In the 54th match of the VIVO IPL 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs. Following this victory, KKR have kept their playoffs hope alive. The Knight Riders’ inclusion in the playoffs will be determined on Friday after Mumbai Indians’ performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kolkata Knight Riders lost the toss and was put to bat. The KKR openers had a rusty start in the first innings. Venkatesh Iyer (38) and Shubman Gill (56) still managed to gather 79 runs for the first wicket. After a decent opening partnership, the middle-order also contributed with the bat at a healthy run-rate which helped the Knight Riders to post a target of 172 on the board. The SRK-owned team had an incredible start with the ball as they got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third ball of the innings. Kolkata crippled Rajasthan Royals’ batting line-up as the former pocketed five wickets within the first eight overs. Shivam Mavi and Lockie Ferguson ran through Rajasthan’s batting order and grabbed seven wickets even before the team could post 50 runs on the board. The Eoin Morgan-led team kept picking up wickets at regular intervals which made the victory impossible for the Rajasthan-based franchise. Rahul Tewatia didn’t give up even after they lost seven wickets and kept attacking the KKR bowlers. The in-form bowler Mavi, ended Tewatia’s cameo and registered an emphatic victory for Kolkata in a much-needed fixture.
Tewatia (44) was the highest scorer for RR in the second innings. The all-rounder walked out to bat when his team had already lost the game. Tewatia fought till he could and added some runs to their total.
Following this victory, KKR (4) and RR (7) have acquired their respective spots with 14 and 10 points each. The two-time IPL winners have also become the favourites to qualify for the playoffs.
Scorecard:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 171/4, Overs (20), Shubman Gill (56), Venkatesh Iyer (38), Chetan Sakariya (1/23)
Rajasthan Royals: 85/10, Overs (16.1), Rahul Tewatia (44), Shivam Dube (18), Shivam Mavi (4/21)