Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off a heist against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the iconic Eden Gardens. With seven runs to defend from five deliveries, the Shreyas Iyer-led side were under tremendous pressure, but Harshit Rana managed to keep calm and got the job done in a brilliant fashion. He picked up the wicket of dangerous Heinrich Klaasen in the penultimate delivery of the match, while bowled a dot to Pat Cummins in the final ball to help KKR win the match by four runs.
Notably batting first, KKR struggled to get going but it was Ramandeep Singh (35 runs off 17 deliveries) and Rinku Singh (23 runs off 15 deliveries) who played some brilliant cricket to keep the two-time champions in the hunt. Later on, Andre Russell joined the party and changed the complexion of the match with his ferocious batting. The West Indies international hit 64* runs off 25 deliveries as KKR posted 208 runs in the first innings.
Also check: Watch: Harshit Rana's flying-kiss send off to Mayank Agarwal heats up KKR vs SRH clash in IPL 2024
When it came to the chase, SRH had their moments but KKR bowlers kept them calm for the majority time. Sunil Narine and Harshit Rana were sensational but Klaasen’s 63 runs off 29 deliveries kept them in the hunt. Notably, Shahbaz Ahmed too played a brilliant cameo of 16 runs off just five deliveries but unfortunately, SRH couldn’t get the job done despite their best attempt.
1. KKR’s RRR
Ramandeep, Rinku and Russell were destructive at Eden Gardens against SRH. Opener Phil Salt and Ramandeep set the tone, which Rinku and especially Russell later took advantage of. Courtesy of their incredible batting, KKR finished well as they never looked to touch the 200-run mark. In the end, they made 208 runs, which was enough to pick up the win.
2. Vintage Narine
Sunil Narine conceded just 19 runs in his four overs and he didn’t leak a single boundary. He showed signs of vintage Narine and if the spinner continues to keep up with the form, KKR will be marching on the points table.
3. Klaasen is class
Everyone is more or less aware of the kind of damage Heinrich Klaasen can do in white-ball cricket. He showed glimpses of the same in IPL 2023 and started the 2024 edition with a bang. The cricketer ended up scoring 63 runs and if he had gotten enough support from the top order, the South Africa international could have won it for SRH.
Losing skipper Pat Cummins said:
Close game in the end, wonderful game of cricket. Unfortunately didn't go our way. I thought for the most part, really happy with how we bowled. Obviously Dre Russ at the end there does what Dre Russ does, he's pretty hard to contain. Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job. You do your planning, you try to execute your best but a pretty tough guy to bowl to, played some good shots, couple of balls maybe we could have bowled a little bit differently but toughest job in cricket is bowling at someone like that in the end. It's one of those, goes one way or the other, amazing job by Klaas (Klaasen) and Shahbaz to get us back into the game and get us into that position. Who would have thought we'd get that close. Unfortunately a little bit too much. In a game where we didn't really pull it all together, we still almost competed against a very good side at their home venue, lots to be encouraged by, lot of good performers, a couple of points to work on also. Happy with how the toss went.
Winning skipper Shreyas Iyer said:
Right from the 17th over, had butterflies in my stomach. Felt anything could happen in the last over. They needed 13 runs and we didn't have the most experienced bowler. But I had the belief in him, and I told him to back himself and it doesn't matter what happens. He was a bit nervous coming in, and I just looked him in the eye and told him 'this is your moment, buddy.' Told him to back himself and doesn't matter what happens in the game. They have such experience. Great to see Andre perform with bat and ball, and even Sunny was splendid with the ball. Fantastic to have them around. Always gives you motivation when you start with a win. This game also gives us a lot of learnings, there is a lot we will take from this ground. I think fielding is an area we need to improve on. It was so loud out there, it was difficult to signal to the other players from the deep.
POTM Andre Russell said:
Not really, sometimes stuff pop on my Insta and I realise how well I am striking the ball. Shows that you are doing well. I have tried to react with whatever comes my way. Over the last 2 years, bowlers have their plans against me. I have been digging out the runs, and I know everyone has a plan for me. (On his journey with KKR) I was on the bench early on, and just tried to make myself useful. This franchise means a lot to me, what I did tonight was just a way to prove what this jersey means to me. (On Harshit Rana) Shows a lot about his character. He told me he wanted the last over, he claimed it and he came back strong after the first ball went for six.
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