| 0.0 : First 5 games, 4 wins, the next 5, 5 losses. Everything seems to be falling apart for Kolkata and time too is running out for them. They need to get back to winning ways and that too quickly. They will be happy with the fact that they are facing a side who they have enjoyed good success in the recent past and also, they will be playing this game under familiar conditions. They are up against Rajasthan for whom, each and every game is a do-or-die game. Both the sides will be hungry for a win here |
| TOSS - Up goes the coin and it lands in the favor of Rajasthan. They will bowl first. |
| Rajasthan skipper, Steven Smith, says it looks a nice wicket and he is happy to play on this wicket. Mentions that there have been positive signs, their top four is doing well with the bat and he hopes they can cash in tonight as well. Informs that there are two changes as Oshane Thomas comes in for Dhawal Kulkarni and Varun Aaron for Ashton Turner. |
| Kolkata skipper, Dinesh Karthik, says the surface has got a lot of grass covering and it should be good for batting and they have picked the team according to that. Mentions that they need to get the best out of the players who are doing well. Informs that they too have two changes as Prasidh Krishna and Carlos Brathwaite come in for Harry Gurney and KC Cariappa. |
| Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI) - Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson (WK), Steven Smith (C), Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Oshane Thomas (IN FOR ASHTON TURNER), Varun Aaron (IN FOR DHAWAL KULKARNI). |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (WK/C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite (IN FOR HARRY GURNEY), Piyush Chawla, Yarra Prithviraj, Prasidh Krishna (IN FOR KC CARIAPPA). |
| We are all set to begin. Carlos Brathwaite rings the bell and Rajasthan players make their way out in the middle. Chris Lynn and Shubman Gill will open the batting for Kolkata. Varun Aaron will start the proceedings for Rajasthan. |
| 0.1 : V Aaron to C Lynn, Excellent start by Aaron. He gets this one to come back in late, very late. It pitches on off and then jags back in. Lynn at the very end gets his bat down in time, it hits the inside edge and then onto his pads. |
| 0.2 : V Aaron to C Lynn, Another good delivery and good carry too! Back of a length and outside off, Lynn shoulders arms to it. |
| 0.3 : V Aaron to C Lynn, OUT! LYNN CHOPS IT ON! Aaron draws first blood and that too on the third ball itself. He is pumped and why not? He has got the dangerous Lynn. This is probably the worst of the three deliveries he has bowled so far. This is short and wide outside off, Lynn throws his bat at it away from the body. He only manages an inside edge and the ball disturbs the furniture behind. Perfect start for Rajasthan after electing to bowl. |
| Nitish Rana is the new batsman in. |
| 0.4 : V Aaron to N Rana, Attacks the stumps again, Rana gets right behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 0.5 : V Aaron to N Rana, FOUR LEG BYES! Kolkata are underway! Errs in line there, does Aaron. He bowls it on the pads, Rana looks to flick but misses. The ball brushes his pads and races down to the fine leg fence. |
| 0.6 : V Aaron to N Rana, A top, top delivery to end an excellent first over by Aaron. He lands this on off and then it jags away. Rana has a tentative poke at it and gets beaten. |
| Oshane Thomas to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : O Thomas to S Gill, On a good length on off, Gill drives it towards covers for a run and Shubman gets off the mark. |
| 1.2 : O Thomas to N Rana, Short of a length delivery outside off, Rana looks to play an upper cut but misses it. |
| 1.3 : O Thomas to N Rana, FOUR! Talk about using the pace of the bowler, Rana did that extremely well there. There is a little width on offer outside off, Rana just opens the face of the bat and guides it nicely through point. The ball races away. Rana is off the mark! |
| 1.4 : O Thomas to N Rana, Again short of a length delivery, Rana looks to play an upper cut but misses it due to the bounce on this one. |
| 1.5 : O Thomas to N Rana, Length delivery on middle, Rana flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 1.6 : O Thomas to S Gill, On a length on middle, Gill flicks it through square leg for a run. 7 runs have come from the over. |
| 2.1 : V Aaron to S Gill, Gets some good bounce there! Lands it on a length and around off, Gill tries to defend and the ball hits him high on the bat and rolls towards point. |
| 2.2 : V Aaron to S Gill, Continues bowling it on a length and around off, Gill once again keeps it out. |
| 2.3 : V Aaron to S Gill, Good change in pace! It is the slower one and it is fuller on off, Gill seems to be deceived just a little but then at the very end, tamely pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 2.4 : V Aaron to S Gill, On a length on middle, Gill flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 2.5 : V Aaron to N Rana, EDGED BUT JUST WIDE! Don't think it would have carried too. Aaron bowls another excellent slower one outside off, Rana once again goes after it tentatively. An outside edge is produced. The ball though goes wide of Stokes at first slip. Third man does well to stop it with a dive. Couple taken. |
| 2.6 : V Aaron to N Rana, IN THE AIR BUT SAFE! Aaron bowls it on a good length on middle, Rana looks to defend but gets a leading edge as the ball straightens a touch. It goes towards point where it just falls short of the fielder. Another good over from Varun Aaron. Just 3 runs have come from the over. |
| 3.1 : O Thomas to S Gill, FOUR! That has flown across the outfield! No chance for the third man fielder! Once again Thomas is guilty of providing width outside off. Gill guides it past point and the ball gets to the fence in a jiffy. |
| 3.2 : O Thomas to S Gill, Full on middle, Gill drives it to mid off. |
| 3.3 : O Thomas to S Gill, On a good length on middle, Gill defends it off the back foot and takes a quick single. |
| 3.4 : O Thomas to N Rana, Again on a good length on middle, Rana keeps it out. |
| 3.5 : O Thomas to N Rana, FOUR! Poor line again and a boundary results. It is down the leg side, hurries Rana into the pull. You though need just a little connection and that is exactly the case. It brushes Rana's gloves and goes to the fine leg fence. Second boundary in the over. |
| 3.6 : O Thomas to N Rana, Bowls full on the pads, Rana looks to flick but it goes off his pads. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. It goes towards fine leg for a run. |
| 4.1 : V Aaron to N Rana, Short of a length delivery on leg, Rana pulls it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 4.2 : V Aaron to S Gill, Full on off, Gill drives it through point. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 4.3 : V Aaron to S Gill, Bowls a good yorker on middle, Gill does well to dig it out and drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 4.4 : V Aaron to S Gill, FOUR! You need not run for that, that has once again gone to the fence like a tracer bullet. Aaron bowls this where Gill loves it. Short and outside off, Gill cuts it past point. Boundary! |
| 4.5 : V Aaron to S Gill, Length delivery on middle, Gill flicks it to short mid-wicket where Ben Stokes does well to stop it. |
| 4.6 : V Aaron to S Gill, OUT! Aaron strikes again! This is just a top, top delivery. Unplayable! Aaron bowls the slower one and it starts from way outside off. It comes back in a long way and very late. Gill fails to adjust and ends up playing outside the line. The ball takes the inside edge and then hits the stumps behind. This is an excellent comeback into the team for Aaron. Because of him, Rajasthan are on top at the moment. |
| Dinesh Karthik is the new batsman in. Jofra Archer is into the attack. |
| 5.1 : J Archer to N Rana, Very good delivery again! Length and around off, it pitches and then moves away. Rana hangs his bat out and gets beaten. |
| 5.2 : J Archer to N Rana, Length delivery on leg, Rana looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. It goes towards the leg side for a single. |
| 5.3 : J Archer to D Karthik, On a good length on middle, Karthik blocks it off his back foot. |
| 5.4 : J Archer to D Karthik, Again on a good length on off, Dinesh defends it off the front foot. |
| 5.5 : J Archer to D Karthik, Length delivery on off, Karthik taps it to point. |
| 5.6 : J Archer to D Karthik, On a good length on off, Karthik blocks it off his back foot. A top over from Archer, just 1 run from it. Kolkata are 32/2 after the first 6 overs. An excellent Powerplay for Rajasthan, they now have Kolkata under a lot of pressure. |
| Shreyas Gopal is on now! |
| 6.1 : S Gopal to N Rana, Tosses this one up on middle, Rana works it to mid-wicket. |
| 6.2 : S Gopal to N Rana, Another googly on off, Rana once again keeps it out. |
| 6.3 : S Gopal to N Rana, Flighted delivery on leg, Rana sweeps it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 6.4 : S Gopal to D Karthik, Tossed up on leg, Karthik looks to play a reverse sweep but gets hit on the pads. It goes towards the leg side. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. The batsmen take a run. |
| 6.5 : S Gopal to N Rana, Floated delivery on middle, Rana keeps it out. |
| 6.6 : S Gopal to N Rana, Short delivery on middle, Rana pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| Riyan Parag is on now! |
| 7.1 : R Parag to N Rana, FOUR! Amazing shot. Short and outside off, Rana makes room and cuts it hard through point for a boundary. |
| 7.2 : R Parag to N Rana, Floated on middle, Rana flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 7.3 : R Parag to D Karthik, It was a carrom ball from Riyan Parag. Tossed up on middle, Karthik looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 7.4 : R Parag to D Karthik, Flighted delivery on middle, Dinesh flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. The skipper gets off the mark after facing seven balls. |
| 7.5 : R Parag to N Rana, Floated on off, Rana keeps it out. |
| 7.6 : R Parag to N Rana, Full on middle, Rana drives it towards mid on for a run. Despite going for a boundary, Parag has done well to come back and has given just 7 runs from the over. |
| 8.1 : S Gopal to N Rana, That turned and also skids through. The googly outside off, Rana watchfully lets it be. |
| 8.2 : S Gopal to N Rana, OUT! Gopal gets his first and Rana, who had got a start, departs. It is another googly outside off, it is slightly shorter in length. Rana goes back and tries to cut but ends up hitting it uppishly to the man at point. Aaron takes it nicely. Kolkata slip further. |
| Strategic break. Rajasthan have done well to take three wickets and have bowled tight line and lengths to restrict Kolkata from scoring runs. Varun Aaron has taken two wickets and has applied the brakes on scoring. On the other hand, the hosts need big partnerships to make a comeback in the match and skipper Dinesh Karthik needs to fire big today. Also, Sunil Narine is the new batsman in. |
| 8.3 : S Gopal to S Narine, Outside off and Narine, strangely, makes a leave. Maybe he has come out with a different approach. |
| 8.4 : S Gopal to S Narine, A forward defense now from him. On off, it is kept out. |
| 8.5 : S Gopal to S Narine, Slightly short outside off, Narine looks to cut but mistimes it to covers. 5 dots, will this be a maiden? |
| 8.6 : S Gopal to S Narine, EDGY FOUR! No, it is not a maiden. Narine gets off the mark in streaky fashion. Slightly and outside off, SN looks to cut but only manages an outside edge. It goes past the first slip fielder the ball races away to the third man fence. Still a top over though, 4 runs and a wicket from it. |
| Jaydev Unadkat is into the attack. |
| 9.1 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, On a length on middle, Karthik flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 9.2 : J Unadkat to S Narine, Short of a length delivery, Narine pulls it over mid-wicket for a run. |
| 9.3 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery. On a good length and outside off, Karthik looks to defend but misses it due to the away movement on this one. |
| 9.4 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, Short again from Unadkat, Karthik looks to pull but gets a top edge. It goes towards wide mid on where Gopal goes for the catch but it falls short of him. |
| 9.5 : J Unadkat to S Narine, Bowls a sharp bouncer, Narine looks to duck but gets hit on the helmet. It goes towards point. |
| 9.6 : J Unadkat to S Narine, Bowls a bouncer, Narine does well to duck under it. Just 3 runs from the over. |
| 10.1 : S Gopal to D Karthik, SIX! Short ball and it has been hit into the stands. A much-needed biggie and it is also the first of the game. It sits up to be hit, Karthik goes vack quickly and pulls it over the mid-wicket fence. This should get Karthik going, Kolkata will hope so. |
| 10.2 : S Gopal to D Karthik, FOUR! EDGY BUT KARTHIK WON'T MIND! 10 from two balls for him. This is tossed up nicely on off, it pitches and then turns away. Karthik looks to defend but the ball takes the outside edge and goes to the third man fence. |
| 10.3 : S Gopal to D Karthik, MISFIELD AND FOUR! Poor, just poor from Binny. Whereas, for Kolkata, they now have 14 from the first three balls. It is full and on the stumps, Karthik whips it through mid-wicket. Binny in the deep looks to pick the ball up but fails to do so and lets it through for a boundary. |
| 10.4 : S Gopal to D Karthik, FOUR! Make that 18 from the 4 balls bowled! Karthik gets a gift this time and he puts it away. A full toss on off, DK strokes it through covers and the ball races away. |
| 10.5 : S Gopal to D Karthik, Sensible batting! Having got 18 from the over, Karthik nicely pushes it through covers and takes an easy run. |
| 10.6 : S Gopal to S Narine, SIX! Narine gets into the act now! 25 from the over. Releases all the pressure that was built. Sunil goes down on one knee and then hits the slog sweep. He nails it and it goes over the mid-wicket fence. |
| Jofra Archer is back into the attack. |
| 11.1 : J Archer to D Karthik, SIX! Karthik is on the charge here. This is a fantastic shot. Didn't look like it would go all the way. Back of a length on the hips, Karthik moves inside the line and just flicks it over square leg for a maximum. |
| 11.2 : J Archer to D Karthik, Full on off, Karthik drives it to mid off. |
| Is Narine run out? Well his body language does signal so. The umpire has taken it upstairs. |
| 11.3 : J Archer to D Karthik, OUT! Narine is out by a long, long way! This is the last thing Kolkata would have wanted. Just as they were starting to get on top, they have lost Narine and in a needless fashion. Karthik works this through mid-wicket. They taken one and then go for a second. There is some confusion in between as Narine stops, he then continues. Aaron picks the ball up and fires it to Rahane who is at the bowler's end. He collects the ball and whips the bails off. An appeal and the |
| Andre Russell is the new batsman in. |
| 11.4 : J Archer to D Karthik, On a good length on middle, Karthik blocks it off his back foot. |
| 11.5 : J Archer to D Karthik, On a good length on off, Dinesh defends it off the back foot. |
| 11.6 : J Archer to D Karthik, Short delivery on middle, the skipper pulls it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 12.1 : O Thomas to D Karthik, Back of a good length outside off, Karthik taps it away on the off side. Single taken. |
| 12.2 : O Thomas to A Russell, Length delivery on off, Russell looks to go for the big shot but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a run. |
| 12.3 : O Thomas to D Karthik, On the shorter side, Karthik looks to pull but gets hit on the thigh pad. It goes towards square leg. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. The batsmen take a single. |
| 12.4 : O Thomas to A Russell, On a good length and outside off, Russell swings his bat wildly but misses it. |
| 12.5 : O Thomas to A Russell, Length delivery on off, Russell plays it towards point for a run. |
| 12.6 : O Thomas to D Karthik, On a length on middle, Karthik flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| Varun Aaron to bowl out! |
| 13.1 : V Aaron to D Karthik, Crisply driven but to covers! Full and on off, Karthik strokes it but finds the fielder. |
| 13.2 : V Aaron to D Karthik, SIX! Outrageous this! How good are the bats these days? This is short and wide outside off, Karthik gets his bat to it, his one hand comes off as he plays the shot. The ball hits the middle and it sails over the point fence. |
| 13.3 : V Aaron to D Karthik, Excellent stop! Saves a certain boundary there does Samson. Aaron bowls the knuckle ball outside off, Karthik once again throws his bat at it, it takes the outside edge and Samson behind dives to his right and makes an excellent stop. |
| 13.4 : V Aaron to D Karthik, On a good length on middle, Karthik defends it off the back foot. |
| 13.5 : V Aaron to D Karthik, Short delivery on middle, Karthik pulls it towards mid-wicket. |
| 13.6 : V Aaron to D Karthik, FOUR! So 0,6,0,0,0,4 is how this over reads! Despite 4 dots, it still accounted for 10. Another poor ball, short and outside off, asking to be hit. Karthik does that as he slaps it square on the off side and bags another boundary. He is into the 40s. That is also, the end of Aaron's spell. A brilliant effort from him with the ball. His figures read 4-1-20-2. |
| Strategic Break! Kolkata have done well to come back into the match and it has been the Karthik show all the way. Andre Russell has come in and will look to go for big shots. On the other hand, Rajasthan have picked the wicket of Sunil Narine but need the wickets of Russell and Dinesh Karthik to put more pressure on them. Also, Jofra Archer is back! |
| 14.1 : J Archer to A Russell, On a good length on off, Russell defends it off the back foot. |
| 14.2 : J Archer to A Russell, Short delivery outside off, Russell looks to cut but gets a bottom edge on this one. It goes towards the off side for a run. |
| 14.3 : J Archer to D Karthik, Full on off, Karthik looks to drive but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 14.4 : J Archer to D Karthik, WIDE! First wide of the match. Short of a length delivery down leg, Karthik looks to pull but misses it. |
| J Archer to D Karthik, On a length on off, the skipper guides it towards third man for a run. |
| 14.5 : J Archer to A Russell, Just short! In the end, an excellent stop by Samson. Archer bowls it shorter in length and on off, Russell looks to power it but the ball goes off the inside edge to the left of Samson. He dives and collects it on the bounce to his left. |
| 14.6 : J Archer to A Russell, In the air... dropped! Stuart Binny is the culprit. How costly is this going to prove? You just can't drop Andre Russell and this was hit straight to him. Archer almost does what he was brought into the attack to do. He bowls this one short and it is the slower one. Russell waits for it and then cracks it uppishly and flat towards sweeper cover. Binny does get two hands to it but spills it. The batsmen take one. |
| Jaydev Unadkat is back into the attack. |
| 15.1 : J Unadkat to A Russell, SIX! That's out of the park! Russell has teed up here. Length ball on middle and leg, the big man makes room, adjusts and then gives it the full swing of the bat. Makes sweet connection and sends it into the mid-wicket stands. |
| 15.2 : J Unadkat to A Russell, Good comeback from Unadkat. Bowls a slower short ball outside off, Russell looks to pull but misses it. |
| 15.3 : J Unadkat to A Russell, On the shorter side on middle, Russell pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 15.4 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, SIX! That is a wonderful shot. Another six, this time it is Dinesh Karthik. Unadkat goes back to bowling a seam up delivery. Karthik stays inside his crease and whips it over the square leg fence for a biggie. |
| 15.5 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, On a good length on off, Karthik taps it towards point. The fielder goes for a direct hit at the bowler's end but misses it. The batsmen take a quick run. |
| 15.6 : J Unadkat to A Russell, Well played in the end there! Another slower bouncer, Russell is completely foxed. He somehow manages to connect with his pull shot and it rolls through mid-wicket for a single. 15 from this over, Kolkata need a few more like this one. |
| Oshane Thomas is back into the attack. |
| 16.1 : O Thomas to A Russell, Russell gets into position and swings to hit it over mid-wicket. Does not connect it cleanly and it goes on the bounce to the fielder in the deep and a run is taken. He is down on his haunches as he completes the run. Maybe the wrist issue again. He is fine to continue though. |
| 16.2 : O Thomas to D Karthik, Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Fifty for Dinesh Karthik. The skipper, leads from the front in a game where they need to win and also, when they were in trouble. It is his 18th in this league. He needs to continue though. He guides this down to third man and takes the single to get to that milestone. |
| 16.3 : O Thomas to A Russell, DROPPED AGAIN! Russell has another life! Smith can't believe it. Yes, this is a skier but it needs to be taken. Oshane goes short and on off, Russell looks to drag it over mid-wicket but only gets a top edge. It goes high up in the air towards point. Chopra the substitute, tries to get under it, he never seems comfortable and in the end grasses it. The batsmen take one. Seems to be Russell's night, will he make all these reprieves count? |
| 16.4 : O Thomas to D Karthik, Short of a length delivery on leg, Karthik pulls it through square leg for a run. |
| The physio is out. Russell needs some medical attention on that left wrist of his, which has been troubling him since a while this season. Hopefully some magic spray will be enough to get him playing a bit freely. |
| 16.5 : O Thomas to A Russell, OUT! No third time lucky for Russell as he holes out. Just wasn't timing the ball that well tonight. Oshane Thomas gets his man. It is short and outside off. Russell again looks to drag his pull shot but it goes right off the bottom part. Parag at deep mid-wicket takes it with ease. Huge wicket as Russell could have easily taken the game away from Rajasthan. |
| Carlos Brathwaite is the new batsman in. |
| 16.6 : O Thomas to C Brathwaite, NO BALL! Oshane Thomas oversteps! Full on middle, Brathwaite drives it past the bowler towards mid on for a run. The next ball will be a Free Hit. |
| Free Hit coming up! |
| O Thomas to D Karthik, SIX! Takes full toll of the Free Hit, does Karthik. It is not right off the middle but enough to go over the fence. On the shorter side again, Karthik flat-bats it towards long on. For a second the man there feels he can stop it but the ball flies over him. The last ball spoils the over completely. 12 from it. |
| 17.1 : J Unadkat to C Brathwaite, FOUR! Not sure that shot was off the middle but Kolkata won't care. It is the slower one and it is on the pads, Brathwaite is already into his shot, the ball though hits the inner half and goes past short fine leg for a boundary. |
| 17.2 : J Unadkat to C Brathwaite, OUT! Unadkat has the last laugh! Another big-hitter walks back without making an impact. Unadkat sticks to bowling the slower balls. Brathwaite goes for the pull but does not get it off the middle. It has more air than distance and Rahane at deep mid-wicket takes a good catch diving forward. |
| Rinku Singh is the new batsman in. |
| 17.3 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, FOUR! 4, wicket, 4 off the first three balls in this over. Poor ball with third man up. Short and wide outside off, Karthik cuts it through backward point and it is a certain boundary. |
| 17.4 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, A dot now! Unadkat sees Karthik moving right across to play the paddle. He bowls it very full outside off. Karthik continues with the shot but does not connect. It hits the pads and rolls towards the left of the keeper. Karthik sets off for a run initially and so does Rinku Singh. Samson does well though to move towards the ball quickly and stop it with a dive. Karthik then sends Singh back who is halfway down the wicket. Samson in the meantime throws it to the bowl |
| 17.5 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, WIDE! Bowls it wide outside off, Karthik lets it go. |
| J Unadkat to D Karthik, Dropped and FOUR! But that's such a difficult chance, unfortunate Rahane couldn't hold on. Slower short ball on middle stump, Karthik pulls it over mid-wicket. Rahane in the deep runs to his right, dives and gets his hands to it, but it doesn't stick. To add to his woes, it rolls away and touches the rope. |
| Rahane is taken off the field. He hurt his shoulder on the last ball, which is the reason for that. Hopefully it isn't too serious and he can come out to bat in the second innings. |
| 17.6 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, On a good length on middle, Karthik defends and takes a quick run. Another expensive over from Unadkat, 14 runs have come from it. |
| Jofra Archer to bowl his last! |
| 18.1 : J Archer to D Karthik, Down the leg side, Karthik flicks it down to fine leg and takes one. |
| 18.2 : J Archer to R Singh, Another single as Rinku works it through mid-wicket. Singles are something Rajasthan won't mind at the moment. |
| 18.3 : J Archer to D Karthik, Well stopped! Three singles now in the first three balls here. Karthik though would feel he missed out there. It is outside off, Karthik plays it late, trying to find the gap between backward point and short third man. Does not do so as the man in the former position does well to stop it with a dive. |
| 18.4 : J Archer to R Singh, Singh makes room and Archer bowls a yorker. Singh jams it out towards cover for a run. |
| 18.5 : J Archer to D Karthik, SIX! SLAPPED! That shot just shows how strong Karthik is. This is short ball and it is a slower one outside off. Karthik waits for it and then muscles it off the back foot and over covers. It goes all the way. |
| 18.6 : J Archer to D Karthik, SIX! Consecutive maximums! The last two balls ruin what was a top over till then. 16 from it in the end. Another short ball, this one had pace on it. Karthik seems to be ready for it. He is onto the back foot quickly and pulls it over fine leg for a biggie. |
| 19.1 : J Unadkat to R Singh, Good length and angling into the batsman, Rinku goes for the heave but mistimes it towards long on for a single. The good thing for Kolkata is Karthik is on strike. |
| 19.2 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, FOUR! In the gap and a boundary! Unadkat goes full, Karthik uses the depth of the crease as he stands well in. It turns out to be a slot delivery and Karthik whips it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 19.3 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, SIX! Over long on! Into the 90s is Karthik. What a shot! Once again he is standing way inside his crease. Unadkat misses the yorker and turns out to be a hit-me ball. Karthik sends it into the long on stands. 11 runs from the first three balls. |
| 19.4 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, Straight towards the fielder and Karthik does not run! He now has 2 balls to score 10 for his ton. Slower ball and on the pads, Karthik looks to hit it over the square leg fence but it goes off the inner half towards deep square leg. |
| 19.5 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, SIX! That is why he did not run! Karthik smashes this over the bowler's head for a biggie. 4 away now with one ball to go. Once again, it is poor from Unadkat, in the slot again and it is tonked over the long off fence. Will the Kolkata skipper get to his ton? |
| 19.6 : J Unadkat to D Karthik, No ton for DK as it is only a single, but 18 runs from the last over. KOLKATA FINISH WITH 175! A short ball and it is on the body, Karthik goes for the pull but mistimes it towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| WHAT AN INNINGS FROM DINESH KARTHIK! He has single-handedly taken Kolkata to a total which is surely dependable. However, Rajasthan are surely not out of the game, they won't be too disappointed with how things are at the moment. |
| The visitors won the toss and elected to field! They got off to the best starts possible as they got rid of the openers within the Powerplay. Karthik then along with Narine first, got his eye in. Once he did so, he started playing his shots. Momentum then seemed to change as Gopal was taken for 25 in the 11th over. However, wickets at regular intervals, kept Kolkata in-tact but some fine hitting by Karthik, who fell 3 short of his ton, helped them score 75 in the last 5 overs which saw them get |
| The Rajasthan bowling started off extremely well with Varun Aaron bowling an excellent spell first up. He was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with figures of 4-1-20-2. However, Rajasthan could not keep that going as after the 10th over, it was all Kolkata. Their bowlers were smashed to all parts of the ground and conceded 126 in the last 10 overs. |
| 176 is a stiff target but the ground here is small, the wicket is an excellent one to bat on. Also, Rajasthan do have a decent batting line up. Will they chase this down and give Kolkata their 6th loss in a row or will the home side end their win-less run? Join us to find out for now, Dinesh Karthik, is up for an interview. |
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