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Right then, we have come to the conclusion of the 36th match of IPL 17. Kolkata Knight Riders goes up to second with five sins in seven games. They have a much superior net run rate than Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was yet again a humdinger of a contest and the result was only decided on the final delivery of the match. Don't go anywhere folks as another IPL game is currently underway. You can switch tabs to follow the game but from here this is me (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) bidding adieu also on behalf of my fellow commentator Shashwat Kumar.
Andre Russell (Player of the Match): Yeah for sure. Thanks to almighty. I always back my bowling as I said earlier. I knew I had to come good and happy to contribute with the ball. Happy for the two points. Yeah when I was batting change ups were difficult to hit so as a bowler I got a template on how to bowl. When we bowled the slower cutters the ball was gripping. The two wickets changed the game and then the Sunil Narine over started the slide for RCB. When I look at the bowling equation, I conditioned myself to bowl the important over and tried to give Starci as much as I can. I was looking forward to bowl six deliveries to him and tried to mix it up. It worked tonight and well done to the team.
Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders captain): Yeah it takes a lot out of your body and drains you. It's tough to stay calm but I am elated to get the two points. Yeah it is extremely tough and the pressure is on. Every individual needs to put their hands up. Russell did that taking those wickets which completely turned the game. See it's a funny game. At the end of the day when you need 18 runs of the last ball the bowler is under pressure. One six here and there changes it completely. It is important that we maintain the calmness and think what the batter would be doing. Lot of challenges will be thrown to us and we have to ensure to get the meetings right and execute. Yes it was a pivotal knock. I wanted to stay till the end and hit a few fours here and there. Some imperative boundaries we got in between. I want to continue with the same flow.
It's time for the post match presentation ceremony with Sanjay Manjrekar.
Kolkata Knight Riders won by 1 run
Shreyas Iyer 50(36) | Andre Russell 3/25(3) Will Jacks 55(32) | Cameron Green 2/35(4)
It was yet another humdinger of a contest between KKR and RCB and at the end of it all, the home team just about managed to scrape through in a nail biting thriller. Mitchell Starc bowled a rubbish final over but just when the match seemed to be done and dusted, he managed to get rid off the dangerman Karn Sharma as KKR eventually won by 1 run. The target was massive and RCB had to go after the bowlers right from the outset.
Virat Kohli came out all guns blazing and raced his way to 18 in just 6 deliveries before a high full toss brought about his downfall. The ball was dipping and while Virat was livid with the decision, replays clearly suggested that he was totally wrong in arguing with the umpire. Faf du Plessis also departed soon after as from a flying start, RCB had to again steady the ship. It was the pair of Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar who turned the game on its head and kept smashing boundaries at will.
Runs kept flowing and the KKR bowlers were left short of answers. None of the spinners were spared with Narine and Chakravarthy also going for runs against Patidar. He took a liking to Suyash Sharma smashing him to all corners of the ground and raced off to a 23 ball fifty. Jacks also scored a fifty as RCB scored 137 at the end of the 11th over. This is when the game again tilted towards KKR as Andre Russell dismissed both the set batters in his very first over to stem the run flow.
His former Caribbean teammate Sunil Narine wasn't far off either as he then bagged Cameron Green and Mahipal Lomror to put KKR in a commanding position. Suyash Prabhudessai was sent in as the impact sub and with Dinesh Karthik still there RCB still had the hope of staging a comeback and yes they did it in style.
Russell bowled a sensational penultimate over and with 21 runs required off the final one it looked very difficult for RCB. Karn Sharma was the last man who could bat and he smashed three amazing sixes over the off side to bring the equation down to 3 required off the final two deliveries. He bagged Karn's wicket on the penultimate delivery eventually winning by 1 run. KKR also rise to the second spot with the 5th win of the season.
Harshit Rana: It was my plan from before (to bowl slower balls). The slower we bowl, the better it would be for us and that is what we tried to do. (On bowling the 18th over) Whenever I bowl, those thoughts (of pressure) are there. But I try to keep myself cool. I just think about the execution and not about the result. The conversation was to take as much pace off as possible. The way Dre bowled, and how Sunny bowled, we did not give pace. (On the last over) I cannot express because it was a very intense game.
Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain: (On the No ball drama and the partnership that followed) It was crazy. The rules are the rules, I think Virat and myself thought it was higher. They measure it on the popping crease, so you always have that situation where one team is happy, the other is not. The partnership was unbelievable. To get close takes a hell of an effort. The over from Narine was the turning point for me, where they got two wickets. That is the nature of where we feel the game is changing. There is no time to get yourself in. You have the extra batter. But generally, guys want to take six-seven balls. When chasing 250-260, the game does not allow that anymore, and it is tough. After the boundaries, you get a bit of a window, and you almost play the match-up with Narine. That was the turning point. When you are winning games, you get the confidence of getting your team past the line and your decision-making is clearer. Really proud of the boys. For the first time in this competition, even though the scoreboard says 220, there was a lot of fight out there, and we felt 223 was a par score. We felt we had to attack the powerplay and we were okay to lose a few wickets. But yes, there is a place in the middle (overs) where you can see the scoreboard and see what you want to do (and probably play it out). You can see the emotion on our faces and that is why I am proud of today. 10/10 in terms of effort. Desperate to get back to winning ways and the fans deserve it too. Unbelievable fans that follow us everywhere and the RCB chants are the loudest. Desperately want to make sure that the fans are proud of the way we play.
It wasn't a good throw from the deep but Phil Salt has done enough to win it for KKR. The lights are glowing and KKR have clinched victory. What a humdinger again. A brave effort from RCB but KKR wins by a solitary run. An absolute cliffhanger. Mitchell Starc was pumped for three sixes but he just about managed to hold his nerves and pick the wicket at a crucial stage to inspire a one run win. What an effort and what a match.
20
overs
221/10score
6
0
6
6
W
w
runs
Lockie Ferguson*
1(1)
Mohammed Siraj
0(0)
Mitchell Starc
1/55
19.6 Mitchell Starc to Lockie Ferguson, KKR WIN IT BY THE BAREST OF MARGINS! Very full outside off. Ferguson squeezes it out towards deep cover point and there is never a second on. But RCB have to go for it. The throw, to be completely honest, is quite ordinary and that makes Salt hurry after it. He gathers and then flings himself towards the stumps, taking off the bails in blockbuster fashion. Ferguson is short of his ground, and RCB lose by a solitary run! What a game we have had. A game that had everything, and a game that has made us run out of superlatives!
Lockie Ferguson run out Ramandeep Singh/Phil Salt 1 (1b, 0x4, 0x6)
3 balls needed off the final delivery of the match.
Lockie Ferguson, RHB is the new man in.
Starc is claiming the catch and look at the reaction from Karn Sharma. Low full toss and that has been bunted back to the bowler. We are witnessing an absolute thriller. Still pace on it, right from the bottom of the bat and a fabulous return catch from Mitchell Starc.
19.5 Mitchell Starc to Karn Sharma, HAS STARC TAKEN IT?! AND HAS THIS GAME TURNED AGAIN?! Low full toss outside off. Karn cannot get under this one and cloths it back to Starc, who in his follow-through, stoops down low to his right and plucks it out of thin air. What a catch. Under such pressure. Karn is distraught, as is Siraj. Relief for Starc but is that only temporary?
Karn Sharma c&b Mitchell Starc 20(7b, 0x4, 3x6)
Mitchell Starc has been taken to the cleaners. Starc has kept bowling outside off and that's the third six in a row. Lack of clarity for the bowler. This is absolutely magical from Karn.
19.4 Mitchell Starc to Karn Sharma, GOES ALL THE WAY AGAIN! RCB ARE WINNING THIS! Another slot ball, and gift wrapped with width too. Karn throws the plumbing at it and carves it behind point!
Is Karn Sharma writing something special? Have we seen a game with more twists? Not sure about the length of Starc though. Has been blasted over extra cover.
19.3 Mitchell Starc to Karn Sharma, SIX MORE! OH MY, KARN IS TURNING IT ON! Right in the slot outside off. Karn gives himself room, swings through the line and crunches it over the deep cover fence!
There was a sound as the ball passed the bat and Shreyas Iyer has taken the review. Yes there is a clear spike when the ball is next to the bat. The third umpire wants to make sure whether the catch was taken. Fingers are underneath by the looks of it. Looking for different angles. The ball might have just been grounded. The fingers are apart and the ball is grounded. The original decision remains.
19.2 Mitchell Starc to Karn Sharma, APPEAL! Full outside off. Karn stands still and throws the kitchen sink at it. Seems to miss it but Starc reckons the ball has grazed the outside edge on its way through. The umpire is unmoved, and KKR go upstairs. The sound might have been of the bat hitting the ground. The ball is awfully close to the bat, though, and UltraEdge confirms there is bat involved. A massive spike, in fact, but the ball has touched the grass, says the third umpire. Not a clean catch, and Karn stays!