By Leighton Levy- Andre Russell delivered a blistering unbeaten half-century and played a key role in the field as Kolkata Knight Riders edged Rajasthan Royals by just one run in a dramatic Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Sent in to bat, KKR rode on Player-of-the-Match Russell’s unbeaten 57 from just 25 balls to post a daunting 206-4. He struck four fours and six towering sixes in a ferocious late assault that included a 34-run unbeaten stand with Rinku Singh (19* off 6 balls), who also played his part with two sixes and a four in a fiery cameo. Russell’s late explosion came after solid contributions at the top, where Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 35 and Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with 30.
Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi added 44 off 31 balls before he fell to Jofra Archer in the 19th over, but it was Russell who lit up the death overs, smashing boundaries at will and propelling KKR to a total that looked just enough.
Rajasthan Royals’ response was built around a sensational 45-ball 95 from captain Riyan Parag, who struck six fours and eight sixes in a counterattacking innings that kept his side in the hunt. After slipping to 8-2 inside two overs, Parag revived the chase with a 92-run sixth-wicket stand with Shimron Hetmyer, who contributed 29 off 23 balls. Hetmyer’s innings ended in the 16th over when he holed out to Sunil Narine off Harshit Rana.
With 44 needed off the final four overs and Parag at the crease, the Royals remained in striking distance. However, his dismissal at 173-7 in the 18th over swung the momentum back to KKR.
Late-order cameos from Shubham Dubey (25* off 14) and Jofra Archer (12 off 8) kept the equation tight, and with two runs required off the final ball, Archer was run out attempting a desperate second run, handing KKR a thrilling one-run victory.
Sunil Narine was economical with 0-27 in his four overs and also contributed 11 with the bat. Varun Chakravarthy was key with the ball, taking 2-32, including the wickets of Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga in the same over to dent the Royals’ middle order. Moeen Ali also chipped in with 2-43, removing both Jaiswal and Rathore in a crucial powerplay spell. (Sportsmax)