Highlights, KKR vs RR, IPL 2018
Patience is the mother of all virtues! Kolkata Knight Riders showed plenty of it when the partnerships at the top of the Rajasthan Royals innings were growing and eventually it paid off at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In Indian Premier League 2018 Eliminator, the visitors were on course after a solid start but the wicket of Royals skipper Rahane hurt their charge. Sanju Samson played a sublime knock but got out at the wrong time when the asking rate was pretty demanding. The batsmen who followed never got going and failed to do what Andre Russell did for Kolkata in the death overs. Kolkata will be pleased with this win. The scoreline suggests an easy victory but it wasn't. They were under the pump while batting as they were reduced to 51/4 in no time and found it extremely tough to deal with the guile of the Rajasthan spinners. Dinesh Karthik's captain's knock and Andre Russell's blitzkrieg powered them to 169 and eventually, it proved to be more than enough. Also, credit to the Kolkata spinners. Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav were clinical on a helpful pitch, and Prasidh Krishna once again impressed with his smart execution.Rajasthan will be wondering where the game slipped away from them. One would feel the partnership between Samson and Rahane was on the slower side which didn't take care of the required rate and that in a way cost them. Right then, that's the end of the season for Rajasthan. They did a brilliant job by reaching this stage and somewhere the likes of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes were sorely missed tonight. (CRICKET STREAMING - KKR vs RR) (SCORECARD) (IPL Full Coverage)
HIGHLIGHTS, KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS vs RAJASTHAN ROYALS, IPL 2018, ELIMINATOR FROM KOLKATA
22.41 IST:
22.35 IST:
22.32 IST: FOUR! Boundary to finish the innings. Gowtham pulls this short ball across the fine leg fence, but it won't matter. KOLKATA WIN BY 25 RUNS! A comprehensive victory in the end for the hosts, did quite well with the ball. Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7) beat Rajasthan Royals (144/4) by 25 runs at Eden Gardens. Chawla 2/24, Kuldeep 1/18, Samson 50
Prasidh Krishna to bowl the final over of the match.
22.27 IST: Brilliant over from Russell, 6 runs from the over. Short ball in line of the stumps, a big pull and a miss from the batsman. 34 off the final over. Rajasthan need 6 maximums to win this. IPL Live Score - RR 136/4 in 19 overs
22.22 IST:
Krishnappa Gowtham is the new man in. Andre Russell to bowl now.
22.21 IST: OUT! Binny departs! Krishna pitches it full on the stumps, Stuart sweeps and spoons a simple catch to Chris Lynn at backward square leg. Probably the pressure got to him, he walks back without disturbing the scoreboard. Rajasthan Royals 130/4 in 18 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7)
22.16 IST: Prasidh Krishna to have a go with the ball once more.
Stuart Binny to bat next.
22.15 IST: OUT! The set batsman has been sent back. Piyush Chawla gets the all-important breakthrough. The quicker leg break, doesn't turn much and Samson goes back to pull. Lofts it over wide mid-on, lot of height, not enough distance, and it's taken by Searles out in the deep after moving to his right. Game changer? Rajasthan Royals 126/3 in 16.5 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7)
22.14 IST: FIFTY! Sanju Samson slams 10th half-century of his IPL career. His 3rd of the season and 10th overall in the League. He flicks this full ball in front of square leg and jogs over to the other end. Has been a solid knock so far, but needs to finish it off. Rajasthan Royals 125/2 in 16.3 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7)
22.13 IST: FOUR! Full toss and that's pummeled! Perfectly in the gap too. Superb shot. Outside off, Samson smashes it through the covers, beating the man in the deep. Moves to 49 with that. IPL Live Score - RR 124/2 in 16.2 overs
22.12 IST:
Piyush Chawla is back.
22.09 IST: FOUR! Innovative, yet expected from someone like Heinrich Klaasen. Sees the flight and instantly preps himself for the reverse paddle. Lofts it over Chawla at short third man and beats him to the rope. IPL Live Score - RR 118/2 in 15.5 overs
22.06 IST:
Heinrich Klaasen walks in next.
22.04 IST: OUT! KULDEEP STRIKES! A wicket right after the strategic break. The partnership is broken, just what Kolkata needed. The set Rahane is gone. Bit unfortunate in the way he's dismissed to be honest. Tossed up from Yadav, Rahane is down to sweep but gets it off the toe end back to the bowler to gobbles it up. Rajasthan Royals 109/2 in 14.1 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7)
Kuldeep Yadav brought back into the attack.
Strategic break! This partnership between Rahane and Samson is worth 62 now. They're set and need to step it up. A wicket now and Kolkata are on top. A superb finish awaits us.
21.58 IST: SIX! That outta here! Superb shot from Sanju Samson. Short again, there to be hit and Samson obliges. Rocks back and muscles the pull over the mid-wicket boundary for a maximum. RR 109/1 in 13.5 overs
21.56 IST:
21.55 IST: Rahane Pulls this short ball through mid-wicket. Well wide of the fielder in the deep, so two for the batsmen. IPL Live Score - RR 103/1 in 13 overs
Andre Russell brought back on.
21.51 IST: Decent over from Chawla, six runs from it. Googly outside off, quicker in pace once more, Samson ends up chopping the cut shot off the inner half towards backward point. A run collected and that's the end of the over. IPL Live Score - RR 96/1 in 12 overs
21.45 IST: Words from the RR mentor -
21.41 IST: FOUR! Nicely placed this time! Short and wide outside off, Samson goes chasing after it and steers it through the big gap between backward point and short third man. RR 85/1 in 9.4 overs
21.40 IST: SIX! Brilliant hit from Samson, he smashes it over deep mid-wicket. Samson is in the zone! This is how he was batting at the start of the season. Lost his touch midway but seems to be gaining it back when it matter the most. A length ball in his half and he flicks it nonchalantly over mid-wicket. Effortless. IPL Live score - RR 81/1 in 9.2 overs
21.39 IST: Javon Searles is introduced into the attack.
21.37 IST:
Strategic break. Rajasthan have got off to a fantastic start. Ajinkya Rahane is doing well in anchoring this chase while Sanju Samson is showing glimpses of gaining his lost touch back. The Kolkata spinners have proved futile so far on a supporting pitch. Still, their performance will hold the key in the coming overs. 96 needed off 66 balls.
21.35 IST: FOUR! Another brilliant shot from Samson, Royals are in command now. Good calculative shot! The ball is spinning away from the batsman, it's on the fuller length and Samson lofts it with the turn. A fine inside out shot and it goes over extra cover and then beats the fielder in the deep. IPL Live Score - RR 74/1 in 9 overs
21.33 IST: FOUR! Bang! Short in length and on middle, spinning back into the batsman, Samson immediately rocks back and pulls it firmly to the deep mid-wicket fence. No chance for the fielder in the deep. RR 68/1 in 8.1 overs
21.32 IST: EDGY FOUR! Quicker one, a bit short and outside off, Rahane gets back to cut but it takes the outside edge of the bat and flies closely past the keeper's gloves to the third man fence. IPL Live Score - RR 64/1 in 8 overs
21.28 IST: Good start from Kuldeep, just three from the over. Floated and full on middle, once again Sanju goes with the spin and sweeps it fine down the leg side. The fielder there makes a tumbling stop as the batsmen take a couple of runs. RR 54/1 in 7 overs
Kuldeep Yadav to roll his arm now.
21.25 IST:
21.23 IST: Samson shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. End of the Powerplay overs, Rajasthan are 51/1! IPL Live Score - RR 51/1 in 6 overs
Sanju Samson is the next batsman in for Royals.
21.19 IST: OUT! A flatter googly, landing full and on middle, Tripathi gets forward to defend but ends up chipping it back off the higher part of his blade. Chawla reacts quickly to his right and plucks the ball from thin air. Finally a breakthrough for Kolkata! 123 needed off 89 balls. Rajasthan Royals 47/1 in 5.1 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (169/7)
21.16 IST: SIX! Another clean strike! Tripathi delivers another blow. Picks on the off spinner this time, kneels and slogs it handsomely over mid-wicket for a maximum. RR 46/0 in 4.4 overs
21.15 IST: SIX! That's gone all the way! Tripathi takes on Narine. He goes down on one knee to a carrom ball around off and smokes it over long off for a biggie. IPL Live Cricket Score - RR 40/0 in 4.3 overs
Sunil Narine is into the attack now for the hosts!
21.11 IST: FOUR! This has been a brilliant start for Rajasthan! Prasidh struggling with his length. Pitches one short and wide outside off and Rahane flat bats it over point. Nearly goes all the way. RR 29/0 in 3.2 overs
21.10 IST: FOUR! Just back of a length around off, Rahane turns a bit inside the crease and nails his pull shot to the deep mid-wicket fence. IPL Live Score - RR 25/0 in 3.1 overs
21.07 IST: NOT OUT! MISSING LEG! Very good use of the review by Rajasthan. Chawla once again a bowls a googly on the shorter side. It's just outside off and turning down the leg side as Rahane fails to work it away across the line. He is hit on the pads, they appeal and the umpire raises his finger. To be honest, that looked to be missing leg to the naked eye. Rahane opts for the referral and the replays find that it's going down. RR 20/0 in 2.4 overs
21.06 IST: Appeal for an lbw, up goes the finger and Rahane takes the referral. Looks to be missing leg. Let's see what the replays say...
21.04 IST: FOUR! Welcome, Chawla! Floated full outside off, Tripathi gets to the pitch of the ball and smashes it through covers for a boundary. KKR 19/0 in 2.1 overs
Piyush Chawla is into the attack now.
21.02 IST: FOUR! Brilliant shot! A length ball around off, Rahane does well to close the face of his bat at the right time. Manages to middle it superbly and it races away through mid-wicket. IPL Live Score - RR 15/0 in 1.4 overs vs KKR
Prasidh Krishna to share the new ball!
20.57 IST: SIX! Up and over! Fine connection. It's short and wide outside off, Ajinkya stays on the back foot and slams it over point for a biggie. Good positive beginning from him. IPL Live Score - RR 8/0 in 0.4 overs
20.53 IST: Ajinkya Rahane is back opening the innings and he is accompanied by Rahul Tripathi. Kolkata beginning with the pace of Andre Russell. Here we go...
20.52 IST: We're back for the chase! 170 needed off 120 legal balls for Rajasthan. They allowed the game to slip away a bit after a brilliant start with the ball. Now, the onus is on their batsmen to overhaul this challenging total. Goes without saying that the start will be very vital.
20.51 IST:
20.45 IST:
20.43 IST:
20.42 IST:
20.39 IST: Excellent delivery to end the innings. A yorker on the stumps, Russell just digs it out to the off side. The bowler himself fields that and a run is taken. 169/7 is what Kolkata have. Kolkata Knight Riders score 169/7 in 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. Karthik 52, Russell 49*, Gowtham 2/15
20.38 IST: FOUR! Wonderful batting from this Caribbean! Full and just outside off, Russell makes room and just powers it past covers. No chance for long off to get anywhere near. Moves to 48, can he get a 50? IPL Live Score - KKR 168/7 in 19.5 overs
20.37 IST: OUT! Slower delivery undoes Searles! Length ball at 117.1 kph, Javon looks to go big. The ball takes the top edge and travels straight. Archer gets across from long off and takes a good running catch to his right. Perhaps Searles would've been better off giving the strike to his partner. Kolkata Knight Riders 164/7 in 19.4 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
20.34 IST: FOUR! BANG! Hurled in line of the stumps, Russell makes room and smashes it to the on side. Bisects the gap between long on and deep mid-wicket and collects a boundary. KKR 163/6 in 19.1 overs
Ben Laughlin to bowl the final over of the innings!
20.31 IST: SIX! What power does Russell have! Short length delivery, bowled from the back of the hand. Andre waits for it to arrive and smashes it over long off a la a forehand in tennis. Goes well over the ropes. IPL Live Score - KKR 156/6 in 18.5 overs
Archer back on for RR.
20.28 IST: SIX! Top edge but it doesn't matter how the runs come! Short in length around middle and leg. Russell goes for the pull. He gets cramped for room but still continues with the shot. The ball takes the top edge and sails over the deep backward square fence. 14 runs and a wicket off this one. KKR 149/6 in 18 overs
20.25 IST: SIX! A wicket has just fallen but who cares. Certainly not Russell! A slower delivery on a short of a length. The batter just bludgeons it over wide long on for half a dozen. IPL Live Score - KKR 142/6 in 17.2 overs
Javon Searles in next. He joins another mate from the Windies in the middle.
20.23 IST: OUT! Timely breakthrough for Rajasthan! 50th T20 catch for skipper Ajinkya Rahane to see the back of his opposite number. Full and outside off, Karthik looks to smash it into the orbit. That he does, but sans a lot of distance. Rahane backtracks from covers and takes a good catch tumbling backwards. End of a top knock from DK. Kolkata Knight Riders 135/6 in 17.1 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
Ben Laughlin back on now.
20.21 IST: FOUR! Tracer bullet! Full and outside off, Russell uses all his might to smite it through covers. No chance for anybody to cut that off. KKR 133/5 in 16.4 overs
20.19 IST: SIX! Just over! Russell stands tall and heaves it towards deep mid-wicket. Samson is stationed there. He backtracks and looks to take it with a leap but fails to reach that. The ball goes the distance and Unadkat isn't happy for some reason. IPL Live Score - KKR 129/5 in 16.4 overs
20.18 IST: SIX! FIFTY! Dinesh Karthik slams 16th half-century of his IPL career. The skipper has led from the front even tonight. He gets low to play the lap shot but gets a thick top edge. The ball sails over the fence right behind the keeper. Kolkata Knight Riders 122/5 in 16.1 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
Jaydev Unadkat is back on.
20.15 IST: Timeout taken by Rajasthan Royals!
20.14 IST: Brilliant end by Sodhi, what a spell from the lanky legspinner. 4-0-15-0 for Sodhi tonight. IPL Live Score - KKR 116/5 in 16 overs
Ish Sodhi to bowl out now.
20.10 IST: SIX! Humongous blow! Full and straight on the stumps, Russell clears his front leg and thumps it over long on for a maximum. Nice way to get going. IPL Live Score - KKR 113/5 in 14.5 overs
20.09 IST: No Ball! Free Hit coming up...
Andre Russell is next in for KKR.
20.06 IST: OUT! Archer has the last laugh, as he has the curry! On a length just outside off, Gill looks to back away and smash it. Gets a feather and Klaasen pouches it with ease. That ends the 55-run association with the skipper. Kolkata Knight Riders 106/5 in 14.2 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
Jofra Archer is back for another spell.
20.04 IST: SIX! Another one in the over and that spoils Gopal's figures! Flatter and shorter on the stumps, quicker in pace as well. Karthik camps back and pulls it over deep mid-wicket for half a dozen. Brings up the 50-run stand between Karthik and Gill. 20 runs from this over. KKR 102/4 in 14 overs
20.03 IST: SIX! First biggie of the night from the younger lad! Looped up outside off, Gill uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and smashes it high and long over long off. Gallant! IPL Live Score - KKR 95/4 in 13.4 overs
20.02 IST: FOUR! Such deliveries ought to be punished. Short and wide outside off, Gill goes back and plays the cut shot. Beats backward point who moved to his right and put in the dive. KKR 89/4 in 13.3 overs
20.00 IST: Floated on the stumps, DK comes down the track and hits it down to long on for one. 6 runs from the over. IPL Live Cricket Score - KKR 82/4 in 13 overs
Ish Sodhi is back on.
19.58 IST:
19.57 IST: Flatter delivery on middle, Gill works it towards square leg. He wants two and Karthik responds. But seeing the fielder from short fine leg get there, they abort the plan. 4 runs from the over. KKR 76/4 in 12 overs
19.52 IST: FOUR! Not sure if it was intended to go there. On a length outside off, Gill looks to guide it. Ends up getting it off the outside edge towards third man. Sodhi yet again gets across and puts in the dive but fails to prevent the boundary. IPL Live Score - KKR 70/4 in 10.4 overs
19.51 IST: Begins with a length ball outside off, Karthik guides it fine towards third man. Sodhi does well in the deep with a slide to keep it down to a brace. It is checked upstairs and the umpires are happy with what they have seen.
Ben Laughlin is introduced into the attack!
19.47 IST: FOUR! Deft. Floated up but on the pads. Karthik goes back and just manages to tickle it away fine. Short fine leg gives a valiant chase but comes second best. IPL Live Score - KKR 60/4 in 9.1 overs vs RR
19.45 IST:
19.43 IST: Time for the break, the strategic one! This phase has belonged completely to Rajasthan. Steady inflow of wickets for them sees them in this position. The 14-run over from Unadkat, perhaps, is the only blotch on their bowling so far. The tweakers, too, have come to their own and are having a fun while the ball turns. Kolkata need some serious batting to be done to see them out of this mush. Karthik and Gill are very much capable of this. With Russell and the like to follow, they can still be hopeful of a good finish.
Shubman Gill walks in next for the hosts.
19.39 IST: OUT! The fact that Lynn is not at his comfortable best against spin could now be written in bold letters. This dismissal adds fuel to the fact. Gopal dished out another wrong one around off. It isn't too full in length. Lynn goes back to punch it. All he ends up doing is offer a straightforward catch to Gopal, who accepts it gleefully. Kolkata slide further. Kolkata Knight Riders 51/4 in 8 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
Double leg spin attack! Shreyas Gopal to have a go now. He's fresh from a match-winning spell against Bangalore.
19.34 IST: What an over from Sodhi, just two runs from it. Floated outside off, driven nicely to deep covers for one. IPL Live Score - KKR 48/3 in 7 overs
Ish Sodhi is introduced into the attack! The field would now be spread as the Powerplay is done. Due to the bounce on the surface, it should be fun to watch this leggie, opines my colleague here.
19.30 IST: FOUR! Unadkat is travelling tonight. He delivers a slower one but there's enough width outside off. Lynn just picks it up and smashes it over covers for another boundary in the over. Jaydev needs to get his act together soon. IPL Live Score - KKR 45/3 in 5.4 overs
19.28 IST: FOUR! Delightful. Half-volley outside off, Karthik wastes no time in dispatching that. Leans forward and drives it to the right of covers and earns yet another boundary. He has moved to 13 off 5 already. KKR 40/3 in 5.2 overs
19.27 IST: FOUR! What a welcome for Unadkat from Karthik! Angled full across the batsman, Dinesh gets his stride forward and drives it up and over covers. Earns a boundary for the effort. IPL Live Score - KKR 36/3 in 5.1 overs
Jaydev Unadkat is introduced into the attack now. He'll be bowling the final over of the Powerplay.
19.25 IST: Brilliant over from Gowtham, he's giving nothing away at the moment. Good running. Floated full on the stumps, Lynn works it through square leg for a brace. Just 4 runs from it. KKR 32/3 in 5 overs
19.22 IST: FOUR! Glorious way to get going. On a length around middle and leg, Karthik helps it away uppishly through square leg for a boundary. IPL Live Score - KKR 28/3 in 4 overs
Captain Dinesh Karthik comes to the crease for KKR. He needs to bail his side out of trouble now. Remember, he has had an excellent season thus far.
19.20 IST: OUT! Another one gone! Are we watching a wickets package here? Now the youngster Rana departs. He should have shown more patience to get set. Doesn't do so. Archer serves a length ball on the stumps, Nitish yet again looks to back away and hit it. Is deceived by the lack of pace and gets it off the inner half. Unadkat at mid-on takes a couple of steps forward and takes it with ease. Lynn's first ball against Archer was similar, just that it didn't find the fielder then. Kolkata Knight Riders 24/3 in 3.4 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
Two slips in place. Rahane has switched on his Test match mode, it seems. Good to see, no doubt.
19.16 IST: FOUR! Hammered! Floated outside off on a fuller length. Lynn gets his front foot out of the way and smashes it through covers. Nobody stood a chance of cutting that off. IPL Live Score - KKR 22/2 in 2.5 overs
Nitish Rana is next in. There's a silly point in place now. Test match in coloured clothing?
19.13 IST: OUT! Gowtham is having a fine, fine time in this season in the Indian Premier League. Now he nets the big fish Robin Uthappa. A good player of spin, Gowtham deceives him with the pace here. Slows it through the air and lands it in line of the stumps. Uthappa looks to work it to the on side and only manages to spoon an easy catch off the leading edge back to the bowler. Gowtham gobbles it up and the disappointment on Robin's face is writ large. Kolkata two down, early in the piece. Kolkata Knight Riders 17/2 in 2.1 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
19.12 IST: Decent over from Archer, 7 runs from it. KKR 17/1 in 2 overs
Jofra Archer to bowl from the other end.
19.06 IST: FOUR Byes! Floated outside off, Uthappa tries to play the reverse sweep but misses. Klaasen fails to collect that one and the ball rolls away to the fence behind. Decent start for both sides. IPL Live Score - KKR 10/1 in 1 over
Robin Uthappa walks in next. Coming in as soon as the third ball, he has an opening task at hand.
19.02 IST: OUT! Gowtham removes Sunil Narine for 4. Gone next ball! Goodbye, thanks for coming, says Gowtham, who has the last laugh. Gowtham tosses this one up outside off. Narine fails to abstain from coming down the track. Does so and misses the ball completely. As easy as stumpings come, Klaasen takes it and whips the bails off to start the celebration for Rajasthan. Kolkata Knight Riders 4/1 in 0.2 overs vs Rajasthan Royals
19.01 IST: FOUR! Runs straightaway! Banish all the talks off an off-spinner being effective against left-handers to thrash. That's how Narine dealt with this one. Flatter outside off on a shorter length, Sunil stays back and smashes it through covers for a boundary. Whatta start! KKR 4/0 in 0.1 overs
18.57 IST: Slam-bang time as Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn are set to smash the ball to all parts. Krishnappa Gowtham will make use of the new ball. Here we go...
18.56 IST: Rajasthan skipper Ajinkya Rahane rings the iconic bell at the Eden Gardens to signal the start of the proceedings.
18.53 IST: Chris Lynn is caught up on the sidelines by Graeme Smith. He says that although he has butterflies in his tummy, he is looking forward to this game. States that it becomes a bit easier as he has played all the games this season. Reckons that the next step for him is to score more than 75 runs and play those match-winning knocks. Concedes that they are quite superstitious and have a team dinner the evening before and not talk much about the game.
18.51 IST:
18.42 IST:
18.41 IST: Dinesh Karthik, the Kolkata skipper, says that it should be a good contest as it is a knock-out scenario. Announces that they are going unchanged. Reckons that the crowd always supports them and it should be an exciting contest.
18.37 IST:
18.35 IST: Ajinkya Rahane, captain of Rajasthan, reckons that the wicket looks damp because of the rains last evening. As a result he wants to make use of the conditions first up. Adds that it doesn't matter who bowls or bats first. States that they don't want to change a winning combination and chooses to keep his batting position a secret.
18.32 IST:
18.30 IST: TOSS - Rajasthan Royals win toss, opt to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens
18.25 IST: PITCH REPORT - Michael Clarke observes that although it is dry, there's a good covering of grass. Hence, reckons that it should be good for batting. Adds quickly that the bowlers shouldn't lose heart and it has something in it for them as well.
18.15 IST:
18.00 IST:
17.56 IST:
17.51 IST: Captain Cool -
17.45 IST:
17.35 IST:
Brief Preview: With odds stacked against the inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals will look to go full throttle when they lock horns with two-time winners and overwhelming favourites Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator T20 cricket fixture at Eden Gardens. The Knight Riders have outplayed Rajasthan both in the home and away games this season and will ride into this encounter with the confidence that they could pull off the win once again.
If it was a seven-wicket win at Jaipur last month, Kolkata notched up a comprehensive six-wicket win over their rivals a week ago at Edens gardens en route to sealing their playoff berth. With three wins on the trot, Kolkata Knight Riders are on a roll as they clinched the last-four berth for the sixth time. From posting the highest total of the season to stunning table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match, it has been a no-nonsense approach for the Dinesh Karthik-led side. (Read Full Match Preview)