Live Cricket Score, Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Narine departs after quickfire 47, KKR close to victory
IPL, Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 21: A thumping victory for Kolkata. Where Rajasthan struggled so much with the bat, the visitors have just battered the hosts' bowling attack like it was a flat wicket. It poses a big question as to what happened in the first innings. Lynn and Narine set the tone and more or less finished the job at hand as the duo put 91 runs between them for the opening stand, with the former scoring a fast fifty. Uthappa and Gill then came in and put the finishing touches on a comfortable chase. (Match Scorecard)
Highlights, Match 21: KKR win by 8 wickets
* A thumping victory for Kolkata. Where Rajasthan struggled so much with the bat, the visitors have just battered the hosts' bowling attack like it was a flat wicket. It poses a big question as to what happened in the first innings. Lynn and Narine set the tone and more or less finished the job at hand as the duo put 91 runs between them for the opening stand, with the former scoring a fast fifty. Uthappa and Gill then came in and put the finishing touches on a comfortable chase.
22.50 IST: Ben Stokes to Shubman Gill, Wide! And it ends in a rather anti-climatic manner, but the victory was always going to come. KOLKATA WIN BY 8 WICKETS AND 37 BALLS REMAINING! Stokes angles this down the leg side as Gill fails to flick. The umpire signals a wide.
22.47 IST: Ben Stokes to Shubman Gill, FOUR LEG BYES! Angling in on leg stump, Gill tries to tickle it fine down the leg side. It goes off his pads instead as the ball finds its way to the boundary line.
22.45 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Robin Uthappa, SIX! Straight as an arrow. Tossed right up there, in the slot, Uthappa plants his front foot forward, gets close to the pitch and smokes it back over the bowler's head. It's a flat hit and that's one more biggie for Kolkata. They're inching towards victory here. KKR 133/2 in 12.5 Overs
22.43 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Robin Uthappa, SIX! A poor ball and it's been duly punished by Uthappa. Half-tracker in line of the stumps, Robbie goes deep inside the crease and muscles the pull over mid-wicket for a biggie.
22.40 IST: Jofra Archer to Shubman Gill, Full toss straying on the pads, clipped down to fine leg as the batsmen cross over.
* Jofra Archer back on.
* Shubman Gill walks into the middle next.
22.38 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Chris Lynn, OUT! Lynn departs. He's more or less finished the job here. Gopal floats it up in line of the stumps, the Australian openers kneels down and brings out the slog sweep again. Is in no control of it this time as it lobs over towards fine leg. Midhun from the deep comes running in and takes a simple catch. KKR 114/2 in 10.4 Overs
22.37 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Chris Lynn, Fifty for Chris Lynn, his 7th in the Indian T20 League. Well-deserved too. Quicker one on off, it goes off the inside edge, thuds off the pads and rolls past the keeper behind. A single is taken.
22.35 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Chris Lynn, SIX. Go fetch that, says Chris Lynn! This is right off the meat. Loopy and full outside off, Lynn moves a step across and nails the slog sweep to perfection. Sends it into the deep mid-wicket stands for a maximum.
22.34 IST: Sudhesan Midhun to Chris Lynn, FOUR! A boundary this time. Tripathi can't stop it. Lynn sees it turning away from him, so he cuts it off the outer half past short third man.
22.32 IST: Sudhesan Midhun to Robin Uthappa, More runs for Kolkata. It turns away from around off, Uthappa gets an edge which goes past short third man. Tripathi chases after it and pulls it back in with a dive just inside the rope. The batsmen take three.
22.30 IST: Sudhesan Midhun to Robin Uthappa, FOUR! Shot. This is all about the timing. The placement is good too. Tossed up leg break outside off, Uthappa drives it neatly through the gap in the covers and bisects the two men in the deep to find the fence.
* Robin Uthappa walks out at number 3.
22.28 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Sunil Narine, OUT! Shreyas Gopal picks up the first wicket. Breaks this brisk 91-run stand beautifully. Fools Narine with the wrong 'un, there's some extra bounce on this one. Narine backs away to cut but gets an edge to Smith at first slip, who takes a sharp catch. A little too late though? Kolkata only need 49 to win off 69 balls. KKR 91/1 in 8.4 Overs
22.27 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Chris Lynn, SIX! That's outta here! The boundaries are big here, but not enough it seems for Chris Lynn. He clears the fence once more. Tossed up on middle and leg, there's no room for the ball to turn. Lynn gets low and slog sweeps it over the square leg boundary.
22.25 IST: Sudhesan Midhun to Sunil Narine, SIX! Flighted on middle, Narine smokes it over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum.
22.23 IST: Sudhesan Midhun to Sunil Narine, SIX! Midhun now gets the taste of Narine's medicine. Tossed up on middle, Narine gets on one knee and smokes this over mid-wicket for a maximum.
22.18 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Sunil Narine, Backs away to this short ball outside off and slaps it to sweeper cover for one run.
* Strategic break.
22.13 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Sunil Narine, FOUR! Kulkarni is having a torrid day. Mothing seems to be going his way. Good length ball on middle and off, Narine flat-bats it over mid on for a boundary.
22.10 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Sunil Narine, FOUR! Mistimed but placed to perfection. Fuller ball on middle and off, Narine takes his front foot out of the way and lofts it between mid-wicket and long on. It bounces just inside the ropes and goes for a boundary.
22.06 IST: Jofra Archer to Chris Lynn, SIX! The fifty comes up for Kolkata in no time at all. Lynn gives the charge to Archer and flat bats this down the ground. It's on a back of a length, but he connects well and clears long on with ease. KKR 52/0 in 4.1 overs
21.59 IST: Jofra Archer to Chris Lynn, FOUR! Shot. Short and wide outside off, too much width on offer which Lynn cashes in on. He flays it over point and finds the fence.
21.57 IST: Krishnappa Gowtham to Sunil Narine, FOUR! Boundary to end the over and a super expensive over from Gowtham. 22 off it. Straighter on off, Narine slams it over covers for a boundary. Kolkata are off to a flyer.
21.56 IST: FOUR! No place to hide for Gowtham. Narine is going all guns blazing after him. On the pads, Narine sweeps it over fine leg for yet another boundary.
21.54 IST: Krishnappa Gowtham to Sunil Narine, SIX! Narine takes the aerial route and sends this one sailing into the crowd. Flighted on leg, Narine takes his front leg off the line and smacks it over the the mid-wicket fence for a maximum.
21.52 IST: Krishnappa Gowtham to Sunil Narine, FOUR! Narine is not gonna wait long. He knows one way to play and that is aggressive. Tossed up on middle and off, Narine slog sweeps it over the square leg fence for a boundary.
21.50 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Chris Lynn, FOUR! Lucky way to get the chase underway but Kolkata will take it. Good length ball on middle, Lynn looks to play it across with a flat bat but gets an inside edge. Luckily, it does not chop on to the stumps and goes to the fine leg fence for a boundary.
* We are back for the chase. Out walk the opening pair of Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn for Kolkata. Rajasthan to start with pace. Dhawal Kulkarni to take the new ball.
21.35 IST: A low full toss this time, outside off, Smith tries to repeat the last shot but this time finds short third man. A single to end the innings. Rajasthan end on 139/3!
21.33 IST: Beaten! Beautifully bowled by Harry Gurney. Switches to over the wicket and lets across a slower one outside off. It's on a length and Smith swings and misses.
21.31 IST: A beamer this time. First warning for the bowler. High full toss on off, Stokes under edges his attempted shot as his eyes are off the ball. It goes behind to the keeper on one bounce. Free Hit loading...
21.26 IST: FOUR! A yorker wide outside off, Smith reaches out for it and the ball takes the toe end of the bat before racing past the diving keeper for a boundary at third man. RR 125/3 in 18.3 overs
21.25 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Ben Stokes, NO BALL! A high full toss around leg, Stokes fails to put it away and it goes off his thigh to the keeper. Looks for a run but is sent back as Karthik misses his shy at the striker's end.
21.24 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Ben Stokes, Play and a miss! Width on offer outside off, a sharp delivery, Stokes throws his bat at it but fails to make any connection.
21.20 IST: Sunil Narine to Steven Smith, SIX! Humongous! Enough of attempting sweep shots. This time Steven Smith wears his skates and runs down the track in a flash. He opts to go with the spin and launches it over wide long on for a maximum. Take that for a hit!
21.19 IST: Sunil Narine to Steven Smith, NOT OUT! An off spinner on middle and turning back in a bit, Smith kneels down to play the sweep shot but misses. He is rapped on the pads, they appeal but the umpire remains unmoved. Narine and Karthik consult before taking the review but the replays show that it's clipping leg and the onfield call will stay.
* Shout for an lbw! Not given and Kolkata have taken it upstairs. DRS time, folks.
21.15 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Ben Stokes, From 'round the wicket, Kuldeep serves a shorter one around off, turning away, Stokes gets back and punches it down to long off for a single.
21.13 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Ben Stokes, Slower through the air, it's full and on middle, Stokes pushes it gently to the right of the extra cover fielder for a single.
* Kuldeep Yadav is back on.
* Ben Stokes arrives in the middle.
21.10 IST: Harry Gurney to Rahul Tripathi, OUT! Gurney gets his second wicket! A very good delivery, nicely deceiving the batsman with a slower length ball outside off at 114.8 kph. Tripathi hangs back inside the crease to play the lofted shot over extra cover but ends up towering it in the air. Chawla makes no mistake inside the ring. Brilliant debut so far for the English boy.
21.05 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Steven Smith, FOUR! Fifty for Steven Smith, his 6th in this League. Prasidh Krishna attempts a slower short delivery but loses his radar completely. Serves it down the leg side and the Aussie pulls it mercilessly past the short fine leg fielder. The dugout is on its feet. Superb knock by Smith given the way this match has panned out. But can he finish it well for Rajasthan? RR 103/2 in 15 overs
21.03 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Steven Smith, FOUR. RR 97/2 in 14.4 Overs
* Prasidh Krishna returns.
20.59 IST: Wide! Wrong line from the bowler. Drops it on middle and leg and it further spins down. The batsman leaves it alone.
20.57 IST: Appeal for an lbw! Flighted delivery, full and outside off, Smith tries to play the paddle shot but seems to have missed it. It goes behind off his pads as the keeper appeals. The batsmen cross and it's given as a run. So, maybe there was some bat involved.
* Rahul Tripathi is the new batsman.
20.52 IST: OUT! Finds the fielder with surgical precision. A length delivery around off, Buttler attempts to heave it across the line but is a bit early into his shot. The ball catches the toe end of his blade and flies to deep mid-wicket. Shubman Gill doesn't have to move an inch as he settles himself near the fence and takes the catch with utmost ease. A 'slowish' knock from Jos Buttler comes to an end along with the 72-run stand. Maiden wicket in the League for Harry Gurney. Gurney removes Buttler for 37. RR 77/2 in 11.5 overs
20.50 IST: SIX! Buttler has a go and that's massive! Terrific strike from Jos Buttler! The length is on the shorter side around leg, the Englishman swivels on the back foot and pulls it massively over square leg for a biggie. RR 77/1 in 11.4 overs
20.47 IST: FOUR! This is cheeky, really cheeky from Jos Buttler. He fetches a delivery from outside leg and nails his reverse-batted shot through backward point. RR 65/1 in 10.3 overs
20.46 IST: FOUR! Lucky boundary for Steven Smith! He fails to pick the wrong 'un and tries to work it on the leg side. But it takes the outer half of his blade and races down to third man for a boundary. RR 60/1 in 10.1 overs
20.40 IST: Harry Gurney to Steven Smith, Brilliant start. Takes some courage to start with a slower ball. Gurney shows that and bowls it. It is outside off, Smith gets beaten by it and misses his glance.
* Debutant Harry Gurney to bowl his first over in the Indian Premier League after the break.
* Strategic break.
20.35 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Steven Smith, FOUR! Swept and swept hard. Flighted on middle, Smith gets on one knee and sweeps it through mid-wicket for a boundary.
20.34 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Jos Buttler, FOUR. The connection on that one was sweet. Flighted on middle, Buttler brings out the reverse sweep and times it beautifully through point for a boundary.
20.32 IST: Sunil Narine to Steven Smith, FOUR! A much-needed boundary for Rajasthan. First one after 4 overs. Short and wide outside off, Smith slaps it through point for a boundary.
20.28 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Steven Smith, 2 runs. The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have picked up a couple of runs.
* Kuldeep Yadav on to bowl now.
20.25 IST: Sunil Narine to Jos Buttler, On the pads, Buttler glances it wide of deep square leg and gets a brace as Smith and Buttler are quick between the wickets.
* Sunil Narine is the first bowling change of the innings.
20.21 IST: Piyush Chawla to Jos Buttler, Quicker one on middle, Buttler hits it on the on side. Chawla quickly runs behind it and gets to the ball. No run.
20.16 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Jos Buttler, FOUR! That's a very clever shot from Jos Buttler. You expect that from him to be honest. The Englishman moves across his sticks early, anticipating the length delivery around off, and scoops it over short fine leg. Another boundary to his name. RR 20/1 in 3.3 Overs
20.14 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Jos Buttler, FOUR! That's nicely played. The outfield is quick and so once it's past the inner circle, it's always going to run away. A little too straight in line, Buttler flicks it through mid-wicket and finds the fence.
20.10 IST: Piyush Chawla to Jos Buttler, FOUR. There is very little margin for error while bowling in the Powerplay, especially to Buttler. It is short on middle and off, Buttler whips it through square leg for a boundary. RR 11/1 in 2.2 Overs
* Steven Smith walks in at no.3.
20.04 IST: Prasidh Krishna to Ajinkya Rahane, OUT! Rahane is gone. That's dead plumb. Walks over to Buttler to ask him whether the review should be taken and he says no. RR 5/1 in 1.1 Over
20.02 IST: Piyush Chawla to Ajinkya Rahane, FOUR! Rahane is off the mark in style and so are Rajasthan. Tossed up on off and middle, Rahane gets on one knee and sweeps it over mid-wicket. The ball bounces just inside the ropes and goes for a boundary. RR 4/0 in 0.4 Over
20.00 IST: Piyush Chawla to Ajinkya Rahane, Chawla starts with a very loopy delivery on off. It is a low full toss. Rahane blocks it off his front foot.
* Piyush Chawla to start the proceedings with the new ball.
* Out walk the umpires and players. Kolkata players are out and in their fielding positions. The opening pair of Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler are out in the middle for Rajasthan.
* Dinesh Karthik says they will bowl first as the wicket looks good and they prefer chasing on this surface. Adds that it's important to keep the spirit and the mood in campaign on the positive side. Continues to say that it's crucial to adapt to the different grounds around the country. Informs there is one change as Harry Gurney comes in for Lockie Ferguson.
19.38 IST: Rajasthan Royals Playing XI
19.32 IST: Weather Update-
19.30 IST: Kolkata Knight Riders win toss and opt to bowl first
Hello and welcome to our live blog of Match 21 of the IPL as Rajasthan Royals host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The TOSS will take place at 7.30 PM IST, while play will commence from 8.00 PM IST.
Brief Report: Despite the victory against RCB, Royals will still look to iron out certain flaws which have plagued them recently. They have often failed to grab moments losing to Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings after being in commanding position. While star players, including Steve Smith and Ben Stokes, have failed to live up to the expectations, the likes of Sanju Samson, who had hit first ton of this IPL, Jos Buttler and captain Ajinkya Rahane have been good. Smith, although, scored 38 against RCB. (Read Full Report Here)
