Twitter Reactions: Kolkata Knight Riders stun Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep playoff hopes alive
Sunrisers Hyderabad were in the driver's seat in the chase only to lose the plot in the death overs.
The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League keeps delivering the goods as a vociferous crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad witnessed a nail-biting thriller between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. The Men in Purple pulled off a sensational heist with the ball after posting 171 runs with the bat in the first innings.
Chasing a tricky total, the home side were quick off the blocks, thanks to Mayank Agarwal's brisk cameo at the top of the order. Despite losing both the openers in quick succession, the Orange Army kept piling the pressure on the KKR bowlers, courtesy of Rahul Tripathi's fiery cameo.
However, the Men in Purple hit back with quick wickets of Tripathi and Harry Brook to make a comeback into the contest. But the game tilted in the favour of the hosts after a solid partnership between skipper Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen. Klaasen was looking in a hurry to finish the game as he smoked 36 runs off just 20 deliveries.
But there was another twist in the tale when both the South African batters were dismissed by the KKR bowlers. The home side, who were cruising in the chase, were suddenly in danger of losing the game in a nervy final few overs. And as it panned out, the visitors kept their cool to pull off an improbable victory to keep themselves alive in the tournament.
SRH pull things back after Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh's valiant stand
The visitors, needing a win to keep themselves alive in the tournament, went with the tried and tested method of batting first after winning the toss. However, Nitish Rana's side were off to a wobbly start after they lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer in just the second over of the match.
Star English opener Jason Roy, who has been in scorching form since he arrived in the competition, also made his way back to the pavilion during the field restrictions. With the top-order back in the hut inside the powerplay, it was the ever-dependable pair of Rinku Singh and skipper Nitish Rana, who started the rebuilding job for the visitors.
KKR's hopes of posting a big total took a severe blow when Aiden Markram took a stunning catch off his own bowling to get rid of his opposite number. Rana's dismissal brought the hard-hitting Andre Russell to the middle, and the star all-rounder made his intentions clear from the get-go.
However, the SRH bowlers pulled things back nicely after Mayank Markande dismissed the dangerous Russell in the 15th over. Rinku, who was playing a steady knock for his side, was also dismissed in the final over as the visitors finished with a par total of 171 runs on the board in their 20 overs.
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