nerve in the end.

On a good wicket, KL Rahul elected to bowl first. It seemed a very good decision when his seamers got the ball to swing and seam inside the early on. Arshadeep Singh set up Shubman Gill beautifully, by bowling him a outswinger in his first delivery and then bringing it back in from a good length in his second, cleaning up his Punjab teammate. The two 'impact makers' for KKR in this leg, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi continued in their rich vein of form. Iyer notched up his second ever fifty, and looked threatening to get a big one.

When the seamers weren't able to make the breakthroughs, leggie Ravi Bishnoi came to the rescue. He got rid off both the set batters, by making them hit to the long boundary, and getting them holed out in the deep. Iyer made a valiant 67 before smacking in straight to deep mid. Eoin Morgan's horrid run with the bat never seems to be ending. This time he missed full straight one, after shuffling to the off side, and was adjudged LBW. Shami and Arshadeep kept in tight in the end and restricted the total to 165. Bishnoi was the pick of the bowlers with a two for and Arshadeep Singh bagged three.

Chasing 166 to win, there was some familiarity with the batting order up top. Mayank Agarwal returned to the side and partnered with Rahul. The pair continued in their merry way and put on another 50 run stand. They seem so suited together, it appears as a sin to separate them. But not for the opposition though. At the score on 70, Mayank smashed one straight to Morgan at the cover and the KKR skipper accepted it gleefully after shelling one on the very second delivery of the match. 

Punjab seemed to return to familiar territories of falling apart after a good start, with Rahul holding firm at one end. With 32 needed off 21, Shah Rukh Khan came in to join his skipper. He was playing his first of this leg, and didn't seem flustered with the previous results. SRK played his natural game and took the pressure off Rahul. Morgan kept pushing the game deep and held one over from the fifth bowler, Venkatesh Iyer till the end, hoping for a familiar Punjab choke. 

Things almost seemed to go as planned for KKR, as KL once again failed to stay there till the end and got out on 67, just as he as about to hit the winning runs with 4 to get. But SRK was there for the rescue. He hit a six to finish off things and it was the SRK on the field, that had the last laugh against a team owned by SRK off the field, that too helped by a familiar character, Rahul - naam to suna hoga. 

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 165/7 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 67, Rahul Tripathi 34; Arshdeep Singh 3-34, Ravi Bishnoi 2-22) lost to Punjab Kings 168/5 in 19.3 overs (KL Rahul 67, Mayank Agarwal 40; Varun CV 2-24) by five wickets.