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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) narrowly by four runs in the third match of IPL 2024 on Saturday at Eden Gardens. They made a winning start to their campaign in the new season.
After being asked to bat first, Andre Russell's blitzkrieg powered KKR to 208/7 in 20 overs. The West Indies big-hitter went on a rampage, smashing seven sixes and three fours en route to 64* (25). Phil Salt (54), Ramandeep Singh (35), and Rinku Singh (23) chipped in with useful knocks for the hosts.
In reply, SRH got off to a good start as Mayank Agarwal (32) and Abhishek Sharma (32) put on a 60-run partnership in 5.2 overs. However, both departed without converting their starts. KKR spinners then put a stranglehold on the scoring in the middle overs, which escalated the required rate steadily. A couple of SRH batters perished trying to up the ante, leaving them reeling at 145/5 in 16.5 overs.
Sunrisers were almost out of the contest at that stage with the required rate of more than 20. Heinrich Klaasen (63 off 29 balls) launched a stunning assault at this juncture in Shahbaz Ahmed's (16) company and brought the equation to 13 off the last over. Unfortunately for SRH, both the set batters departed in the final as they agonizingly fell four runs short in the end.
Fans on social media enjoyed the high-scoring thriller between KKR and SRH in IPL 2024 on Saturday night. They expressed their reactions to the game by sharing hilarious memes on social media.
Here are some of the best memes related to the game:
"I thought anything could happen in the last over"- KKR captain Shreyas Iyer after close win vs SRH in IPL 2024
At the post-match presentation, Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer reflected on the hard-fought victory and said:
"Right from the 17th over, I had butterflies in my stomach. To be honest, I thought anything could happen in the last over - they needed 13 runs, and we probably didn't have the best - the most experienced bowler bowling at the time. I had the belief in Harshit - this was the time he could become a hero, that's what I told him."
He added:
"There was a bit of cluster in between, but I tried to calm him down. Rest is history. They've (Russell and Narine) have got such experience behind their backs.
"Andre Russell, I'm elated to see how he performed today with bat and ball, also running around on the field. Sunny (Narine) has been tremendous with the ball over the years, executing the way he does. A win to start the season gives you a lot of motivation, also a lot of learning."
Rajasthan Royals will face Lucknow Super Giants in the fourth match of IPL 2024 on Sunday (March 24) afternoon.
