Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged victorious by just one run in a high-scoring thriller against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 21).
Invited to bat first, the hosts racked up a mammoth 222/6 on the board, courtesy of major contributions from Philip Salt (48 off 14) and Shreyas Iyer (50 off 36). Ramandeep Singh (24* off 9), Rinku Singh (24 off 16) and Andre Russell (27 off 20) also returned with vital cameos.
In reply, RCB finished on 221/10 in their allotted 20 overs. After losing Virat Kohli (18) and Faf du Plessis (7) early, they rode on a 102-run stand between Rajat Patidar (52 off 23) and Will Jacks (55 off 32) to bounce back. However, Russell dismissed both of them in the 12th over to detail the chase.
An over later, Cameron Green (4) and Mahipal Lomror (6) were removed by Sunil Narine as RCB slipped to 155/6. Dinesh Karthik (25 off 18) and Karn Sharma (20 off 7) came up with valiant efforts but KKR managed to hold their nerves to get over the line in the final over.
After the game, KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer acknowledged the challenge of maintaining composure in such a nail-biting encounter.
“It takes a lot off your body and drains you out completely because you go through so many emotions. It's tough to stay calm but I'm elated. We got two points on the board and that's all that matters,” said Iyer in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“It's extremely tough when the pressure is on. I feel that every individual should put their hands up and take responsibility.”
Shreyas was effusive in praise of Andre Russell, whose all-round performance proved pivotal in KKR's narrow victory. He returned with impressive figures of 3/25 in three overs.
“Russell did the job for us by picking up two wickets and completely changed the game in our favour. That is the kind of attitude needed in the team.”
Tasked to defend 21 runs in the final over, Mitchell Starc conceded three sixes to Karn Sharma as KKR came close to losing the match. However, Iyer refrained from criticizing the left-arm pacer, recognizing the pressure and challenges in such high-stakes situations.
“It's a funny game, when you need 18 runs off 6 balls, the pressure is on the bowler. One six here and there, it completely changes the momentum. It is important that we maintain our calmness and stay in the present and make the batter hit where you want them to hit.”
The KKR captain was also happy with his contribution while batting in the first innings. “It was a pivotal knock. I wanted to stay till the end and steady the ship. We got some important boundaries towards the end and I was very happy about that.”
Russell, who earned the Player-of-the-Match award, said he has always been confident about his bowling irrespective of the match situations.
“I always back my bowling. Getting the ball at a crucial time, I knew that I had to come good and thankfully it happened. When I was batting earlier, the change of pace was difficult to hit. As a bowler that's what I wanted to do. The slower balls were gripping and holding.”
“I was happy to get the two set batters out and I think that's what changed the game. Those two wickets from (Sunil) Narine were also very important and that's what started the slide for RCB.”
Russell also bowled a wonderful penultimate over in which he claimed the prized scalp of Dinesh Karthik.
“I had two (overs) left and I conditioned myself to bowl that (19th) over. I tried to give Starc as many runs as I could. DK wasn't getting off strike so I looked at bowling six deliveries to him and mix it up, thankfully it worked.”
(With PTI Inputs)
