IPL Eliminator, KKR vs RR, as it happened: Kolkata knock Rajasthan out with 25-run win

Summary: Rahane’s wicket came at a crucial stage and Samson fell soon after. Kuldeep and Chawla were excellent and squeezed the life out out Rajasthan in the middle overs. Russell and Prasidh were terrific at the death. As for Rajasthan, it was a year when their big players simply did not come to the party at any stage. Russell and the ever-consistent Karthik along with Shubman Gill led the way with the bat. With the pitch offering so much turn, 170 was always going to be a stiff ask.

KKR WIN BY 25 RUNS! Yet another terrific over from Prasidh, who bowls a fine mix of slow deliveries and yorkers. The final delivery is pulled to the fine-leg fence for a boundary by Gowtham. Kolkata will return to Eden Gardens to face the Sunrisers. Rajasthan, who were well on course to a win, simply lost their way to the spinners at a crucial stage of the game.

RR 136/4 in 19 Overs
That should be the game for Kolkata. Gowtham needs to hit six sixes to win the game. Russell was outstanding in his final over, conceding just six runs fom it. The ground is shaking.

WICKET! RR 130/4 in 18 Overs
Outstanding bowling from Prasidh, who conceded just three runs from the over and in the last ball, deceived Binny with a slower one. The game is slipping away from Rajasthan slowly but surely. Rajasthan need 40 from the last two overs and the Eden Gardens is on its feet.
S Binny c Lynn b Binny 0 (2)

WICKET! RR 126/3 in 16.3 Overs
Samson holes out at long on while trying to clear the ropes off Chawla. He gets a top edge and the ball goes only as far as Searles, who makes no mistake. We feel the tide has slighly changed but a cameo from Gowtham can change things.
S Samson c Searles b Chawla 50 (38)

RR 111/2 in 15 Overs
Yet another gem of an over from Kuldeep, conceding just two runs from it. Klaasen was in all sorts of trouble outside off stump. He finishes with figures of 4-0-18-1.

WICKET! RR 109/2 in 14.1 Overs
The time-out does the trick for Kolkata! Rahane is beaten in the googly and his sweep gets a top edge and it’s another caught and bowled. Kuldeep makes no mistake.
A Rahane c & b Kuldeep 46 (41)

RR 103/1 in 13 Overs
Rahane and Samson have completed their fifty-run stand. Chawla and Russell were brought back into the attack and they responded with good overs, conceding just 13 between them. The running between the wickets betwen the two batsmen has been first-rate.

RR 90/1 in 11 Overs
Everything is going Rajasthan’s way as the runs keep on coming. Searles was smashed a cracking six over mid-wicket by Samson. Rahane has gone off the boil, as has been the case so often after he gets a good start. Kuldeep completed his third over, yet another fine one which yielded just three from it.

RR 74/1 in 9 Overs
Rajasthan continue to keep the scoreboard ticking with boundaries. Samson has now settled in and got two boundaries off Kuldeep. Kolkata need wickets but Rajasthan are being smart in rotating the strike.

RR 54/1 in 7 Overs
Excellent start for Kuldeep, who teases Samson on a slightly outside off stump line from a back of a length. Just three runs from the over and Kolkata are back in the contest.

WICKET! RR 47/1 in 5.1 Overs
Chawla gets his man – a one-handed caught and bowled effort – as Tripathi is once again beaten in the googly. The batsman could only manage a tame chip back to the bowler.
R Tripathi c & b Chawla 20 (13)

RR 47/0 in 5 Overs
The runs come thick and fast as the brave Tripathi hammers Narine for back-to-back sixes over long on. The crowd has gone stunned in silence and Rajasthan are running away with this. Kolkata have a lost a review too, a poor leg-before shout off Tripathi.

RR 32/0 in 4 Overs
Rahane continue to fly off the blocks in emphatic fashion. Yet again, he goes after Prasidh and earns two boundaries from the over. The young pacer, though, fought back well and earned a couple of dot balls in the over.

RR 21/0 in 3 Overs
Rahane plays across the line off Chawla and misses the turn, the ball raps his pads. Kolkata players appeal and the umpire and was given out. The review is taken and the Rajasthan captain survives as the replay shows ball was missing leg. Chawla had Rahane in all sorts of trouble with his googly.

RR 15/0 in 2 Overs
Oh, Rahane is not hanging back and he flicks Prasidh Krishna for a boundary in emphatic fashion. Tripathi nearly made the long walk back while trying to clear the ropes. Tidy over from Krishna, conceding just six from it.

RR 9/0 in 1 Over
Rahane gets Rajasthan’s chase up and running with a towering six over backward square off Russell. The West Indian struggled with his delivery stride and tumbled over – a sight that we haven’t witnessed for the first time.

KKR FINISH AT 169/7
Kolkata won’t mind this. Yet another magnificent finish from Russell, who went berserk in the final overs to take his team to a competitive score. Excellent comeback from the home side, who were in dire straits after the powerplay. Russell finishes at an unbeaten 49, which came from just 25 balls.

WICKET! KKR 164/7 in 19.4 Overs
Searles is out trying to clear the fence. Fine work from Archer to cover plenty of distance and hold on to the ball, which looked like falling in no-man’s land.
J Searles c Archer b Laughlin 2 (5)

KKR 157/6 in 19 Overs
Michael Clarke in the commentary box screams, “That’s a forehand down the line”. That summed up Russell’s six over long on off Archer. Barring the six, Archer was tidy, conceding just eight from the over.

KKR 149/6 in 18 Overs
Two more sixes! Normal service resumes for Russell as he pulls with utmost joy and lands the ball over the ropes once again. The second six off Laughlin landed in the top tier.

WICKET! KKR 135/6 in 17.1 Overs
Karthik falls while trying to clear to clear the infield. The ball hits the toe end of the back and Rahane at cover makes an acrobatic take. Excellent from the Kolkata captain once again – he has been a picture of consistency.
D Karthik c Rahane b Laughin 52 (38)

KKR 135/5 in 17 Overs
Massive over for Kolkata, 19 from it! DK completes his fifty with a scoop that takes his top edge and falls just in front of the sightscreen behind the stumps. Then, Russell comes into the act with a pull shot that goes just over Samson’s head for a six. The West Indian then creams one to the cover fence. Poor from Undakat once again.

KKR 116/5 in 16 Overs
Russell made full use of a free-hit from Archer, thumping it to cow corner for a maximum but Ishi Sodhi once again applies the brakes with a terrific over, conceding just two runs from it. The Kiwi ends his spell with figures of 4-0-15-0.

WICKET! KKR 106/5 in 14.2 Overs
Archer delivers in his comeback over as Gill is cramped for room and nicks one to Klaasen behind the stumps. There was a hint of movement for the pacer and Rajasthan strike at a crucial time. One has to feel for young Gill, whose innings had just gathered steam.
S Gill c Klaasen b Archer 28 (17)

KKR 102/4 in 14 Overs
20-run over! Karthik and Gill complete their fifty partnership. Huge over for Kolkata and it is Gill who leads the charge with a cut shot behind point for a four and stepping out and depositing one over the long-off fence. Gopal goes short in the last ball of the over and he is pulled over mid-wicket for another six, this time from Karthik.

KKR 82/4 in 13 Overs
Gill has aquainted himself nicely and Karthik is happy to give him the strike. The spinners continue to apply the brakes, though. Sodhi’s third over accounted for just six runs. Just 10 from the last 12 balls.

KKR 72/4 in 11 Overs
Karthik is playing on a different wicket compared to his teammates. In the last five overs, he has cut down on attacking shots and is happy to run the ball the ball fine. Gill also goes fine and gets his first boundary – a trickle to the third man fence off Laughlin.

KKR 57/4 in 9 Overs
Time-out is signalled and Shubman Gill faces his biggest test till date. Outstanding from all the Rajasthan bowlers. Ish Sodhi is getting the ball to turn by a mile and has conceded just seven from his first two overs.

WICKET! KKR 51/4 in 8 Overs
No end to Kolkata’s worries as Lynn, under pressure to accelerate, drives the ball back to the bowler and it’s a simple return catch. Gopal, like Gowtham, also gets off to a fine start and there is an air of disbelief around the stadium. The batsmen are falling like nine pins.
C Lynn c & b Gopal 18 (22)

KKR 46/3 in 6 Overs
Big over for Kolkata. Undakat goes wide outside the off-stump and he is spanked for three boundaries in the over. DK accounted for two of those, easing the pressure on his side. Lynn latched onto a slow delivery from a similar length and pierced the ball through the off-side ring. Fourteen from the over.

KKR 32/3 in 5 Overs
Gowtham is getting sharp turn from a good length and Lynn continues to labour with spin. The Karnataka all-rounder bowls yet another fine over, giving away just four from it. Meanwhile, DK has started proceedings with a classy flick to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

WICKET! KKR 24/3 in 3.4 Overs
More joy for Rajasthan in the City of Joy. Rana, caught in two minds, pulls in vain and it ends up being a poor shot under the circumstances. The ball loops to Undakat at mid-on, who takes a simple catch and the visiting side are cock-a-hoop. Poor application from Kolkata.
N Rana c Unadkat b Archer 3 (5)

WICKET! KKR 17/2 in 2.1 Overs
Another one goes and Rajasthan are on fire! Gowtham’s dream start continues after Uthappa, trying to work the ball down the leg side, gets a top edge and Gowtham plucks a smart return catch. The bowler jumped full length to hang on to the ball. The capacity crowd at Eden Gardens is stunned in silence.
R Uthappa c & b Gowtham 3 (7)

KKR 17/1 in 2 Overs
Archer starts well as Lynn was beaten in his pace and his pull shot nearly landed in the palms of Unadkat at mid-on but it fell just short. Archer generated movement and pace that rushed both batsmen during the over. Tidy stuff from the pacer apart from the two wides down the leg side.

WICKET! KKR 4/1 in 0.2 Overs
What a start to the game! The first ball is spanked through the covers for a four. Gowtham delivers a quicker delivery next up and Narine, stepping down the track, is beaten in the pace and Klaasen whips off the bails in a flash.
S Narine st Klaasen b Gowtham 4 (2)

Lineups:

KKR: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Javon Searles, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

RR: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Stuart Binny, K Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

06:30 pm: Toss – Ajinkya Rahane opts to bowl first. Both teams remained unchanged from their last group game. “The pressure is on KKR as they are playing at home,” says Ajinkya Rahane.

Hello and welcome. As we all come to terms with Mr 360 AB de Villiers hanging up his boots, there is an eliminator that we gear up to watch at the Eden Gardens. Rajasthan Royals’ fortunes have mixed this season, having blown hot and cold throughout and sneaking into the playoffs through the back door.

Kolkata Knight Riders have picked up form at the right time and come into this game with three wins on the bounce. Kolkata got off to an indifferent start before gathering steam in the business end of the group stages. The two capains are enjoying fortunes that range on the extreme. Ajinkya Rahane has struggled to get any momentum going in this campaign while Dinesh Karthik has been in stunning form, leading his team to victory batting second.

Rajasthan lost both their encounters against Kolkata this season.