Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers in one-run thriller

Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued their dismal season with a seventh defeat in eight games as Kolkata Knight Riders triumphed in sensational fashion by just a single run off the final ball of the match in their IPL contest at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon.

Chasing KKR’s imposing total of 222 for six, RCB required 31 from the final two overs and when Dinesh Karthik (25 off 18 balls) declined singles off the first two balls the target became 31 off 10 balls.

Karthik’s dismissal, scooping an Andre Russell delivery to ‘keeper Phil Salt, left Karn Sharma with 21 to score off the final over from Mitchell Starc. The left-hander carved the Australian speedster for three consecutive sixes over cover to bring the target down to just three runs from the final two balls.

Don't know what to say. We won. 😁 pic.twitter.com/PtbwqwqMdf

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 21, 2024

But the fifth ball was a low full toss which Sharma hit straight back to the bowler, giving Starc a low, return catch. Lockie Ferguson was only able to scramble a single off the final ball before being run out attempting a second which would have resulted in a Super Over as RCB finished on 221 all out.

Earlier, Salt struck a remarkable 48 from just 14 balls to give the Knight Riders a flying start on their way to 222 for six after being asked to bat first.

The Englishman hammered seven fours and three sixes which included a bruising 28 runs off Kiwi paceman Ferguson’s first over, the third of the innings, during which every ball was despatched to, or over the boundary before he was caught at deep square leg.

Captain Shreyas Iyer was altogether more sedate with 50 from 36 balls (7x4, 1x6) before opposite number Faf du Plessis held a tumbling catch at long on off the bowling of Australian allrounder Cameron Green, who finished with 2-35.

Ferguson (1-47) enjoyed some consolation with the important wicket of Rinku Singh (24 off 16), also caught on the boundary while Ramandeep Singh took the total past 200 in the final two overs with a rumbunctious 24* off nine balls with a pair of fours and sixes.

DU PLESSIS AND KOHLI DISAPPOINT

RCB lost captain Faf du Plessis (7) early in the run chase while fellow opener, Virat Kohli, was incensed with his dismissal for 18 from just seven balls to a high full-toss which the third umpire decreed to be a legal delivery after Kohli’s review.

Will Jacks (55) and Rajat Patidar (52) rebuilt the innings but Sharma’s three sixes in 20 from seven balls just fell short.

The home side’s victory saw them move into second place, just two points behind the Rajasthan Royals while RCB remain stone last with just a single win from their eight matches. Mathematical unlikelihoods nothwithstanding, they are effectively out of play-off contention already.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Philip Salt (wkt), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj