Kolkata Knight Riders beat Gujarat Titans in thriller
Two of the top teams in the Indian Premier League battled on the 9th of April at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Kolkata Knight Riders proved a little too strong for the Gujarat Titans, who ended up winning the match by 3 wickets. With that win, Kolkata Knight Riders are in 2nd place with a 2-1 record. The Gujarat Titans also have a 2-1 record but are in 4th position based on NRR.
We are sure the Gujarat Titans will bounce back, especially as they are the defending Indian Premier League champions, and it is so early in the season. You can bet on every match live from the IPL at GGBET. Keep reading to find out exactly what happened in this thrilling match.
Gujarat Titans batted first
The Gujarat Titans sent in Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill. The openers got off to a flying start, but Saha didn’t last long. The Indian batsman was dismissed after 17 balls but not before scoring 17 runs. His knock included 3 boundaries.
Shubman Gill fared even better, racking up 39 runs from just 31 balls. He smashed 5 fours before being dismissed by Sunil Narine. The next two batsmen in were Sai Sudharshan and Abhinav Manohar. Manohar did not stick around for long, only faced 8 balls before he was sent back to the pavilion by a lovely ball from Suyash Sharma, which smashed into the stumps.
Unfortunately, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers did not have much more success. Sai Sudharshan impressed with a strong 53 runs from just 38 balls. He hit 2 sixes which got the crowd going. His luck came undone when Sunil Narine showed some impressive skill when caught and bowled by Sai Sudharshan.
Vijay Shankar put a dampener on the mood with a stand-out performance. The 32-year-old looked world-class, scoring 63 not out. He hit an incredible 5 sixes and 4 fours. David Bowler also finished no out but only scored 2 runs from 3 balls.
After the 20 overs were completed, Gujarat Titans were sitting on 204 runs. They scored at just over 10 runs an over and only gave up 4 wickets. The Kolkata Knight Riders faced an uphill battle trying to chase down such a massive total. However, they definitely had enough talent to put up a similar total.
Kolkata Knight Riders chase hard
The Kolkata Knight Riders’ run chase got off to a rocky start! The opening batsmen were Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan, but neither of them could get anything going. Narayan Jagadeesan lasted just 8 balls and scored only 6 runs before he was dismissed by Joshua Little. His opening partner Gurbaz got into double digits but was dismissed on 15 by a great ball by Mohammed Shami. He did manage to hit a four and a six!
When Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana came to the crease, all of the Gujarat Titans’ luck started to fade. These two put on a batting masterclass. They scored more than 100 runs in an epic partnership that the Gujarat Titans had no answer for.
Venkatesh Iyer was simply excellent, scoring 83 runs from only 40 balls. Every time he hit the ball, it flew toward the boundary for a four or six. Rana also played a critical role with his 45 runs from just 29 balls. Both batsmen were eventually dismissed by Alzarri Joseph, one of the fastest bowlers in the world. However, by that time, they had scored a combined 128 runs and given the Kolkata Riders a great shot at winning the game.
After the fall of Venkatesh Iyer, the drama didn’t stop! The Kolkata Knight Riders started having a collapse Andre Russell survived just two balls and then both Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur got golden ducks. Luckily the team had a savior, Rinku Singh.
Singh showed incredible composure as he took over the strike and racked up an epic 48 not out. With just two balls remaining in the match, the Kolkata Knight Riders needed 10 runs to win. They required at least 1 six and 1 four, fortunately, Rinku Singh had the strike.
In the second last ball, Yash Dayal bowled it outside off stump, and it was short of a length. The ball sat up perfectly for Singh; he smashed with a pull shot that flew over Yash Dayal’s head and over the boundary for six! Now the Kolkata Knight Riders needed just 4 runs from the last over.
Yash Dayal bowled a very similar ball. Again it was outside off stump and was far too short. Singh threw his bat at the bowl and connected strongly enough with another pull shot. The ball took off flying and easily cleared the boundary rope, clinching the game for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
What a performance by the Kolkata Knight Riders
It came down to the last ball of the last over! The Kolkata Knight Riders showed their class in this match-up and upset the defending champions. They managed to score 207 runs in the second innings thanks to a huge 83 runs and Venkatesh Iyer and 48 runs from Rinku Singh. To bet on the Kolkata Knight Riders’ next match, head to GGBET and get the best odds. Comment below who you think is going to win the Indian Premier League.