Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locked horns in the Eliminator clash of IPL 2021 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday (October 11).
Opting to bat first, RCB posted a paltry 138/7 in their allotted 20 overs. It was a disappointing performance with the bat. Skipper Virat Kohli was the top scorer with 33-ball 39.
Sunil Narine was the stand-out bowler for KKR, claiming four wickets by conceding only 21 runs in his four overs.
Knight Riders were expected to chase down the target easily but they were made to work hard for the win. While openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer contributed 29 and 26 receptively during the chase, the pair of Nitish Rana (23) and Narine (26) chipped in with handy twenties in the middle-order.
Needing 12 runs off the last two overs, the experienced duo of captain Eoin Morgan (5) and Shakib Al Hasan (9) ensured KKR get over the line with four wickets in hand and two balls to spare.
After this result, Kolkata became eligible to play Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier on Wednesday (October 13) while RCB got knocked out of the tournament.
Cricket experts on Twitter lauded Morgan and company for their impressive outing in the all-important game while they were critical of RCB’s performance.
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