IPL 2018, KKR vs RR: Hits and Misses

In what was a crucial encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field first. However, they weren’t off to the best of starts as Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi went bonkers and gave Rajasthan Royals a flying start. The duo added 63 for the opening stand before Tripathi was dismissed.

Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler were then dismissed in the span of two overs and that turned the game and the momentum. RR never really recovered and they wasted a good start as could only manage 142.

They also couldn’t bat out their 20 overs (they were all out in 19 overs). Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled the RR batting as he took a 4-fer and dented the RR batting line-up.

Chasing just over 7 runs an over, Sunil Narine scored two sixes and 1 four off the first three deliveries of the innings. But after Narine’s dismissal, KKR slowed down and lost wickets. But Dinesh Karthik and Chris Lynn did well and forged a 48-runs stand. Lynn got out for 45 but Karthik scored an unbeaten 41 and took his team home with a couple of overs to spare.

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#5 Hit: Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine hit 21 runs in the first over and gave KKR an excellent start

Who would’ve thought about two-three years back, Sunil Narine would be counted as an all-rounder who opened the batting and tonked the ball to all parts of the ground. After hitting the then-fastest fifty in the IPL last year, Narine started the season with a 17-ball half-ton against RCB. But after that, he didn't get those big scores but he was giving KKR brisk starts.

In the last game, the West Indian scored a blistering 36-ball 75. And he carried his form into this game as well. He struck a quick-fire 21, hitting all those runs in the first over of the innings (off Krishnappa Gowtham). He was out in the next over but he had given KKR a very good start once again.

With the ball, he was in good form and is KKR’s leading wicket-taker in this tournament. And once again in this game, he bowled a brilliant line and length not allowing the batsmen to free their arms. Narine ended with figures of 1/29 and it was an all-round show from the West Indian

#4 Miss: Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa has scored 301 runs in 13 innings this season

Robin Uthappa has been timing and hitting the ball really well in this tournament but he’s just the third highest run-getter for KKR. He just hasn’t been able to convert this starts throughout this season. He has scored just one fifty this season and that came a couple of games ago against Mumbai Indians.

After that half-century, Uthappa scored 14 and 24 in his next two innings. And in this game, without a big target to chase, he had the time to get set and bat deep. But Uthappa squandered yet another opportunity as he got out for 4 and was once again dismissed by the short ball.

Uthappa is a compulsive puller and he fell into the trap as Ben Stokes bowled a good bouncer and had the former caught at deep square-leg.

#3 Hit: Ben Stokes

This was Ben Stokes' last game of the season and he put up an excellent performance with the ball

The most expensive player to be bought in the auction this year, Ben Stokes has been disappointing. With the bat, he’s had just two scores in excess of 30 and with the ball, he took just 5 wickets (before this game). Also, this game against KKR was going to be his last of the season due to national commitments.

He once again failed with the bat, scoring a scratchy 13-ball 11. But it was his performance with the ball that was special. With just 143 runs in the bank, Stokes took the new ball and struck immediately. He dismissed the dangerous and in-form Sunil Narine. Then it was Robin Uthappa who fell trying to pull a good short delivery. He had figures of 2/13 (in 3 overs) after his first spell.

The premier England all-rounder then came back in the 16th over and picked up the wicket of Chris Lynn and finished with figures of 3/15 in 4 overs.

#2 Miss: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was out trying to play a reverse-sweep

The Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane has been very disappointing in the last few games. He has struggled to get going and hasn’t opened the batting in these last few games.

Even in this game, Rahane didn’t open despite D’Arcy Short not featuring in the XI. Rahul Tripathi was sent to open the batting alongside Jos Buttler. The RR skipper came into bat in the 5th over after his team got off to a flier. Rahane looked quite scratchy throughout his innings.

He started off by playing five dots in a row before hitting a boundary. But he continued to struggle and was eventually dismissed to a poor stroke. Rahane tried a fancy reverse-sweep and was out bowled. It was another failure for India’s Test vice-captain as he managed just 11 (in 12 balls).

#1 Hit: Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav was brilliant as he took 4/20 in his 4 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav has been a key part of India’s recent success in limited-overs cricket. Along with Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep troubled the opposition and took a lot of wickets. However, in this IPL, till this game against Rajasthan Royals, the chinaman struggled, taking just 9 wickets in 12 games.

But the 23-year-old spinner was brilliant in this game. He took 4/20 in his 4 overs and changed the momentum of the game. Brought into the attack in the 8th over, Kuldeep struck immediately as he castled Ajinkya Rahane off his second delivery. But the big wicket came in his next over when he got rid of an in-form Jos Buttler and turned the game on its head.

The chinaman then picked up another couple of wickets (that of Stuart Binny and Ben Stokes) in his next two overs to finish with a four-wicket haul. Kuldeep bowled an unchanged spell and was outstanding.

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