IPL 2021, KKR beat SRH by 10 runs: Records broken
Kolkata Knight Riders have beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad in the third game of IPL 2021 at the Chepauk Stadium. Chasing 188, the Orange Army fell short by 10 runs to win the match. Although middle-order batsman Abdul Samad inspired some hope with his blistering cameo, Andre Russell ensured victory for KKR in the final over. Here are the records broken.
How did the match pan out?
KKR openers Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana shared a 53-run stand after SRH skipper David Warner elected to field. Despite Gill's departure, Rana continued with his onslaught, and later shared another fruitful partnership with Rahul Tripathi. Eventually, Dinesh Karthik's 9-ball 22* powered KKR to 187/6. Although SRH rode on destructive knocks by Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey, they fell short in the run-chase.
Nitish Rana slams his 12th IPL fifty
Opening batsman Nitish Rana gave KKR a solid start in the match. He was on fire against the fast bowlers in the powerplay, and played in similar manner throughout. Rana raced to his 12th fifty in the IPL off 37 balls. He went on to compile a resounding 80 off 56 balls, an innings studded with 9 fours and 4 sixes.
Rana bounces back to form
Rana has had a peculiar run in the IPL in recent times. His last six IPL innings read as 0 (1), 81 (53), 0 (1), 87 (61), 0 (1) and 80 (56). Rana now has 1,517 runs from 61 matches at 29.17.
Rahul Tripathi completes 1,000 runs in the IPL
Rahul Tripathi was the other KKR batsman besides Rana who showed his class. He added 93 runs with Rana for the second wicket. Tripathi slammed his fifth IPL fifty in mere 28 balls. During the innings, he also completed 1,000 runs in the IPL. Tripathi reached the milestone in his 45th innings. He made a quickfire 53 off 29 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes).
Harbhajan bowls the first over for KKR
Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was handed his debut cap for Kolkata Knight Riders today. As KKR attempted to defend 188, Harbhajan opened the proceedings for them. He bowled the innings' first over for the 36th time, most by a spinner in the IPL.
Rashid once again trumps the dangerous Russell
Once again, leg-spinner Rashid Khan proved why he is the prized possession for SRH. After uprooting Shubman Gill early on, he stopped the flow of runs in his second spell. The Afghanistan wrist-spinner dismissed the dangerous Andre Russell for the fourth time in 10 T20 innings. Moreover, this was second time he dismissed Russell in the space of 13 deliveries.
Pandey, Bairstow were on the charge!
SRH lost both David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha quite early in the run-chase. However, Pandey and Bairstow made a brief recovery for the Orange Army. While Bairstow anchored the innings, Pandey played second-fiddle. The former completed his sixth IPL fifty, but departed soon (55 off 40 balls). Although Pandey fired his 19th IPL fifty, he couldn't get SRH over the line.
