IPL 2021 Match 18: Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets — as it happened
Morris, Samson fire as Royals hand Knights their 4th straight loss
Samson, bowlers hand Rajasthan Royals a valuable win
Kolkata: Sanju Samson guided a tricky chase for Rajasthan Royals with an unbeaten 42 to help his team notch up a crucial six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium this evening. They have now won two of their first five games.
It was a day when everything fell into place for the Royals, whose bowlers pegged back the Knights to a somewhat below-par total of 133 for nine after deciding to bowl. There were a few hiccups on the way but Samson played some risk-free cricket and stitched a crucial 34-run partnership with David Miller (24 not out) to take his team over the line.
Chris Morris finished with four for 23 while it was a brilliant recovery from the likes of Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rehman only a day after the pummelling from RCB as they kept things tight and did not allow the Knights to take the initiative.
Rahul Tripathi topscored with an enterprising 36, but the Knights batting could never get going.
Relive the match as it happened ....
Half time report: Morris & co restrict the Knights to below par total
Kolkata: Chris Morris finished with four for 23 as the Rajasthan Royals bowlers were on the money to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a somewhat below-par total of 133 for nine at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
It was a brilliant recovery from the likes of Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rehman only a day after the pummelling from RCB as they kept things tight and did not allow the Knights to take the initiative.
Rahul Tripathi topscored with an enterprising 36, but the Knights batting could never get going. The bowlers have now set it up for Royals to look for their second win - but there is still plenty of cricket to be played.
Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals look to revive campaign
Kolkata: The battle of two sides at the bottom of the table: Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals could be an interesting one as the Wankhede track in Mumbai has made for some lively contests in IPL 2021 so far.
Both have managed only one win out of four matches and will look for full points if they want to salvage the campaign before it’s too late. It’s quite likely that Knights may have been energized after their valiant case against Chennai Super Kings where they fell short by 18 runs the other day. Sanju Samson’s men, on the other hand, have had little time to shake off the pummeling they received at the hands of Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli the other day.
While KKR will take heart from the way Andre Russell, so often their saviour in the past, had been hitting the ball in the previous game. Royals, on the other hand, will desperately want Jos Buttler and Samson to take more responsibility if they want to turn the tables on Eoin Morgan’s brigade.
