NEW DELHI: The Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders produced a stupendous performance to crush Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs and took a huge step towards securing their play-off berth in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Here are the key highlights from the match:
A slow but solid start by the KKR openers (69 runs in first 10 overs): In a must-win clash, the Kolkata Knight Riders openers ensured they stayed as long as possible at the crease. Shubman Gill (56 off 44) and Venkatesh Iyer (38 off 35) put on a solid 79 run stand for the opening wicket to lay a solid foundation.
Gill hit back-to-back fifties: Young Shubman Gill continued his rich vein of form and notched up his second successive half-century in the tournament. Gill, who scored 57 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, smashed a 44-ball 56, including 4 fours and 2 maximums, before being dismissed by Chris Morris.
Shubman Gill
102 runs scored by Kolkata in the last 10 overs: Apart from Gill's 57 and Iyer's 38, swashbuckling left-hander Nitish Rana played a short cameo of 12 runs off just 5 balls, including 1 four and 1 six, to help KKR reach triple figures in 10 overs. This period is when the KKR innings received much needed momentum. They were 92-2 in the 12th over and eventually finished with 171-4 in their 20 overs.
Venkatesh Iyer
RAJASTHAN ROYALS INNINGS:
Horrible start for Rajasthan - lost Jaiswal, Samson in the span of five balls: Chasing a target of 172, the Rajasthan Royals had a terrible start, as they lost two of their top batsmen - Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson cheaply. Yashasvi was bowled by Shakib Al Hasan and went back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers. Samson fell for 1 after gifting his wicket to Shivam Mavi, leaving Rajasthan Royals tottering at 2 for 1.
Image credit: BCCI/IPL
Ferguson, Mavi triggered full fledged collapse: The KKR bowlers just didn't allow the RR innings to recover. Right after Yashasvi and Samson fell, KKR pacers Shivam Mavi and Lockie Ferguson wreaked havoc, destroying the RR middle order to put the 2008 champions firmly on the mat. Ferguson dismissed Liam Livingstone (6), Anuj Rawat (0), Jaydev Unadkat (6) to finish with figures of 3-18, while Mavi, apart from the Samson wicket, claimed the wickets of Shivam Dube (18), Glenn Phillips (8), and Rahul Tewatia (44) to register figures of 4-21 and walk away with the Man of the Match award.
Big win tightened KKR's grip on the fourth playoff spot: KKR's 86-run win all but sealed a fourth and final spot in the playoffs for them. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will have to win by an improbable margin now against Sunrisers Hyderabad to overhaul KKR's NRR. Currently KKR's NRR is +0.587, while MI's NRR is -0.048.
