Robin Uthappa was just two runs short to reach the landmark before the beginning of this match.

Robin Uthappa, Kolkata Knight Riders batsman has crossed the 5,ooo-run mark in Twenty20 cricket. This was in the 51st match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016. Playing for KKR against Gujarat Lions (GL), Uthappa opened the batting along with Manish Pandey. This was after KKR were invited to bat first. Talking of the batsmen who top the list among leading run scorers in T20s are Chris Gayle, Brad Hodge and David Warner. They are in the top three positions. Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are at No. 5, 6 and 7 slots respectively. At No. 4 is Brendon McCullum. Among Indians, after Rohit, Gautam Gambhir is next in the list followed by Uthappa. This makes Uthappa the fifth highest scorer among Indians in T20s.

Gujarat Lions will look to bounce back from their heaviest defeat this season as they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in this Indian Premier League (IPL) game. Regular captain Suresh Raina is back for the tie at the Green Park stadium to boost the team’s confidence after skipping the Royal Challengers Bangalore match to be alongside his pregnant wife who gave birth to a daughter recently.

The last time these two sides had met at the Eden Gardens, the Lions had come out on top and it will be interesting to see what Gautam Gambhir will do to turn the tables this time around. The home side might look to get in Dale Steyn and James Faulkner in the side to strengthen their bowling. The wily fast bowlers might prove to be handy against the in form KKR batsmen. The Knights have suffered problems in their top order but they have been able to put healthy totals on the board frequently.

(With inputs from IANS)

source: http://www.cricketcountry.com / Cricket Country / Home> News / by Cricket Country Staff / May 19th, 2016