#IPL : KKR ends their home campaign with a commanding victory; defeats Rajasthan Royals
Kolkata, May 16: Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday ended their home campaign in VIVO IPL 2018 on a happy note when they defeated the Rajasthan Royals by 6 wickets in Match 49.
After opting to bowl on a relatively pleasant Tuesday night, KKR were in for a shock as the Rajasthan Royals got off to a fiery start. But the KKR spinners helped pull things back, and Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav picked up 5 wickets between them to first derail the Royals innings and hasten their dismissal. KKR bowled out the Royals for 142 and then chased down the runs quite comfortably, winning in 18 overs.
The Rajasthan Royals innings was of three parts. They scored two runs off the first over, added 57 runs in the next three overs, and lost their way completely thereafter. Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi, the Royals’ seventh different opening pair this season, flayed the KKR quicks early on and caused plenty of damage; 19 runs were scored in the second over, 28 in the third and 10 in the fourth.
What followed was simply unfathomable from 63 for no loss, the Royals lost all ten wickets for the addition of 79 runs in a period of 14.1 overs. Jaydev Unadkat, batting at number eight delayed the fold up briefly and he scored 26 from 18 balls before becoming the last man to be dismissed. The Rajasthan Royals were skittled out for 142 in 19 overs.
Credit to the KKR bowlers for clawing their way back into the contest. Once they found the opening they needed, the bowlers applied the squeeze and built pressure. Between overs 6 and 14, KKR only conceded 44 runs. Between overs 8 and 14, barring one over, they picked up a wicket in every over. Kuldeep Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief while Andre Russell provided the initial breakthrough and kept the runs down and the rest of the bowlers did their bit.
KKR’s reply was dramatic. Sunil Narine collected two sixes and two fours off the first four balls of the chase before he was dismissed early in the next over. The runs dried up briefly, and even though the Royals bowlers picked up wickets every now and then, opener Chris Lynn score of 45 runs batted deep into the chase ensuring one set batsman was in the middle. Captain Dinesh Karthik came out to bat at five, scored a quick-fire 41 and helped finish the chase.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 142 in 19.0 Overs (Rahul Tripathi 27, Jos Buttler 39, Jaydev Unadkat 26, Kuldeep Yadav 4-20) lost to
Kolkata Knight Riders 145-4 in 18.0 Overs (Chris Lynn 45, Dinesh Karthik 42*, Ben Stokes 3-15) by 6 wickets.
Man of the Match:
Kuldeep Yadav, for his spell of 4-0-20-4.