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KKR vs RCB, IPL 2024: Kolkata beat Bangalore by 1 run in last-over thriller

By Yajati Keshari Rout
28

A solid batting effort, led by captain Shreyas Iyer (50 off 36), coupled with a collective bowling and fielding effort, helped Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in a last-over thriller in Match 36 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Mitchell Starc held his nerve in the last over and defended 21 runs as Phil Salt pulled off a brilliant athletic run out off the last ball to win it for KKR after Karn Sharma had provided a massive scare with three sixes in the final over.

Salt laid the platform for KKR after being put into bat with a blistering 12-ball 48; Shreyas Iyer steered the ship in the middle overs; and Ramandeep Singh provided the final flourish with a 9-ball 24 to power KKR to 222/6.

A collective bowling effort saw Andre Russell (3/25), Sunil Narine (2/34) and Harshit Rana (2/33) provide breakthroughs at crucial intervals as Starc held his nerve to defend 21 off the last over and win it for the hosts.

Defending 223, KKR dismissed RCB openers inside the Powerplay. The home team got the early breakthrough of Virat Kohli as Harshit Rana had him caught and bowled off a slower dipping high full toss. Kohli reviewed it unsuccessfully. He looked good for his 18 off seven balls, which included one four and two sixes. Captain Faf du Plessis followed as Venkatesh Iyer pulled off a fantastic low diving catch at mid on off Varun Chakaravarthy. Will Jacks, though, kept the run flowing as he hammered four sixes and three fours, including three muscular sixes and a four off Starc, in the sixth over, to take RCB to 74/2 at the end of the Powerplay.

KKR introduced Suyash Sharma as their Impact Player, replacing Rinku Singh in the seventh over. Jacks and Patidar continued the momentum with some powerful hitting as Jacks brought up his fifty off 29 balls with a six and a four off Varun Chakaravarthy. The duo added 102 runs off just 48 balls.

Shreyas then brought Andre Russell into the attack, and he turned it around for KKR, sending back the set Jacks (55 off 32) and Patidar (52 off 23) in the same over. Another bowling change brought rewards as Narine sent back Green and Mahipal Lomror in the same over to reduce RCB to 155/6.

With 68 needed off 42, Dinesh Karthik and Impact Player Suyash Prabhudessai got together, stabilised things and added 32 runs but the impressive Rana came back to dismiss Prabhudessai in the 18th over. Rana bowled an excellent over and gave away just six to bring the equation to 31 needed off 12.

Karthik cracked a six and a four off Russell in the penultimate over but Russell bounced back hard to provide a huge moment in the game as he sent back Karthik off the last ball of the over. Karthik shuffled way across and looked to scoop but miscued it and the keeper made no mistake.

With 21 needed off six, a thrilling finish ensued. Karn Sharma smashed a flat six over backward point first ball. He edged the next ball, but it didn’t carry to the keeper. Karn cracked the next one over covers and then another one over backward point for consecutive sixes to bring the equation down to 3 needed off 2. There was another twist next ball as Starc pulled off a brilliant caught and bowled to send back the rampant Karn. With 3 needed off the last ball, Lockie Ferguson jammed the last ball to deep cover and scampered through for risky two. The throw from the deep from Ramandeep was wide, but Salt did brilliantly to collect it, dive and break the stumps as Ferguson fell short. It sparked exuberant celebrations as KKR pulled off a thrilling one-run win.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field.

KKR got off to a brisk start as Phil Salt and Sunil Narine added 56 for the opening wicket. Salt took over the acceleration to start off, as Narine struggled to get off the mark. Narine was hit on the toe off a cracking yorker from Yash Dayal and had to be attended to by the physio in the second over. Narine got off the mark off the eighth ball as he slashed one just over the fielder at cover for a four to get off the mark.

Salt hit the fifth gear in the fourth over as he welcomed Lockie Ferguson into the attack with two sixes and four fours, making it a 28-run fourth over. He unleashed a slew of powerful strokes to set the tone and race to 48 off 11.

Du Plessis continued Siraj for his third over, and it brought a much-needed breakthrough for RCB as his clever slower one from the RCB pacer had the rampaging Salt caught at deep mid-wicket. One brought three as another slower one did the trick with a back-of-the-hand slower one from Dayal having Narine caught at long off.

And then two balls later, Cameron Green pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Angkrish Raghuvanshi as KKR reached 75/3 at the end of the Powerplay.

Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer kept the runs ticking, but Green made another crucial impact, having Iyer caught at deep square leg against the run of play.

The visitors pulled things back for a bit before Rinku Singh showed urgency, smashing a huge six off Karn Sharma. He, along with Shreyas, added 40 off 29. In between, Green put down a tough caught and bowled chance of Shreyas.

Just when another partnership was blossoming, Ferguson came back to get the huge wicket of Rinku Singh, caught at short fine leg off a slower short ball. Russell was caught behind off a high full toss the next ball, but it was declared a NO Ball as it was above waist-height.

Ferguson bounced back strongly after the 28-run first over to keep things in check and give away just 11 runs from his last two overs as things slowed down for KKR. Russell and Shreyas then pressed the accelerator button, taking 22 runs off the 17th over from Dayal as Shreyas brought up his 50 off 35 balls with a six and a four.

Shreyas, though, departed soon courtesy of a very good catch at long off from Du Plessis off Green in the next over.

Ramandeep Singh arrived and took off straightaway, cracking two sixes and a four off Siraj in the penultimate over. He, along with Russell, cracked three fours in the final over to propel KKR to 222/6. Ramandeep remained unbeaten on 24 off nine balls, while Russell was not out on 27 off 20.

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