A match winning knock off Russell's bat help Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets at Eden Gardens. Andre Russell helped KKR score 54 runs in less than three overs to defeat SRH in their season opener.
KKR scored 53 off last 3 overs; the most runs scored in last 3 overs to win in IPL. Apart from Russell, Nitish Rana scored 68 at top of the batting order. Thanks to Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad to make a winning start to their IPL campaign.
Chris Lynn, who started the innings for KKR was looking good just before Shakib spotted him dance down the track, so bowled an arm ball; Lynn ended up hitting it straight towards cover point to Rashid Khan, giving SRH a wicket just in the second over. The second-wicket partnership between Rana and Uthappa shaped up quite well as they not only played Rashid well but also targeted other bowlers in the second-half. However, Siddharth Kaul flattened Uthappa’s off-stump to end his (35 runs off 27) innings.
For KKR, Rana particularly was very fluent, and played some brilliant strokes all around the ground. It was Rashid Khan who came up with the big breakthrough as he bowled a conventional leg break to dismiss Rana, who scored an excellent 47-ball 68.
David Warner's ( 85 off 53) blistering innings and Vijay Shankar’s finishing act (40* of 24) powered SRH to 181/3 against KKR. Hyderabad regular skipper Kane Williamson missed out on today's game due to shoulder injury and SRH were led by India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
After winning the toss, KKR opted to bowl first. Australia opener David Warner opened the innings for his squad as he played his first IPL match after the one-year ban imposed on him for his role in ball-tampering scandal.
The Aussie ensured that he doesn’t fail to impress on his return, as in the very second over, he thumped Piyush Chawla for two blistering fours. It was Warner’s form that perhaps pushed KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik to review an lbw call that was dubbed as the worst ever DRS decision unanimously by the commentators.
At the end of the powerplay Sunrisers Hyderabad were 54/0 in 6 overs. Openers Jonny Bairstow and Dacvid Warner ripped apart KKR's spin bowling- they picked runs off key spinners Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine and were almost scoring nine runs per over. Not only that, Warner wrecked havoc on KKR at their home ground by scoring a fiery fifty in a grand style with a six, his 37th in the history of IPL.
However, Chawla dismissed Bairstow (39 of 35 balls) to break his 118 run partnership with Warner. After Bairstow’s dismissal, SRH came up with an interesting as Vijay Shankar walked in to bat at No.3.
Warner continued to dominate the show at the Eden Gardens but it was Uthappa who grabbed a brilliant catch at cover as the star opener’s wonderful knock came to an end. Warner departed after scoring 85 runs as SRH were 144/2 in 16 overs.
Veteran Yusuf Pathan put up a dismal show as Russell deceived him by bowling a slower one; Pathan departed scoring just one run off four balls. Manish Pandey (8 off 5 balls) and Vijay Shankar together played a crucial innings added finishing touches to ensure their squad puts a good total to defend at a batsman friendly pitch.
Eyeing a third title which has eluded them for quite some time, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will have their task cut out when they take on formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).