With a place in the play-offs for the winners and an immediate end to the season for the losers, Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs in a high-stakes encounter, scoring 199-6 before restricting KKR to 190 in their 20 overs.
That Knight Riders got even that close was down in large part to some terrible bowling from the Royals, who gave away 26 runs in extras and bowled a succession of hittable deliveries, targeting Yusuf Pathan with medium-pace short balls that were repeatedly despatched to the boundary.
The Royals won the toss and batted first, starting their innings in splendid style as Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson batted fluently from the off. They compiled 80 runs before the Indian was run out from the last ball of the seventh over, after he set off in search of an optimistic second run and Watson sent him back. By then he had scored a sweet 37 from 22 deliveries, including three fours and two sixes.
Steve Smith, who recently took over from Watson as captain, lasted only 11 balls before scooping Andre Russell’s full toss straight to Morné Morkel at short fine leg. And wickets continued to fall, with Watson watching them go from the other end. The all-rounder scored five sixes and nine fours, the last of them completing his century from the first ball of the final over, carved over backward point, as he guided his side to the verge of 200 on a helpful wicket and with a lightning outfield.
The Royals’ total of 199 was precisely 15 more than KKR’s highest total of the season so far, whose chase got off to the worst possible start when Gautam Gambhir fell to the final delivery of the first over.
Importantly, though, they never dipped significantly below the required run rate, and once Russell came in to join Pathan at the crease they accelerated further. The match remained in the balance until both Suryakumar Yadav and Russell fell in the 14th over, and when Pathan followed in the 16th the fielding side celebrated like they had just scored the winning goal in a cup final.
There was a moment, as James Faulkner’s ragged penultimate over went for 20 runs, when it looked like KKR could reach their target after all. Sixteen were required from the final over, but when Shakib al Hasan was caught at long on from its first delivery, the die was cast.
