Brendon McCullum and Shreyas Iyer share a common value and intend to paint a vision of positive intent for Kolkata Knight Riders in this edition of the IPL. The head coach and captain took a firm step on their journey to achieving something special at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
When most teams would have wilted defending a total of 128, KKR showed grit and determination to keep the match alive till the final over. Ultimately it was Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel’s presence of mind that saw RCB win by three wickets.
Karthik lived up to his finisher’s tag against his former franchise with a pulled six over backward square leg and a straight drive for four that fetched RCB the winning runs. It could, however, had been vastly different had KKR not messed up on a run-out chance in the previous over by Venkatesh Iyer.
There could be more bad news for KKR after Andre Russell fell on his follow through while bowling the final over. Given the concerns over his fitness, Russell’s availability could be in doubt. That his inept bowling made things tougher for Shreyas is another matter.
It’s no secret that teams winning the toss enjoy an advantage because of the dew factor. RCB didn’t begin their chase well though and were reduced to 17 for three in the third over. Then as dew set in and the bowlers struggled to grip the ball, the Knights started to lose ground. Still, disciplined effort kept them in the match right through.
Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee combined to remove the RCB top-order to throw open the contest. The pace duo removed Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli off two balls and send shock waves through the RCB line-up.
David Willey and Sherfane Rutherford put up a brief resistance and then Shahbaz Ahmed knocked 27 off 20 balls to get them closer to the target.
Batters struggle
Batting was tough for KKR too, with the batters paying the price for some poor shot selection. If Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva excelled in the middle overs, Akash Deep’s three wickets, including two in the Powerplay overs, stalled the Knights’ progress from the outset. The Bengal pacer bowled with a lot of zeal and got good purchase from the wicket.
He struck with his first ball, a well-directed short ball, which was angling across Venkatesh, and cramped him for the attempted pull. A similar delivery got the promising Nitish Rana. The Knights had slipped to 44/3 in the Powerplay overs and never recovered from the setbacks.
It was the perfect platform for Hasaranga to strike rich. The Sri Lankan leg spinner laid to rest the backbone of the Knights’ batting.
Hasaranga finished with four for 20; Shreyas, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson and Southee being his victims.
