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In a thrilling Match 3 of the Tata IPL 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Kolkata Knight Riders were able to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad thanks to a fantastic performance from Andre Russell (64 off 25 & 2/25) and a superb final over by Harshit Rana. Rana successfully defended 13 runs, contributing to the team’s all-around success.
Heinrich Klaasen’s impressive knock of 63 runs off just 29 balls almost turned the tide in favor of his team against KKR. However, Rana’s exceptional last over secured a four-run victory for KKR.
In a previous match, Russell went on a rampage hitting sixes and scoring 64 runs off just 25 balls. He received support from Ramandeep Singh (35 off 17) to revive KKR’s innings from 119/6 to a strong total of 208/7.
In pursuit of a target of 209, the opening duo of SRH, Mayank Agarwal and Impact Player Abhishek Sharma, who took the place of T Natarajan, made a strong beginning by scoring 60 runs in the Powerplay. Within the first five overs, the pair notched up six boundaries and three maximums. However, Harshit Rana managed to break the partnership in the final over of the Powerplay by dismissing Mayank Agarwal (32 off 21) with a short delivery caught by the fielder at deep square leg.
Following a calm over from Sunil Narine, Russell entered the game and immediately made an impact in his first over by dismissing Sharma (32 off 19) with a well-executed bounce. KKR made a strategic move by bringing in Suyash Sharma as the Impact Player, taking the place of Ramandeep Singh.
Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi joined forces and contributed 36 runs to the score. Tripathi was fortunate on two occasions, escaping a potential dismissal when Varun Chakaravarthy dropped him and then receiving a not out decision on an LBW appeal. KKR opted not to challenge the decision and the replays confirmed that all the indicators were in favor of the batsman. As the partnership continued to grow, Shreyas Iyer brought Chakaravarthy back into the attack, resulting in the dismissal of Markram. Tripathi’s luck eventually ran out as he was caught at deep square leg by Narine. The required run rate continued to climb. With 94 runs needed in 36 balls, Heinrich Klaasen managed to hit two sixes off Chakaravarthy. However, Starc returned to the bowling crease and delivered an exceptional over, conceding only five runs.
In a tense match with only 24 balls remaining and 76 runs needed, Samad hit a six and a four off Russell, but the KKR all-rounder quickly recovered and dismissed Samad in the same over. With 18 balls left and 60 runs required, Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed aggressively hit three sixes off Chakaravarthy’s bowling, keeping SRH in the game. Klaasen then reached his fifty in an impressive manner by hitting three more sixes off Starc, while Shahbaz ended the over with a six, resulting in 26 runs off the over and reducing the equation to only 13 runs needed off the final over.
The ball was given to Harshit Rana for the final over, and Klaasen hit a massive six off the first delivery. A single was scored next, but Shahbaz was caught at long on on the following ball. On his first ball, Marco Jansen only managed to score a single, but the game changed once again when Rana brilliantly caught Klaasen (63 off 29) at short third man with a slower ball, caught by Suyash Sharma.
As the last ball approached, Harshit Rana delivered a well-executed slower delivery outside the off-stump, causing captain Pat Cummins to swing and miss. This led to jubilant celebrations within the KKR team, with only five runs left to win.
The toss was won by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s captain, Pat Cummins, who then chose to field.
SRH made a strong comeback during the Powerplay following Kolkata Knight Riders’ fast start. They were able to take the wickets of Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Shreyas Iyer within the first six overs. The second over saw Phil Salt hitting three consecutive sixes off Marco Jansen, but there was a slight miscommunication that led to Narine getting run out. T Natarajan also had a great start, taking the wickets of Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer in the fourth over.
In the 8th over, Salt and Nitish Rana made an attempt to stabilize the situation, but unfortunately, Mayank Markande was able to dismiss Rana in his first over. Later on, Ramandeep Singh (35 off 17) managed to give a boost to the team with some strong batting, but his momentum was stopped in the 13th over when Mayank Markande made a remarkable diving catch at cover, with the assistance of Pat Cummins.
Salt reached his fifty with a boundary, however, he was unable to capitalize on it and was dismissed in the very next over. Jansen made another excellent catch on the boundary off Markande’s delivery, resulting in Salt’s departure (54 runs off 40 deliveries).
Upon entering the pitch, Andre Russell began the sixathon after initially taking his time. Rinku Singh (23 off 15) also joined in on the fun, with the pair scoring a total of 81 runs off just 33 balls to propel KKR to a final score of 208/7. Russell’s impressive performance included seven sixes and three fours, resulting in an unbeaten score of 64 off 25 balls.
