Kolkata oust Rajasthan to set up clash with Hyderabad
KARTHIK, RUSSEL POWER KNIGHT RIDERS TO IMPRESSIVE 25-RUN VICTORY
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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. ■ 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.
The crowd cheered Russell to the crease hoping for some big hits. Russel, lifting Jofra 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.