Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson stitched a vital partnership to help RR record their second win in IPL 2021.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) slumped to the bottom of the points table after they were subjected to a rather embarrassing defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 18 of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Knight Riders were restricted to only 133/9, which is extremely below-par considering the Wankhede track. The Royals finally won their second game of the season by a margin of six wickets, in what has been a rather disappointing tournament so far. However, credit must be given to the Royals bowlers, who, despite bowling on a batting-friendly track, restricted the two-time champions to under 140. Chris Morris stole the show as he picked four wickets in the same number of overs and conceded only 23 runs. Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya and Jaydev Unadkat also managed to pick one wicket each. The first innings also featured two runouts.
The RR batters had a pretty comfortable job of chasing down the target, but they did lose a few wickets along the way. Opener Jos Buttler was sent back to the pavilion by Varun Chakravarthy. The mystery spinner also picked the wicket of Shivam Dube while youngster Shivam Mavi ousted Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pacer Prasidh Krishna dismissed Rahul Tewatia. Buttler could only manage 5 runs from 7 deliveries while Jaiswal and Dube scored 22 runs each. Captain Sanju Samson hit the winning runs as he scored an unbeaten 42 off 41 balls, while South African batter David Miller remained unbeaten at 24 off 23 deliveries.
The KKR batting lineup showcased what felt like the most disappointing batting performance in their first innings. Captain Eoin Morgan will have a serious concern ahead in the rest of the tournament. The men in Purple and Gold could only manage a meagre 133 on a Wankhede pitch that generally favours batters. Rahul Tripathi was the only player who could get past the 30-run mark as he scored 36 off 26 deliveries. He was briefly supported by opener Nitish Rana who struggled to 22 runs off 25 deliveries. Wicket-keeper and former captain Dinesh Karthik also played a small cameo of 25 off 24 deliveries. The larger problem for Morgan would be his side’s middle order. With names like his own, Russell, Karthik, and Pat Cummins, it is unacceptable to lose as many wickets as they did on a pitch that is batting-friendly.
