Synopsis: Rinku Singh roars back to form as Kolkata Knight Riders end winless streak
Chasing 150-plus on the Eden Gardens deck typically favours the batsmen, but with KKR’s batting line-up blowing hot and cold, it was always going to be a tricky affair. The hosts almost made a meal of the chase but a seventh-wicket partnership between Anukul Roy and Rinku Singh enabled their first win of the season
When Anukul joined Rinku in the middle, Kolkata were already six wickets down with the latter looking rickety. The KKR vice-captain wouldn’t even be there if Nandre Burger had not dropped him on eight.
But as the match raced towards its climax, shouts of ‘maar Rinku maar’ rippled from the stands. He duly obliged. The 19-run 16th over turned out to be the turning point. Both Rinku and Anukul slammed sixes, slashing the target down to 40 from four overs. Rinku continued the rampage, slapping Jofra Archer for two fours in the next over before Anukul brought down the equation to 9 off 6 in last over, depositing the England international for a maximum in the penultimate over. Rinku then wrapped up the chase with two fours and a six in the last over, staying unbeaten on 53 as KKR won by four wickets.
The climax was unlike the start, which was classically nightmarish. Archer cleaned up Tim Seifert for a golden duck with the first ball of the chase. Burger then ejected captain Ajinkya Rahane in the next over. KKR reeled at 5/2.
With the Knights in a world of trouble, their Rs 25.2 crore acquisition Cameron Green, offered hope, lashing Burger for back-to-back boundaries to alleviate pressure. The big Australian flicked Archer for a four in the next over, followed by a huge six off Burger in the 4th over. That prompted RR skipper Riyan Parag to dial Ravi Bishnoi, a decision that paid immediate dividends as the spinner outsmarted Green, enabling keeper Dhruv Jurel to pull off a spectacular no-look stumping.Rovman Powell pulled off some lusty blows off Yash Raj Punja as KKR ended powerplay at 51/3. But KKR continued to lose wickets at a regular clip, with Ravidra Jadeja ending Angrish Raghuvanshi’s innings.
With the run rate stagnating, Powell tried to take the initiative but ended up holing out to Donovan Ferreira off Jadeja for 23. Ramandeep Singh then dragged a Punja delivery onto his stumps as KKR lost six before crossing 100 runs. But to their rescue arrived Rinku and Anukul. Rinku later explained his mindset during the chase to the broadcasters: “ My mindset was to take the game till the end because I had conversations with the coach and also with my batting partner. The idea was to take it deep since the match was in a tricky situation.”
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KKR’s choke act
Under normal circumstances this season, fans wouldn’t have fancied toppling a free-spirited Rajasthan Royals. Even more so as they were already smarting from a defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, and would be keen to make amends.
Their dashing openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal immediately put to sword an experienced and shoddy pace attack. Things started relatively quietly with Sooryavanshi preferring timing to muscle, mining two boundaries off Tyagi in the second over which were exquisitely placed. Jaiswal managed one apiece off the first over and the third, as Vaibhav Arora and Green kept the batsmen on a leash.
Sooryavanshi swiftly changed gears, slamming three boundaries before he slammed his first six off the fifth over, bowled by the wily Sunil Narine. The last over of the powerplay yielded 22 runs as the Rajasthan openers took apart Green, building to 63/0 after 6 overs. The calm beginning was threatening to turn into a proverbial storm.
But the script flipped, with KKR’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and pacer Kartik Tyagi getting into the act, snaring three wickets apiece.
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Varun found the much-needed breakthrough, jettisoning Sooryavanshi for 46 off 28. Dhruv Jurel didn’t last long either, stumped to a tossed up Varun ball. Jaiswal, meanwhile, continued his merry ways, even pulling off his trademark scoop over fine leg before Narine nailed him, with Rajasthan at 99/3.
Kolkata continued to stifle RR, with the visitors struggling for momentum. Between the 11th and 14th overs, they couldn’t hit a single four.
RR skipper Riyan Parag broke the pattern in the 15th over, but Varun had the last laugh in the same over, cleaning him up with a wrong’un. Tyagi accounted for Jadeja, Shimron Hetmyer and Bishnoi in the 19th as Rajasthan suffered another late batting collapse.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 161 for 6 (Rinku 53*, Roy 29*, Jadeja 2-8, beat Rajasthan Royals 155 for 9 (Sooryavanshi 46, Jaiswal 39, Varun 3-14, Tyagi 3-22) by four wickets.
