The team who were at the top of the table two match days ago, and were looking set to finish that way, bottled it in their last two games with consecutive losses. They now find themselves playing in the risky eliminator against the same opponents.
A loss and they will be out. A win and they will have to win again against the losers of the qualifier. The equation has gotten a little tougher, but it will only show how strong the resolve of each team is.
After being asked to bat, KKR posted a good score of 171. However, it was a highly assailable one given the track conditions, but SRH had a late implosion and messed up the whole chase in the process.
There were plenty of memorable moments in the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
1) Robin Uthappa’s start
Robin Uthappa was going through a bad patch of form of late but made a good attempt at getting over it with a fine start to his name. After being put to bat first, it was necessary that KKR openers were back to their firing ways as a 4th place finish was at stake.
And Robin Uthappa provided just that with his 17-ball 25. He might not have gotten a big score, but he started with a bang that shot the Knight Riders’ run-rate up by a few notches.
2) Manish Pandey’s surge
Manish Pandey could be classified as a one-season wonder in the IPL. However, this season, he has done a commendable job with some great innings here and there.
Another one of those great innings came against the Sunrisers Hyderabad last night as he fell just 2 runs short of a half-century. He played it at a brisk rate too as he got those runs in just 30 balls.
Right now, this was the best thing KKR could ask for going into the playoffs, especially with…
3) Yusuf Pathan in fine form
The timing of Yusuf Pathan’s arrival to form could not have been better. With just the play-offs and the final left to play, there is a good chance that KKR could ultimately go on to lift the trophy if he stays in form.
Against the superb bowling attack of the Sunrisers, he scored 52 runs in just 34 balls to consolidate his place as one of the crux components of the Knight Riders’ batting line-up. If he keeps up this form, it will be really difficult to gain victories from under the nose of the Knight Riders.
4) Shikhar makes a statement of intent
Like Uthappa, he was also going through a downslide but picked himself up in this game. The over-reliance on David Warner when it comes to batting has been blatantly apparent in this tournament. While the Australian has almost always delivered, the other batsmen should feel that their contribution could have been a lot more.
However, against KKR, David Warner could muster up only 18 off 16 and it seemed like the team was done for the night. But then Shikhar Dhawan took it upon himself to do the scoring as he fired his way to 51 off just 30 balls, giving his team the ideal start to chase down a tricky total.
5) Sunil Narine finally shows his best
The two seasons that KKR won the trophy were thanks to Sunil Narine’s brilliance with the ball. His wizardry remained a mystery for many batsmen as they found his bowling inscrutable. However, in this year’s IPL, he couldn’t weave the magic that he is known for. Up until last night.
Against the Sunrisers, one could see him bowling at his best. The batsmen were once again in a position of a dilemma while facing him. With figures of 26/3 after 4 overs, one could safely claim that with an on song Narine, Kolkata Knight Riders look like the team to watch out for.
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