RR vs KKR, 49th match at Kolkata, May 15 2018, Indian Premier League

RESULT
49th match (N), Eden Gardens, May 15, 2018, Indian Premier League
(18/20 ov, T:143) 145/4

KKR won by 6 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
4/20
kuldeep-yadav
Cricinfo's MVP
95.94 ptsImpact List
kuldeep-yadav
Match centre 
Scores: Thilak Ram | Comms: Alagappan Muthu
Scorecard summary
Rajasthan Royals 142/10(19 overs)
39 (22)
4/20 (4)
Kolkata Knight Riders 145/4(18 overs)
45 (42)
3/15 (4)
1/21 (4)
Cricinfo’s Most Valuable Players of the Match
PLAYERTeam
TI
Runs
I. Runs
B. Impact
Bowl
I. Wkts
Bo. Impact
KKR95.94--04/204.9195.94
RR92.8311(13)7.74- 0.193/154.0993.02
KKR79.621(7)29.5540.231/291.6939.37
RR66.739(22)52.1166.7--0
KKR55.111(5)11.79122/131.843.1
end of over 1816 runs
KKR: 145/4CRR: 8.05 
Dinesh Karthik41 (31b 5x4 1x6)
Andre Russell11 (5b 2x4)
Jofra Archer 4-0-43-0
Jaydev Unadkat 3-0-23-0

That's all we have for you tonight. Thanks for your company and your comments. We love em. Keep flooding us with em. But for now, off you go.

Kuldeep Yadav is the Man of the Match. "It was a pressure time for me. I was just thikning about taking a wicket, Jos Buttler is a set player, he is playing tremendously but I really wanted to take him out. You have to motivate yourself, you have to think about your strengths, stick to your basics. Not try too much. That's what I try to do. This is T20, so you have to keep changing some things. I knew Buttler would reverse sweep, so I bowled a quicker one. You have to plan for every batsman. Sometimes it goes in your way, sometimes it doesn't."

"They started off brilliantly but it shows our character. When we got a chance in the game, we didn't let go," Dinesh Karthik says. "We have team bonding sessions, keep our smiles, keeping going on in the tournament. He's an international quality player, he's one of the best left-arm chinaman bowlers right now. And all I have to do is make sure he is turned on. Sometimes he slacks off, bowls a bad ball trying too much so I'm just trying to make him do as well as he can and stay consistent. [Qualification is in your hands] You're scaring me."

Gaurav Pathak: "Give all scenario of qualifying for rr mi rcb " --- Eat, pray, love? (Kidding. The stat-o-matic will be churning out that info in due time)

"I think the intent was positive, but when you get a start like, the way Tripathi and Buttler batted, when I went in, I wanted to carry the momentum forward. Jos was batting very well. But it wasn't up to him all the time. The way Jaydev batted with the tail, he showed it was possible. We lost because of our batting," Rahane says. "When we finished our batting, our talk was about forgetting what happened in the middle. IT was important to pick wickets, our bowlers did very well. Unfortunately we got only 142 on the board - we needed 170 or 180. We still have a chance to make the playoffs. So now it's all about learning and moving forward. Last game in Jaipur as well, we know that ground well. We will miss Jos and Stokes, we all know how dangerous they are. But at the same time, I feel really happy for Jos that he's picked for the England Test squad"

Amyn: "K/O for Mumbai tomo! KXIP win would take them to 14points and MI can reach max of 12 then!"

"It was planned. The only way we would've let Rajasthan back in the game was by losing wickets so I wanted to bat through and make sure that didn't happen," Chris Lynn says. "I wanted to be there at the end, I didn't want to leave it to anyone in the end. Wanted to win it quickly as well for the run-rate, which I think will matter in a week's time. My strength is against quicker bowlers, some others can play spin better, it's about batting in partnerships. Good to get some momentum back, it's the business end of the tournament and we're playing exciting cricket. It was a great comeback after the first six overs"

11.25 pm This game was done at the halfway stage, when Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell lassoed Rajasthan Royals down from 59 for 0 in the fourth over to 142 all out. (That's 83 runs in 15 overs for 10 wickets). The pitch was a bit slow, they needed the top order to show stability and Chris Lynn stepped up, scoring at a pace far removed from his image. He fell with only a little bit left to get, and DK and Russell finished things off.

17.6
6
Archer to Karthik, SIX runs

hoists a short ball over long-on and take his team across the line. KKR move up to third place now in front of 61,000 of their supporters

Jmani: "You know the commentator is Al Muthu without even looking when the replies to comments is ridiculous :D" --- I thought it was my typos that set me apart!

17.5
4
Archer to Karthik, FOUR runs

outside edge flies away to the third man boundary. Gowtham does his best to stop it with a full length dive, it'll be a top effort if he has saved it. But it's unlikely... Yep, replays confirm he makes contact with the boundary while flicking the ball back

17.4
Archer to Karthik, no run

full on middle, whips it to midwicket

17.3
1
Archer to Russell, 1 run

low full toss, which Russell swings away to long-on

Ankit Arora: "I am not in a flight and definitely haven't paid $10 for cricinfo commentary. Not a fan of either of the teams playing. DD supporter. My comment should be published too. This is all I got ! "

17.2
4
Archer to Russell, FOUR runs

clears the front leg and smears a half-volley outside off to the cover boundary. 145 kph coming down, several more going away

17.1
1
Archer to Karthik, 1 run

swivels on the back foot and pulls it down to long leg

end of over 1710 runs
KKR: 129/4CRR: 7.58 RRR: 4.66
Dinesh Karthik30 (27b 4x4)
Andre Russell6 (3b 1x4)
Jaydev Unadkat 3-0-23-0
Ben Stokes 4-1-15-3

Upendra Kumar D: "One more one-sided match. When was the last time we had a really close match? I think the problem might be the batting first teams wants to go too hard and then in the process lost too may wickets. I really like the way SRH went against CSK, unfortunately their bowlers didn't turn up that day.."

16.6
1
Unadkat to Karthik, 1 run

finds a single behind point

16.5
Unadkat to Karthik, no run

tries to glide it fine to third man again, beaten for the second time

16.4
Unadkat to Karthik, no run

looks for third man again, angling the face of the bat against a shortish delivery coming into him. No connection

16.3
4
Unadkat to Karthik, FOUR runs

that's ridiculously good! Unadkat is bowling around the wicket, often taking all the pace off it. This one comes down at top pace, Karthik spots it and gently deflects it away to the third man boundary. Imagine your friend putting an arm around you, only to slap a sign that says "kick me!"

16.2
1
Unadkat to Russell, 1 run

clears the front leg to smash a back of a length ball over long-on. But it's off-pace and it induces an inside edge ontp pad

16.1
4
Unadkat to Russell, FOUR runs

wallops it to the point boundary, backing away against a short ball intending to cramp him. Sensational hitting, bounces only inches short of the rope

Russell : "@ Harshit Bribing your way to get your comment posted. I've given up on trying. I guess I don't have that journalistic cliche to it" --- Hey, I'm not so easily swayed. Well, I am, but I'd like something concrete in return Like concrete

end of over 163 runs • 1 wicket
KKR: 119/4CRR: 7.43 RRR: 6.00
Dinesh Karthik25 (23b 3x4)
Andre Russell1 (1b)
Ben Stokes 4-1-15-3
Ish Sodhi 4-0-21-1
15.6
Stokes to Karthik, no run

defends a good length ball on middle. That's Stokes' spell - and his season - done.

Deep: "26 off 28 with 6 wickets in hand, and the set batsman gone. Just the sort of moment when Tendulkar would get out, and Ajay Jadeja-Robin Singh will set about trying to win this against a fired up Donald (or McGrath, or Wasim, or Ambrose), eventually falling 1 run short... oh, the 1990s."

15.5
Stokes to Karthik, no run

full on off stump, knocks it down towards mid-on

15.4
1
Stokes to Russell, 1 run

full on middle, Russell knocks it away to deep midwicket

Men back on the hook and Stokes has been bowling the short ball well today

15.3
1lb
Stokes to Karthik, 1 leg bye

half an appeal for lbw, with DK shuffling across his crease. They pinch a legbye and soon after that's done, Royals review. It's a good length ball angling into the right-hander, beating the inside edge, and would go down with the angle past the stumps. HawkEye says it might clip, and that means umpire's call

Suraj Gupta: "I think that last over miraculous finish against Bangladesh infused a newer version of Dinesh Karthik... He has come out as a totally different man since then... found his hidden self..."

15.2
W
Stokes to Lynn, OUT

taken at deep point! It's short. It's wide. It needs to be whacked, which Lynn tries to do. But the connection is weak. It comes off the outside half of the bottom of the bat and goes only as far as Anureet.

Chris Lynn c Anureet Singh b Stokes 45 (42b 5x4 1x6) SR: 107.14
15.1
1
Stokes to Karthik, 1 run

turns a good length ball to long-on

end of over 157 runs
KKR: 116/3CRR: 7.73 RRR: 5.40
Chris Lynn45 (41b 5x4 1x6)
Dinesh Karthik24 (19b 3x4)
Ish Sodhi 4-0-21-1
Jofra Archer 3-0-27-0

Nikhil: "@cricinfo, need your views on why KKR is not pushing for NRR like Kohli did, i am fearing MI and RCB will sneak thru even if KKR wins this :(.. a KKR Fan" --- Possibly because the pitch still has something in it for the spinners...

14.6
Sodhi to Lynn, no run

beats him with a good length ball that drifts in on middle, grips the pitch and then zips away past the outside edge like they're mortal enemies

14.5
2
Sodhi to Lynn, 2 runs

an awkward looking sweep shot, right off middle stump. Top-edge for a couple.

Best performances - batters
Spike Graph
Wagon Zone
CA Lynn
45 runs (42)
5 fours1 six
Productive shot
pull
12 runs
2 fours0 six
Control
64%
KD Karthik
41 runs (31)
5 fours1 six
Productive shot
cover drive
10 runs
2 fours0 six
Control
77%
Best performances - bowlers
Kuldeep Yadav
O
4
M
0
R
20
W
4
ECO
5
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
BA Stokes
O
4
M
1
R
15
W
3
ECO
3.75
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
Match details
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
TossKolkata Knight Riders, elected to field first
Series
Season2018
Player Of The Match
Hours of play (local time)20.00 start, First Session 20.00-21.30, Interval 21.30-21.50, Second Session 21.50- 23.20
Match days15 May 2018 - night (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpire
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
PointsKolkata Knight Riders 2, Rajasthan Royals 0
Win Probability
KKR 100%
RRKKR
100%50%100%RR InningsKKR Innings

Over 18 • KKR 145/4

KKR won by 6 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)
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Indian Premier League

TEAMMWLPTNRR
SRH1495180.284
CSK1495180.253
KKR148616-0.070
RR147714-0.250
MI1468120.317
RCB1468120.129
KXIP146812-0.502
DC145910-0.222