Kolkata/IBNS: Kolkata Knight Riders are back on the winning track as they beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 1 run in a last-ball thriller in the IPL clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
The innings of RCBs Will Jacks (55 off 32) and Rajat Patidar (52 off 23), and tailender Karn Sharmas quickfire 20 knock (off 7 balls with three sixes) went in vain as the last two batters, Mohammed Siraj and Lockie Ferguson, could not finish it off.
The Eden Gardens, however, missed a Virat Kohli show as the RCB star got out after scoring 18 off 7 balls in a controversial no-ball dismissal following which he hit out at the umpires over their decision.
Image credit: Facebook/Tata IPL
Even after the match, dissatisfied Kohli was seen discussing the matter with the umpires.
For KKR, Andre Russell took 3 wickets of 25 runs in 3 overs, while Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine got 2 wickets each, and Varun Chakaravarthy took one.
KKR pacer Mitchell Starc got a crucial wicket in the 20th over after giving 55 runs in his three-over spell with an economy rate of 18.30.
Earlier, RCB skipper Faf du Plesis won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Batting first, KKR opener Philip Salt made a 14-ball 48 knock that gave Kolkata a good start to their innings.
Image credit: Facebook/Tata IPL
However, another Kolkata opener Sunil Narine, who slammed his maiden IPL ton in the last match against Rajasthan Royals, did not have a good game today as he scored just 10 runs off 15 balls.
In the middle-order, Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer made a half century as he scored 50 off 36 balls.
Kolkata scored 222 for the loss of 6 wickets with a 43-run tailend partnership between Ramandeep and Andre Russell in the last 19 balls of their innings.
For RCB, Cameron Green and Yash Dayal took two wickets each, while Siraj and Lockie Ferguson got one wicket each.
Despite the heatwave flowing, cricket lovers turned up in huge numbers to cheer their teams. The citys temperature touched near 41 degrees Celsius at 3:30 pm. when the match started.
Photo courtesy: CAB
According to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), the turnout at the Eden Gardens touched a staggering 54,365 at 4:30 pm, and the figure reportedly went up as the game progressed.
With this victory, KKR moved to the second spot on the IPL 2024 points table, replacing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
KKR will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next match on Apr 26 at the Eden Gardens, while RCB will play their next game against SRH on Apr 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
