Will try to remove Stokes early, says KKR’s Grandhomme

Kolkata, May 2 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to bowl to areas in which Rising Pune Supergiant's all-rounder Ben Stokes is not strong, KKR's Colin de Grandhomme said on the eve of their Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Wednesday.

England all-rounder Stokes hit a whirlwind 63-ball 103 to help Pune recover from 10/3 and go on to win by six wickets against Gujarat Lions on Monday.

KKR, on the other hand, are coming into this game on the back of a 48-run revsersal, their biggest so far this season, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, courtesy David Warner's 59-ball 126 blitzkreig.

"I think we just got to execute our plans and hit our areas and try bowl to areas where he is not as strong and hopefully get him out early," 30-year-old New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme told reporters on Wednesday.

Asked whether KKR's lower order is an area of concern going ahead, the Harare-born Grandhomme, who bats at No.7 generally for the men in purple, said: "I think the more opportunity the lower order gets, the better they will get. The batsmen have been doing their job, which is a good thing."

On a personal level, Grandhomme said playing in the IPL has been a great experience.

"It is the biggest competition in the world. It is a big thing to be playing the IPL, against the best players in the world, it is a big thing," he said.

"You definitely learn a lot, under best coaches, best players, you obviously learn a lot," he added.

KKR are second on the points table with 14 points from 10 games while Pune are fourth, having collected 12 points from their 10 outings.