Last-ball victory for KKR in a thrilling match against PBKS
In a dramatic last over, Arshdeep maintained Punjab Kings’ competitiveness.
With five wickets in hand, Kolkata Knight Riders (182 for 5) defeated Punjab Kings (179 for 7) (Dhawan 57, Varun 3-26, Harshit 2-33).
Kolkata Knight Riders barely made it in the competition and in their game versus Punjab Kings. It wasn’t a remarkable comeback from the dead, but Rinku Singh gave them another last-ball victory. Even KKR’s batters found it difficult to hit on a slow surface in this topsy-turvy match that the spinners from that team put up.
12 lakh rupee fine for Rana
The KKR captain received an INR 12 lakh fine after it was determined that his team was playing with a slow overrate against the Kings at Eden Gardens. According to the IPL’s Code of Conduct regarding minimum overestimate infractions, this was KKR’s first infraction of the season.
Nitish Rana provided the foundation for the chase with 51 off 38, but it took Andre Russell to finally show up and score 20 runs off Sam Curran’s 19th over to reduce the deficit to six needed off the final over. Before Rinku Singh hit the boundary with two runs needed, Arshdeep Singh had managed to keep them at bay till the last ball.
As a result, both KKR and PBKS now have 10 points after 11 games. In the centre of the table, five teams are now deadlocked on that number of issues, although Tuesday’s opponents Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians both have one game remaining.
Harshit Rana maintains order.
Because they believed the spinners would be successful on this pitch, PBKS always intended to target the new ball, so they chose to bat first. Vaibhav Arora’s inswing allowed Prabhsimran Singh to hit three boundaries in the first over since he got going quickly.
The striking But Harshit Rana bowled intense lengths and experienced unsettling bounce from the surface. While attempting to hit big shots, he had Prabhsimran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught at the wicket. Rajapksa’s comeback to the team was cut short by a three-ball duck. Liam Livingstone continued to work hard, enabling PBKS to score 19 runs off Russell’s fifth over to reach 51 for 2.
choking on a spin
In the powerplay or towards the end of the game, KKR does not hesitate to apply spin. Three spinners were their choice. They, therefore, started the spin attack in earnest. Varun Chakravarthy was given the first shot and executed a stunning leg break to pin the raging Livingstone in front of him.
The PBKS team had to start rebuilding after losing a third wicket early in the powerplay, especially considering how well the KKR spinners were bowling. When Varun returned for the 13th over, Shikhar Dhawan had just about started to open up again with sweeps and reverse sweeps after Jitesh Sharma had struck Suyash Sharma for a six.
Varun made the breakthrough again by deflecting the ball away from Jitesh and sending it down the middle to the custodian. When two left-handed batters approached the wicket, Nitish entered the fray and dismissed Dhawan for 57 off 47. Suyash proceeded to tighten the screws with the door of Sam Curran. With only 92 runs for five wickets, PBKS were effectively bowled out on a slow ground by 13 straight overs of spin.
Move quickly and play the game.
When KKR resumed speed for the final two overs, PBKS re-emerged and scored 36 runs, bringing the total to 87 from just seven overs of pace. Harpreet Brar scored 17 off 9, while Shahrukh Khan scored 21 off 8.
Nate Ellis gives PBKS an early advantage.
Similar patterns of hitters seeking pace were evident, but Nathan Ellis, who deservedly played before Kagiso Rabada, baffled Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his slower pitch. Venkatesh Iyer was not permitted to bat at No. 3 since he had been away from the rise during the PBKS innings, and the score after five overs was 39 for 1. Therefore, KKR desperately needed a miracle.
Rana attacks Livingstone.
Despite PBKS’s efforts to remove pace from the ball, Jason Roy and Nitish hit Livingstone for five boundaries in his two overs. As the ball arrived too late for Roy to complete his slog-sweep, it lessened the sting of KKR losing Roy to Brar. When Nitish dismissed Livingstone’s second over, KKR’s target was reduced to 88 from 54 balls. The equation had gotten complicated—104 from 10 overs on a rigid surface.
Chahar keeps PBKS in the game.
Despite not having the best season, Rahul Chahar showed up for PBKS with the wickets of Iyer and Rana, which he earned by lowering the speed, which he did. Russell and Rinku were the only two left when Rana’s wicket fell, and KKR required 56 off 28.
final adjustments
Chahar was dismissed in the 16th, leaving KKR needing 24 runs off of 51 deliveries. PBKS had to decide whether to bowl four overs of pace or turn to Brar’s left-arm spin. They chose the secure path. Russell smashed a four, and Rinku hit a six as Russell bowled out in the 17th but went for 15. Ellis’ statistics of 4-0-29-1 nearly made up for the lack of the other spinner, but KKR still had the advantage in the match.
However, Curran made a few mistakes in his execution when 26 runs were needed off two, and Russell climbed in with two sixes over the more significant boundary. He also skimmed one over the short side for good measure.
Russell attempted to scramble for a bye to tie the game off the fifth ball, but Arshdeep played an excellent last over, stopping him and running him out. Arshdeep finally made a mistake off the final ball, and Rinku flicked the full-toss square of the fine leg to meet the criteria twice.
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