IPL 10, Match 41, KKR vs RPS: 5 Game Changing Moments

Rising Pune Supergiant were at the bottom of the table just 15 days ago and are now just one win away from a playoff qualification. Kolkata, on the other hand, were also a win away but had lost a chance to qualify and again today were comprehensively beaten by RPS. Smith won the toss and chose to field as KKR thought of burying Pune with a big score.

However, that was not the case as some brilliant bowling from Jaydev Unadkat and an absolute masterclass from Rahul Tripathi saw Pune script a wonderful win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their own backyard. To win you need to beat the best and Pune have now beaten all the teams in the top four and have even done the double on the league leaders Mumbai Indians.

Today’s game was a game of just two drastically different innings. Kolkata got off to a bad start and it was exactly opposite while Pune were batting. There were some crunch moments in the game and Pune came out on top in each and every moment.

Let us look at those 5 moments that shaped the game as it happened.

1. Jaydev’s brilliant opening spell

Jaydev Unadkat was the man who dropped Uthappa in the reverse fixture which literally cost RPS the game but today was the hero as he bowled extremely well. Unadkat started off with a wicket maiden as he grabbed Sunil Narine before he could trouble the scorers and then made the dangerous Colin de Grandhomme disappear for good. His spell was certainly the one that helped Pune overhaul this giant of a team. Unadkat finished with the figures of 2 for 28 after conceding 21 in his last over where he was a bit unlucky.

2. Just 41 runs in the Powerplay for KKR

Normally KKR is a side which scores big runs in the first six overs but today was the day of RPS bowlers. They did not put a foot wrong and bowled a tight line and length. They managed to get Narine early and Gambhir was kept quiet for the majority of it before disappearing in the sixth over. No batter could get going for KKR as they scored just 41 runs in their 6 overs losing 3 important wickets in the process. This set the tone for the rest of the innings as they had to recover quickly to get to a big score.

3. Colin de Grandhomme’s cameo

Colin de Grandhomme has a strike rate of 172 when it comes to T20 cricket and he certainly lived up to his reputation today. Colin smacked the RPS bowlers on a sluggish pitch and scored a brisk 36 of just 19 deliveries which got them past 150. He was also helped by Surya Kumar Yadav who smashed 30 of 16 but the power hitting of Grandhomme caught the eye. He smashed 2 sixes and hit three fours to get his 36 which certainly helped KKR.

4. Pune’s counter attack

After losing Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi and Steve Smith fought fire with fire for RPS. The crowd was getting behind the KKR team and they were fired up but soon Tripathi’s onslaught weathered the storm. Smith scored just 9 runs of the 48 run partnership but no other batter barring the young Tripathi scored runs. It was his stroke play that got them off to a magnificent start and they managed to score 74 of the first six overs taking the game away from Kolkata.

5. The brilliance of Rahul Tripathi

This young man, who hails from Pune itself, played a blinder in front of a jam-packed Eden Gardens for the RPS camp. Tripathi was the only man who stuck at the crease and made sure his team was right at the doorstep of victory before he got out. He scored 93 of the 158 runs Pune scored as he took the game away from the opposition real quick. He scored those runs in just 52 deliveries hitting 9 boundaries and 7 magnificent sixes. Rahul has been a revelation for Pune and is one of the finds of the tournament without a doubt.