Bengaluru, April 11: Kolkata Knight Riders notched up a comprehensive 10-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad to win their opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
After being put into bat, the Kolkata openers got right down to business as Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill gave Kolkata a good start in the powerplay.
Rana and Gill put up an opening stand of 53 off 42 to set KKR for a modest total. Rashid Khan handed SRH the breakthrough removing Gill for 15 off 13, but that didn’t stop the KKR batsmen. Rana and Rahul Tripathi stitched together a match-winning knock of 93 off 50.
Nitish Rana, who ensured his place at the top, sizzled with a 56-ball 80 to guide KKR to a defendable total. He was aptly supported by Tripathi, who scored a 29-ball 53. Rana’s innings was studded with 9 boundaries and four maximums.
Though the Knights lost quick wickets in the middle, with the destructive Andre Russell going for 5 and captain Eoin Morgan going for just 2, former skipper Dinesh Karthik played a quick fire 22 off 9 to help the Knight Riders reach 187/6.
In response, SRH did not get off to an ideal start as they lost their openers quickly. After Warner was dropped by Cummins in the first over, Prasidh Krishna removed him in the very next over to hand KKR a good start to their defence.
Shakib al Hasan struck on his very first delivery to remove Wriddhiman Saha. Though Manish Pandey (61 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (55 off 40) put up a fight with a 92-run stand, Cummins broke the partnership to put KKR back into the game.
Despite a fighting unbeaten knock from Pandey, the regular wickets hurt Sunrisers chances as the Knight Riders notched up a comprehensive 10-run win.
Here's how the SRH vs KKR IPL match panned out:
End of the match: A comprehensive win for the Knights.
A six off the final delivery from Manish Pandey, but #SRH fall short by 10 runs.@KKRiders with a comprehensive win in their first game of #VIVOIPL 2021 season.
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 11, 2021
Scorecard - https://t.co/yqAwBPCpkb #SRHvKKR pic.twitter.com/qdynz3QL2b
Samad hits a six on the last ball but KKR notch a 10 run victory over SRH
Two to start the over. 20 needed off 4
SIX!! Another maximum and this time it goes over long on. 22 needed of the last over
SIX!! Samad times it well and sends it over long on
Captain Morgan picks up another important catch as Vijay Shankar goes for 11 off 7. Russell picks up his first wicket of the evening
SIX!! SRH are not done at all. Shankar pulls it over deep midwicket to end the over with a maximum
Knights have the upper hand at the moment.
KKR have regained control of match after Bairstow’s dismissal. Nabi getting hit by Prasidha will hurt too. Run rate’s climbed to 14, have to throw their bats at everything. Nabi’s showing derring do and taken challenge head on
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 11, 2021
A solid knock from Manish Pandey as he brings up his 19th IPL fifty.
Vijay Shankar the new batsman in. SRH need 57 off 24
CAUGHT! Captain Morgan takes the catch at cover as Nabi has to go for 14 off 11. Prasidh Krishna picks up his second wicket in his final over
FOUR! Nabi recovers from the blow and lifts it over extra cover for a boundary
Painful blow to Nabi on the neck and the physio comes on to check. Signal for a timeout
FOUR! Pandey times it well past long off for a boundary
The required runrate has crossed 12 now. But with Pandey in the middle the job is far from done. SRH need 72 off 33
SIX!! Pandey keeps the scoreboard ticking as he pulls it over square leg to hit Shakib with a maximum. Shakib's spell comes to an end. On his comeback the Bangladesh all-round gave away 34 runs and picked up 1 wicket in his four over spell
WICKET! Cummins to the rescue!! Big wicket as Cummins delivers when KKR needed it the most. Rana takes a smart catch as Bairstow goes for 55 off 40.
Big appeal for LBW. Not given. KKR review it and lose the review. Not a good call from Morgan but the Knights desperate for a breakthrough now.
SIX! And Bairstow notches up his 6th IPL half-century from just 32 deliveries. An important knock for SRH
99 needed off 54 and the pair of Bairstow and Pandey may as well take the game away
FOUR! A wide and a boundary to begin Prasidh Krishna's over. Pandey puts it away between mid-wicket and long on to start the over with a boundary. Pressure on the bowler
Halfway through the innings: Just the one boundary off the over. 8 runs comes off it. SRH need 111 from 60. The required run rate has climbed up to 11.10
Varun Chakravarthy comes into the attack
After losing the early wickets, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey have built a strong partnership and kept the game alive for SRH
SIX!! Bairstow has put SRH right back into the game.
FOUR! Russell comes into the attack and Bairstow immediately puts away the first delivery for a boundary
SIX!! Pandey keeos the scoreboard ticking as he sends it ober the bowlers head.
Good over from Cummins as just three runs come off from the final over of the powerplay. At the end of the powerplay SRH are at 35/2
Pat Cummins to bowl the last over of the powerplay
Pat Cummins to bowl the last over of the powerplay