The Kolkata-based franchise are all but assured of a spot in the play-offs, following a fantastic performance against Rajasthan Royals.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 86 runs in Match 54 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Thursday. The Kolkata-based franchise have virtually sealed a spot in the playoffs, following this massive triumph. Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) can only surpass the NRR of KKR, if they win by around 171 runs after scoring 200 runs batting first. MI cannot surpass the Kolkata-based franchise’s NRR if they chase.
RR bowed down meekly after being handed a target of 172 runs to chase down. Rahul Tewatia was the top run-getter for the franchise with 44 runs off 36 deliveries in an innings comprising of five boundaries and two sixes. Shivam Mavi was the pick of the bowlers, accounting for four dismissals. Lockie Ferguson provided quality support, chipping in with three wickets. Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakravarthy accounted for a dismissal apiece.
“I think to be very honest it was a better wicket. It was staying a little low with the new ball but it was a better wicket. 171 was chaseable on this wicket. I think we wanted to get a good start. We needed a powerful powerplay. We wanted to execute whatever we planned but we didn’t execute. I think if you look at the whole season, we have gone through many challenges. Showed character though and am proud of the boys,” said Samson following the loss as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“We won some close games and lost some easy ones. We need to play a better standard of cricket to win more games in this tournament. Everyone came up with positive vibes, People were ready to go out there and win games for us. Being the skipper, I changed the way I look at my innings. It was always about thinking about the match situations. I would have loved to win more games despite scoring a lot of runs,” he added.
KKR opener Shubman Gill showcased his prowess, smashing 56 runs off 44 deliveries, in an innings comprising of four boundaries and two sixes. The opener’s innings provided a fine platform for the other batsmen which includes Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi to go out and express themselves. Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik provided a fine finish to proceedings, helping the Kolkata-based franchise post a total of 171 runs for the loss of four wickets.
“I think not losing wickets upfront was key. The pitch was double paced and we are very happy with the total we have now. The key is accuracy in whatever lengths we bowl. Good length balls are difficult to play on this pitch. We are treating this like just another match that we need to win. The atmosphere is the same,” stated Venkatesh as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Rahul Tewatia and Glenn Phillips were the pick of the bowlers for RR, accounting for a dismissal apiece. The Rajasthan-based franchise needed to chase down the target of 172 runs in nine overs, to help the defending champions surpass the Kolkata-based franchise in the NRR.
