IPL 2020: Pat Cummins proves his worth at the right time

Bengaluru, November 2: It was night to remember for Pat Cummins at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as the Australian paceman registered his best bowling figures in Indian Premier League (IPL) to help Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 60 runs stay in contention for a play-off berth.

The 27-year-old, who was the most-expensive buy in IPL 2020, has so far been a let down in the tournament, where he has contributed more with the bat.

In Match 52 of IPL 2020, in what was literally a must-win game for both sides, KKR rode on England ODI captain Eoin Morgan's top brilliant 68 not out off 35 balls to post an imposing 191 for seven.

The Royals could only muster 131 for nine in reply, with paceman Cummins doing the bulk of the damage with 4-34, his personal best figures in IPL history.

Cummins steamed through the Royals top order, removing Robin Uthappa, dangerman Ben Stokes, skipper Steve Smith and Riyan Parag.

Jos Buttler made 35 and Rahul Tewatia 31, but Royals were never going to recover from Australia paceman Cummins' devastating early hostile burst.

Morgan's side are up to fourth in the standings while the Royals slipped to the bottom of the IPL 2020 table.

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KKR must now wait for the outcome of the clashes between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday (November 2) and Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians the following day to see if they qualify.

"In T20, you can bowl well and go for plenty. On other days, wickets can come when you are not at your best. Fortunately, today everything fell in place. Earlier, I put a lot of pressure on myself after that first game when I didn't bowl well," Cummins said after his match-winning spell.