Qualifier 2 in the IPL 2021 in UAE featured Delhi Capitals against Kolkata Knight Riders with a place in the final against Chennai Super Kings at stake. Gulf News readers and experts followed the match from Sharjah Cricket Stadium where they witnessed a very exciting finish!
Full scorecard here
Kolkata beat Delhi by three-wickets to enter final
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
The Kolkata Knight Riders very nearly threw away the match. Eoin Morgan’s side had the IPL 2021 Qualifier 2 in the bag when they were cruising at 96/0, but six wickets fell in a heap, allowing the Delhi Capitals to claw back into the match. But Rahul Tripathi held his nerve and clouted a six to give Kolkata a three-wicket victory. The win in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (October 13, 2021) put Kolkata in Friday’s final in Dubai, where they meet the Chennai Super Kings.
Openers Venkatesh Iyer (55 off 41 balls) and Shubhman Gill (46 off 45) launched Kolkata’s chase of 136 with a 96-run stand. At 123, the rot set as they lost six wickets while adding seven runs in the space of 19 balls, and Delhi were back in the game. But Tripathi settled the game in the penultimate ball of the match.
Asked to bat first, Delhi openers Prithvi Shaw (18 off 12 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (36 off 39) started briskly but were soon reined in by the Kolkata spinners. Shimron Hetmyer (17 off 10) and Shreyas Iyer (30 off 27) provided the late flourish after a prolonged dreary spell. And that meant an inadequate total.
SIX!!!
Ashwin bowls to Tripathi and he wins the match for Kokata with a six to long-off. What an amazing finish we have had to this game! Kolkata win by 3 wickets and are in the final where they will meet Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
OUT!
Sunil Narine, left handed bat, comes to the crease and he's out for a golden duck! KKR are 130/7. They need 6 to win from 2 balls!
OUT!
Ashwin bowls to Shakib and he is out Lbw! Incredible scenes! Kolkata Knight Riders need 6 runs in 3 balls.
OUT!
Captain Morgan is bowled by Nortje! Kolkata Knight Riders need 7 runs in the last over!
OUT!
Rabada bowls to Karthik and cleans him out! He goes for a duck. Delhi can't do the unthinkable can they? Kolkata Knight Riders need 10 runs in 12 balls.
OUT!
Khan bowls to Gill and he is caught by Pant! He goes for 46. KKR are 125/3 and need 11 to win from 20 balls.
OUT!
Nortje bowls to Rana who is caught by Hetmyer! He goes for 13 runs from 12 balls and Kolkata Knight Riders need 13 to win from 24 balls.
SIX!
Nortje bowls to Gill who produces a massive six. Thankfully this one stays inside the stadium so the cars on the highway outside are safe...
Kolkata Knight Riders need 22 runs in 29 balls.
SIX!
Axar bowls to Rana who belts him for six straight down the ground.
Kolkata Knight Riders need 38 runs in 42 balls.
OUT!
Iyer's luck runs out. Rabada bowls and his shot is caught by Smith and he goes for a brilliant 55 from 41 balls. KKR are 96/1 after 12.2 overs.
FOUR!
Rabada bowls to Iyer who gets a bit of luck as he edges one to the boundary.
SIX!
Another free-flowing swing of the bat from Iyer! He's on 37 runs and KKR are on 73/0 after 9.1 overs. That's another that's landed on the highway. There could be smashed windscreens tonight but if the cars belong to KKR fans they may not mind one bit! Or, maybe will just a little bit...
Kolkata Knight Riders need 77 runs in 75 balls.
FOUR!
Khan bowls to Iyer but he really has his eye in now and hits another good shot, this time it goes for four. KKR are 47/0 after 5.2 overs.
SIX!
This time Iyer smashes Rabada for another big shot for six. KKR are on 38/0 after 4.4 overs.
SIX!
Iyer smashes Axar out of the ground! The ball clears the roof of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and ends up on the highway next to it. Be careful if you're driving there, KKR look up for the chase - expect more big hitting!
FOUR!
Ashwin bowls to Iyer who clips a lovely shot for four. KKR 13/0 after 1.4 overs.
FOUR!
Gill and Iyer are at the crease for Kolkata. Gill is on strike. Nortje opens the attack and his first ball is smashed away by Gill for four.
Chakravarthy bags two as Kolkata restrict Delhi to 135/5
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
The Kolkata Knight Riders have the best spin combination in IPL 2021. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan reaffirmed that with another sterling display to restrict Delhi Capitals to 135/5 in 20 overs in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (October 13, 2021).
Delhi openers Prithvi Shaw (18 off 12 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (36 off 39) started briskly but were soon reined in by the Kolkata spinners, especially Chakravarthy, who scalped two. The move to bring on Marcus Stoinis early failed, and the rest of the Delhi batters struggled. Shimron Hetmyer (17 off 10) and Shreyas Iyer (30 off 27) provided the late flourish, but that wasn’t good enough.
Low totals can be tricky affairs, but Kolkata have managed in the past. But this is like a semifinal. A misstep, and it could be curtains.
SIX!
Mavi bowls to Shreyas Iyer and he smashes the last ball of the innings for a massive six. He finishes on 30 runs and Delhi reach 135/5 after 20 overs. Kolkata need 136 to win and book their place in the final against Chennai. Can they do it?
OUT!
That's the end of the dangerous Hetmyer. Narine bowls to to Shreyas Iyer, and it was a run at all costs situation and Hetmyer was run out. 117/5.
SIX!
Another big hit from Hetmyer! He races to 17 runs from 9 balls. Delhi are on 116/4 with 2 overs remaining.
SIX!
He just might be, Maaz... Ferguson bowls to Hetmyer who has just survived and now he blasts a six to backward square leg. Delhi are 106/4 after 17.2 overs.
Drama! Not out! It was a no-ball from Chakaravarthy!
OUT!
Brilliant catch from Shubman Gill from Chakaravarthy and Hetmyer goes for 3 runs! Delhi are 95/5 after 16.4 overs.
OUT!
Big wicket for KKR! Ferguson bowls to Pant and he is caught by Tripathi for just 6 runs. Delhi are 90/4 after 15.2 overs.
Four!
Chakaravarthy bowls to Pant and some terrible fielding on the boundary sees him get four. Delhi are 90/3 after 15 overs.
OUT!
Chakaravarthy bowls to Dhawan who is caught by Shakib for 36 runs from 39 balls. Delhi are 83/3 after 14.1 overs.
OUT!
Stoinis is clean bowled by Shivam Mavi. He's scored 18 runs from 23 balls. Delhi are 71/2 after 11.3 overs.
Four!
Chakaravarthy bowls to Dhawan and he tucks it away. He's on 27 runs from 28 balls.
That's the end of the powerplay and Kolkata have pulled things back in the last couple of overs. 38/1 after 6 overs.
OUT!
Shaw goes for 14, LBW from Chakravarthy. Delhi are 32/1 after 4.1 overs.
SIX!
And another one from Shaw! Narine is being belted around here...
SIX!
Dhawan's turn to hit one with anger!
Four!
And then he smacks him for a four straight away! Delhi are on 18/0 after 3 overs.
SIX!
Shaw belts Shakib on to the Sharjah Stadium roof!
Four!
Lovely shot! Shaw clips Ferguson for four. 6/0 after 1.3 overs.
Fireworks greet Delhi's Dhawan and Shaw as they stride out to the middle. Here we go!
Here are the full teams for tonight's massive encounter...
Delhi Capitals:
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (w), Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Who will clash with the Chennai Super Kings in the final?
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
The Delhi Capitals, chasing their maiden IPL title, are a step away from their second final in a row. Standing in their way are the Kolkata Knight Riders, who want a third title. The two face off in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (October 13, 2021) to decide who will clash with the Chennai Super Kings in the final.
Kolkata, led by Eoin Morgan, have come off a pulsating win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator, where the spinners dominated the middle-overs and effectively set up a win. Rishabh Pant’s Delhi are the stronger side on paper with a solid batting backed by a powerful attack. But they tend to come up short in crunch matches.
This is another crunch game. Will Delhi choke? Let’s find out.
