The Eden Gardens in Kolkata witnessed a pulsating encounter in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, as Rajasthan Royals (RR) edged past Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two wickets in a high-scoring chase.
Despite a dropped catch by Riyan Parag in the second ball of the innings, Philip Salt departed soon. Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi steadied the ship with a 50-run partnership before a mini-collapse saw the dismissals of Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell. However, Narine continued his onslaught, smashing a magnificent century off just 49 deliveries – his maiden T20 hundred. A late cameo from Rinku Singh propelled the host to a formidable total of 223/6.
The Royals’ chase began brightly with Yashasvi Jaiswal providing a quickfire start. However, the home side fought back, dismissing both Jaiswal and Sanju Samson cheaply. The turning point came when Parag, who was building a crucial partnership with Jos Buttler, was dismissed. Yet, the stage belonged to Buttler. The English wicket-keeper batsman displayed remarkable composure, scoring a magnificent century – his seventh in the IPL. A late blitz from Rovman Powell sealed the victory for the visitors with two wickets remaining.
Jos Buttler’s exceptional knock earned him the Man of the Match award. Despite the defeat, KKR remain in second place with eight points from six games. However, RR consolidated their position at the top of the table, extending their lead with a comfortable 12 points from seven matches.
Scorecard:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 223-6, Overs 20, Sunil Narine 109, Avesh Khan 2/35
Rajasthan Royals: 224-8, Overs 20, Jos Buttler 107*, Sunil Narine 2/30