I am getting used to batting in these situations, and practicing too – Rinku in the post-match presentation
Both in the competition and in their game against Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders just barely survived it. This 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.
Nitish Rana started the chase with 51 off 38, but it took Andre Russell to show up and score 20 runs off Sam Curran’s 19th over to reduce the issue to six needed off the last over.
Arshdeep Singh was able to keep them at bay until the very last ball, when Rinku Singh reached the boundary with two runs still needed.
As a result, KKR and PBKS are now tied with 10 points after 11 games. In the center of the standings, five teams are now equal on those points, but the two teams who will face off on Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, each have one game in hand.
Because they believed the spinners would be successful on this pitch, PBKS always intended to bat first and attack the new ball. Early on, Prabhsimran Singh took advantage of Vaibhav Arora’s inswing to hit three boundaries in the first over.
The startling But Harshit Rana bowled strong lengths and experienced unpleasant bounce from the surface. While attempting to hit big shots, he had Prabhsimran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught at the wicket.
Rajapksa’s come back to the team was cut short by a three-ball duck. Liam Livingstone continued to work hard, allowing PBKS score 19 runs off Russell’s fifth over to reach 51 for 2.
When the game is on the line or in the powerplay, KKR is not afraid to unleash spin. Three spinners had been chosen. They then seriously started their spin attack.
The first shot was made by Varun Chakravarthy, who executed a stunning legbreak to pin the raging Livingstone in front of him.
After losing a third wicket during the powerplay, PBKS had to start again, especially considering how well the KKR spinners were bowling. When Varun returned for the 13th over, Jitesh Sharma had just struck Suyash Sharma for a six and Shikhar Dhawan was about to start opening up once again with sweeps and reverse-sweeps.
When Jitesh attempted to touch the ball, Varun once more made the breakthrough by spinning it away and sending it through the goalkeeper’s edge. When two left-handed batters approached the wicket, Nitish entered the match and caught Dhawan off-balance for 57 off 47.
With the wicket of Sam Curran, Suyash continued to tighten the screws. By bowling 13 consecutive overs of spin, which only yielded 92 runs for five wickets on a slow pitch, PBKS were effectively bowled out of the game.
When KKR resumed speed for the final two overs, PBKS re-emerged and scored 36 runs, bringing the total up to 87 from just seven overs of pace. Harpreet Brar scored 17 off of 9 while Shahrukh Khan scored 21 off 8.
The hitters continued to target pace in a similar manner, but Nathan Ellis, who deservedly batted before Kagiso Rabada, baffled Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a slower pitch.
Venkatesh Iyer was not permitted to bat at No. 3 at that point since he had been away from the field for a period of time during the PBKS innings, and KKR was at 39 for 1 after five overs.
Jason Roy and Nitish were able to hit Livingstone for a total of five boundaries in his two overs despite PBKS’s attempts to remove pace from the ball.
The fact that the ball arrived too late for Roy to complete his slog-sweep and KKR lost Roy to Brar was lessened by this. 104 from 10 overs on a difficult surface was the equation when Nitish took Livingstone’s second over, reducing KKR’s burden to 88 from 54 balls.
Rahul Chahar, although not having the best season, showed up for PBKS with the wickets of Iyer and Rana, which he personally slowed down the tempo to earn. Russell and Rinku were left with a task when Rana’s wicket fell; KKR needed 56 off 28.
Chahar was dismissed in the 16th over, 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 additional 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 of two, and Russell climbed in with two sixes over the larger boundary. He also skimmed one over the short side for good measure.
Russell attempted to scramble for a bye in an attempt to tie the game off the fifth ball, but Arshdeep played a great last over, stopping him, and then running him out. Arshdeep finally made a mistake off the final ball, and Rinku flicked the full-toss square of fine leg to meet the criteria twice.