Dubai: Kolkata Knight Riders ousted the Rajasthan Royals, winning by an impressive 25 runs in the Indian Premier League’s eliminator at the Eden Gardens.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell lifted Kolkata to a challenging total of 169 for 7 after a bad start in front of 56,392 spectators at the Eden Gardens.
Karthik cracked 52 off 38 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, while Russell hit a breezy unbeaten 49 runs off 25 balls with three boundaries and five sixes.
Rajasthan, despite fighting knocks from their skipper Ajinkya Rahane (46) and Sanju Samson (50), were restricted to 144 for 4.
Kolkata will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier at the same venue on Friday. Chasing the score on a sticky wicket affected by rain, Rahane and Rahul Tripathi kept scoring at 10 runs per over. Tripathi hit two successive sixes off Sunil Narine in the fifth over. Piyush Chawla gave the breakthrough in the sixth over having Tripathi caught and bowled for 20 after the pair put on 47 runs.
Sanju Samson joined his skipper and kept the score moving, picking the right balls to hit.
At the half way mark, Rajasthan scored 87 for 1 and needed 83 more off the last ten overs. Rahane fell four short of his half century in the 15th over to Kuldeep Yadav’s googly which had him caught and bowled. He had put on 62 runs for the second wicket with Samson in nine overs. Wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen joined Samson who raced to his tenth half century in the IPL off 37 balls. When Rajasthan needed another 47 runs in the last 19 balls, Samson lifted Piyush Chawla to Javon Searles at long on and that tilted the match in Kolkata’s favour.
Shubman Gill too chipped in with 28 runs for Kolkata.
Dramatic start
It was a dramatic start to the eliminator with Kolkata opener and in-form batsman Sunil Narine hitting the first ball of the match for a boundary from off-break bowler Krishanappa Gowtham to the boundary. With the second ball, Gowtham had Narine stumped by Klaasen when the batsman stepped out.
In the third over, Gowtham struck again to have Robin Uthappa caught and bowled for just three. Going across the line, Uthapa’s leading edge resulted in a return catch. Worse was to follow when Jofra Archer had Nitish Rana, who went for a slog caught by Jaydev Unadkat at midwicket for three. Three wickets down for 24 runs in the fourth over, Karthik stepped onto the pitch.
Opener Chris Lynn, who kept the score board moving, departed in the eighth over, falling to leg spinner Shreyas Gopal for 18. Lynn fell to a googly from Gopal that pitched on the off and had him caught and bowled. The quick wickets silenced the Kolkata supporters. All eyes turned towards 18-year-old Gill who had played some good knocks in this edition.
At the half way mark Kolkata were 63 for 4. In the 11th over, Gill hit Ben Laughlin for a boundary, guiding the pacer to the third man boundary. Karthik too picked a boundary off Gopal in the 10th over.
Mounting pressure
Leg break bowler Ish Sodhi bowled a tight 13th over. The pressure kept mounting on Kolkata for some big hits. Gill picked a boundary off the third ball of the 14th over from Gopal by placing his shot past point and with the next ball, he lifted him for a six over long off. Karthik too got a six off the last ball of that over to pick 20 runs off the over.
They recorded their 50 runs partnership too in that over.
When it looked like partnership was unstoppable, Archer made Gill edge to wicketkeeper Klaasen for 28.
The crowd cheered Russell to the crease hoping for some big hits. Russel, lifting Archer for a six over long on, obliged, acquiescing to the crowd’s demands. Sodhi bowled another brilliant over, giving away just two runs in the 16th over.
Karthik reached his half century in just 35 balls by hitting a scoop six over the wicketkeeper’s head off Unadkat. Russell too hit Unadkat for a six over long on. He also slapped the next ball past extra cover for a boundary.
Kolkata picked 19 runs off that over but Karthik departed to the first ball of the 18th over from Laughlin, caught by captain Rahane at cover for 52. Russell played punisher with the next ball from Laughlin, going for a six to deep midwicket. He also swung the last ball for another six to take 14 runs off the over.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders bt Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders 169 for 7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 52, Shubman Gill 28, Andre Russell 49n.o, Krishnappa Gowtham 2 for 15, Jofra Archer 2 for 33) Rajashtan Royals 144 for 4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 46, Sanju Samson 50, Rahul Tripathi 20, Piyush Chawla 2 for 24)
