Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) registered their first victory of the ongoing IPL season, defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets in a thrilling contest at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 19).
Opting to bat first, the Royals posted 155/9 on the board. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-scored with 46, while Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed 39. RR were cruising at 81/0 but suffered a dramatic collapse to 124/5, thereby squandering the opportunity to rack up a huge total.
Varun Chakaravarthy (3/14) and Kartik Tyagi (3/22) were the pick of the bowlers for KKR, with Sunil Narine returning with figures of 2/26.
In reply, the hosts lost both openers, Tim Seifert and Ajinkya Rahane, for a duck while Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed for 10. Cameron Green (27) and Rovman Powell (23) got starts, but failed to convert it into a substantial score.
Ramandeep Singh also perished for 10, leaving KKR reeling at 85/6 in the 14th over of the chase. Amid the pressure situation, Rinku Singh (53* off 34) rose to the occasion and found ample support from Anukul Roy (29* off 16) to take KKR over the line.
Needing 9 off the last over, Rinku smashed Brijesh Sharma for a couple of fours and a six to seal the deal with two deliveries to spare.
Cricket fraternity praised Rinku and Anukul for holding their nerves to finish off the chase, helping KKR open their win account.
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