It was a complete performance from RR as they recorded a six-wicket win over KKR. Batting first, KKR just couldn’t get going as the RR bowlers chipped away with wickets and restricted them to 133/9. Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 42 alongside David Miller’s 24 not out took RR home with seven balls to spare.
It was a clinical performance from Rajasthan Royals (RR) as they outplayed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in all three departments. The game was set up by the bowlers and the batters took the game deep before wrapping it up in the 19th over. The KKR top-order once again crumbled, and they paid a heavy price, which saw them suffer their fourth straight defeat this season.
On what looked like a tacky and a slightly uncharacteristic sluggish track at the Wankhede Stadium, Sanju Samson won his fourth toss of this season and, on expected lines, opted to field first. The RR bowlers repaid the faith of their skipper as they bowled superbly in the powerplay.
The left-arm pace trio of Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, and Mustafizur bowled five out of the six powerplay overs, while Chris Morris bowled just one. They conceded a mere 25 runs and picked up a wicket as well in the first six overs. In fact, KKR could manage only a couple of boundaries in the powerplay as the RR bowlers applied the squeeze. Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana were going at well below a run-a-ball and the former was runout while trying a quick single in the sixth over as Jos Buttler ran in from covers and hit the stumps direct at the bowler’s end.
Rahul Tripathi walked out at No. 3 and tried to up the ante alongside Rana who did hit a six in the seventh over. However, he nicked one off Sakariya in the 9th over and from then on, KKR lost three wickets in as many overs. The promotion of Sunil Narine to No. 4 didn’t work as he faced seven deliveries for his six runs, while skipper Eoin Morgan was runout without facing a delivery as he was involved in a horrible mix with Tripathi.
Dinesh Karthik and Tripathi tried to get the innings back on track and did score a few boundaries but just couldn’t really force the pace. Tripathi fell in the 16th over and it looked like it was going to be an Andre Russell show once again. However, he couldn’t do much either apart from hitting a big six as Chris Morris prized him out. Karthik fell to Morris as well as he was caught in the covers. In the last over, Morris took a couple more wickets and finished with 4/23 as KKR crawled their way to 133/9.
Shivam Mavi started off well with the ball for KKR as he troubled Yashasvi Jaiswal throughout the first over. In fact, he also created a chance that was shelled by Gill at a backward point. Jaiswal made full use of that life as he got going with a couple of fluent boundaries off Pat Cummins in the second over.
Varun Chakravarthy introduction brought KKR their first success with the ball as he pinned LBW. It didn’t deter Jaiswal who struck a couple more boundaries before Mavi finally got his man as the left-hander holed out to deep cover in the fifth over. But he had given RR a pretty good start and 40/2 in five overs, it set up RR for the chase.
Skipper Sanju Samson then steadied and anchored the innings from one end. He shared a couple of crucial partnerships, first with Shivam Dube and then with David Miller to take RR home. Samson was calm and kept ticking over the strike while finding the odd boundary here and there. At the other end, Dube struck a couple of lusty blows to not let RR fall behind the asking rate. He shared a 45-run stand with Samson before top-edging one-off Chakravarthy.
Rahul Tewatia did last long either, as Prasidh Krishna dismissed him in the 14th over. While the asking rate was less than a run-a-ball, Samson and Miller played it out smartly and took RR over the line. They shared an unbeaten 34-run stand for the fifth wicket, and it was Miller who did the bulk of the scoring in that partnership.
Samson finished unbeaten on 42 while Miller got himself to a nice little 24 as RR got home with seven balls to spare. This win helped them get off the bottom position on the points table and in fact, it is KKR who have been pushed there.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 133/9 (Tripathi 36, Karthik 25, Morris 4/23, Mustafizur 1/22) lost to Rajasthan Royals 134/4 (Samson 42*, Miller 24, Chakravarthy 2/32, Mavi 1/19) by six wickets.
