Hello and welcome to Sportstar 's live blog of Thursday's Indian Premier League (IPL 2019) clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
What a sensational match and all credit to young Riyan Parag who played a sensational knock under pressure. That's all we have for you but do join us tomorrow for a humdinger between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk. Till then, good night.
SIX - Jofra Archer has done it! Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 3 wickets. Prasidh bowls a full delivery, Archer clears his front-foot and smokes it over wide long-off for a six. Brilliant win for Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders suffer their sixth loss on a row.
FOUR - Welcome runs for Rajasthan as Jofra Archer swings wild, the ball takes a thick outside edge and runs away to the third man boundary.
WICKET - Riyan Parag is out. He is hit-wicket and what a tragedy for the 17-year old. Russell bowls a short delivery, Parag goes for a full-blodded pull but in the process the bat hit the stumps in the follow through. Rajasthan needs 9 runs from 6 deliveries.
SIX - Riyan Parag is keeping Rajasthan in the hunt and this time he smokes Andre Russell for a maximum over long-on.
SIX - That is huge from Riyan Parag and he got hold of it. Short delivery and he pulls it over the fine leg for a maximum. Rajasthan need 18 runs in 12 balls
FOUR - Riyan Parag is still keeping Rajasthan in the hunt and he has got a boundary.
WICKET - Prasidh strikes and Shreyas Gopal departs to leave Rajasthan reeling at six down. He had to go for the big shot but fails to clear long off and Shubman Gill takes a good catch.
Hat-trick of boundaries for Shreyas Gopal and he is taking on the part-timer Nitish Rana. Rajasthan needs 54 off 30 deliveries.
FOUR - Lovely shot from Shreyas Gopal as he drills a full delivery through the covers for a boundary. Rajasthan needs more of those.
Andre Russell responds with a short, fast delivery, Parag goes for the pull but misses it and the ball hits him flush on the helmet. Players and the umpire surround him and he seems to be ok.
FOUR - Smart shot from Riyan Parag as he shuffles across, makes room and tries the scoop, doesn't quite get hold of it but nevertheless the ball runs down to the boundary.
FIVE DOWN! Piyush Chawla strikes again. One in the slot and heaved on the legside by Stuart Binny, who is caught by Rinku Singh at wide long-on. RR 98/5 in 12.3 Overs.
WICKET - Piyush Chawla gets the prized scalp of Ben Stokes and Andre Russell takes an excellent catch just at the edge of the boundary. Rajasthan is losing steam.
Dinesh Karthik strikes form with his highest IPL score
Rajasthan need 109 runs in 66 balls. It's going to be a tough ask and all hopes lives with Ben Stokes.
WICKET - Sunil Narine you beauty! He castles Steve Smith and that's a big, big wicket. Smith misses the ball completely and the ball crashes on to the stumps.
WICKET - Piyush Chawla strikes and he bowls Sanju Samson through the gate. Huge wicket.
An inside edge saves Steve Smith as Sunil Narine deceives Smith with a carrom ball, Smith goes for the sweep, misses it and that looked plumb. The umpire ruled it Not Out, KKR went for the review and the snico confirmed there was a faint inside edge.
WICKET - Sunil Narine does the trick and he traps the dangerous Ajinkya Rahane. Looked plumb and Rahane doesn't review. The delivery straightened a bit after pitching, Rahane plays across the line but misses and the ball hits him flush on the knee roll.
FOUR - Young Prithviraj is under serious pressure as Rahane continues to ooze class. Nothing much wrong in the delivery but Rahane reads the length early and punches through the mid-wicket for a boundary. He then follows it up with another boundary. Rahane is in brilliant touch.
SIX - Outrageous from Rahane as he makes room and slaps a short of length delivery over the deep backward point for a maximum. That was some shot from Rahane.
Rajasthan has got off to a decent start and it needs to build on as it will be a tight chase.
SIX - Superb shot from Sanju Samson as he drills Andfre Russell straight over long-off for a maimum. Fuller delivery and Samson makes full use of it. Royals moving nicely.
FOUR - Classic Ajinkya Rahane. Good length delivery, Russell offers a little bit of width and Rahane drives him on the up and the ball beats the diving point fielder for a boundary.
Andre Russell into the attack.
SIX - Length delivery, Samson plants his front-foot and with a nice swing of the bat sends it right over the sightscreen for a six.
FOUR - Up and over and Ajinkya Rahane is off the mark with a boundary. Width on offer and Rahane puts it over the covers for a boundary.
Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson are out there in the middle and it will be Carlos Brathwaite who will start proceedings.
Dinesh Karthik misses a well-deserved century but his unbeaten 97 powers Kolkata to 175/6. This was an innings of sheer class and Karthik was determined right from the start and as the innings progressed he went after the bowlers. In the last five overs, Kolkata scored 75 runs with Karthik doing the majority of the scoring. We will be back for the chase in a while.
SIX - Karthik is in touching distance of a century. This time he goes over long-on and he is on fire. He is four short of his century.
SIX - Karthik enters into the nineties as he posts his highest IPL score. Unadkat is bowling to Karthik's strength as this time he muscles it over long-on for a maximum.
FOUR - Karthik is unstoppable. The bowler misses the length while trying to bowl a yorker, Karthik gets underneath it and smacks it for a boundary.
SIX - Slower one again and this time he shuffles across and pulls it over the square leg fielder and the ball sails into the crowd.
SIX - What a shot from Karthik! short, slower delivery and Karthik slaps Jofra Archer over the wide long-off for a maximum.
Ajinkya Rahane seems to have injured his shoulder while trying to take a catch at the deep mid-wicket boundary. He is off the field.
WICKET - Carlos Brathwaite departs and Ajinkya Rahane takes an excellent catch in the deep. Slower delivery, Brathwaite swings hard but fails to get the elevation as Rahane runs in and completes the catch at deep-midwicket.
SIX - Karthik connects and does well as he pockets a maximum in the no-ball free-hit. Short of length delivery and Karthik goes deep into the crease and hits it over long-on.
WICKET - Andre Russell doesn't get third time lucky as fellow West Indian and debutant Oshane Thomas tastes success. Short delivery, Russell goes for the pull but hits it straight down the throat of Riyan Parag at deep mid-wicket.
DROPPED - Rajasthan has dropped Andre Russell for the second time and this comes at a very crucial juncture. Substitute Prashant Chopra puts down a skier!
FIFTY for Karthik - Dinesh Karthik brings up his 18th IPL fifty and this has been a brilliant innings given the kind of situation he walked in to bat.
SIX - Stunning shot by Karthik. Length delivery and Karthik flicks it over deep square leg. That was a top shot from the KKR skipper.
SIX - Seems Rajasthan will pay the price as Russell clears his front-foot, swings hard at the full delivery and clears the deep mid-wicket fence.
DROPPED - Stuart Binny is having a horror night on the field as after a mis-field he has now dropped Andre Russell. Jofra Archer can't believe it. Short and wide and Russell slams hard, Binny was positioned exactly at deep point for this and he has handed a golden life to Russell.
Wonderful bowling from Jofra Archer as he is mixing his deliveries well and even the big-hitting Russell is not able to connect cleanly.
FOUR - Finds the gap again as Karthik punishes a loose delivery from Aaron for a boundary. At the end of 14 overs, Kolkata 96/4.
SIX - Short and wide and Dinesh Karthik slashes hard as the ball sails over the deep point boundary.
Expect some fireworks now as Andre Russell walks in.
WICKET - Terrible mix-up and Sunil Narine is way short of his crease. Just when Kolkata was gathering momentum, it has lost a wicket against the run of play. Karthik tucks one to square leg, sets off for a single and then calls for a second, and Narine was too slow right from the start. Poor running and replays show Karthik didn't complete the first run as his bat didn't touch the crease!
SIX - Wow! Superb pick up shot from Dinesh Karthik. Short of length delivery, around the hips and then Karthik just flicks it for a maximum over the deep square leg boundary. Jofra Archer can't believe it!
SIX - Karthik loots 25 runs and finishes the over with a huge six. Much needed for Kolkata and the crowd has found its voice.
Hat-trick of Boundaries - Karthik decides to target Gopal and he pockets three boundaries on the row.
SIX - Dinesh Karthik breaks away from the shackles as Gopal drops it short and Karthik latches on to it as he smokes it over the deep mid-wicket boundary for a maximum.
Bang on the helmet! Jaydev Unadkat surprises Sunil Narine with a slower short delivery and surprisingly Narine tried to defend it but the ball misses the bat and hit him flush on the helmet. He couldn't read the slower one. Kolkata in desperate need of some momemtum.
Surprise Surprise! Sunil Narine walks in. Probably they want to keep the left-right combination going. After 9 overs, Kolkata 46/3.
WICKET - Big wicket as Shreyas Gopal removes Nitish Rana and Kolkata is in deep trouble. Gopal's googly deceives Rana as he goes for the cut but hits it straight to the fielder at point. Good low catch by Varun Aaron and Kolkata is in all sorts of trouble.
FOUR - Poor start by Riyan Parag and he bowls a half-tracker and Nitish Rana gleefully puts it wide of backward point for a boundary.
Dinesh Karthik is the new man in and the skipper walks in with Kolkata in trouble.
WICKET - Varun Aaron gets his man as he castles Shubman Gill. Top bowling. The ball swung in sharply after pitching, Gill was committed to play the shot and looked to guide it through the off-side, but gets a faint inside edge and the ball hits the top of middle stump. That was an absolute beauty.
FOUR - Shubman Gill is targeting the vacant backward point region as Aaron drops it short and Gill slays it to the boundary.
FOUR- Nitish Rana manages to put away a short delivery to the fine leg boundary and the extra pace has helped the batsman. Rana is not looking comfortable against Thomas and Varun Aaron is bowling a very tight line. After 4 overs, KKR 24/0
FOUR - Excellent shot from Shubman Gill as Oshane Thomas offers width and he is quick to pounce on it and lashes it behing backward point for a boundary.
Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill have a huge responsibility and they need to rebuild the innings. They have been circumspect in their approach and need to be positive.
Shubman Gill is off the mark straightaway as he drives a length delivery and takes a quick single.
Debutant Oshane Thomas to partner Varun Aaron.
FOUR - Leg Byes but Kolkata will take that. Just got the line wrong and Nitish Rana flicks but the ball brushes his thigh pad, evades the keeper and races to the fence.
WICKET - Chopped on! Varun Aaron strikes as Chris Lynn gets a thick inside edge and the ball disturbs the timber. Poor start by Kolkata as it loses an early wicket in the very first over.
Excellent start from Varun Aaron and there is plenty of bounce on this wicket.
Chris Lynn and Shubman Gill are out there in the middle and it will be Varun Aaron who will start proceedings with the ball. Good move by KKR to promote Gill up the order and this should be a very interesting contest. Here we go!
World Cup 2019: Full players list of all 10 teams
Carlos Brathwaite rings the bell at the Eden Gardens and we are all set to roll.
This will be Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer's last match and the Royals' overall balance is bound to take a hit. They need a miracle to qualify from here.
RCB's Steyn ruled out of rest of IPL due to shoulder injury
Playing XI:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Piyush Chawla, Yarra Prithviraj, Prasidh Krishna
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson(w), Steven Smith(c), Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Oshane Thomas, Varun Aaron
READ: IPL 2019: Rajasthan has its core in place, says coach Paddy Upton
Toss: Rajasthan Royals won the toss and have elected to bowl first. Both teams have made some changes as Oshane Thomas makes his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals. He comes in for Ashton Turner and Varun Aaron replaces Dhawal Kulkarni. For Kolkata, Prasidh Krishna comes in for KC Kariappa and Carlos Brathwaite replaces Gurney.
We are moments away from the toss and the last time both teams met, Kolkata won the match convincingly.
After lighting up the IPL 2019 in the beginning of the tournament, KKR has lost five games in a row making today's clash at Eden Gardens a must-win in order to keep its playoff chances alive.
For Rajasthan Royals, the chances of making it to the top four is bleak, as the team from Jaipur sits at the bottom of the table with 6 points from 10 points.
Read the preview from our correspondent Amitabha Das Sharma | KKR vs RR - A battle of survival
Big-hitter Andre Russell found a place in the Jason Holder-led West Indies squad for the 2019 World Cup, but his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Sunil Narine, alongside Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard were left out. Find out the full Windies squad for World Cup here .
Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (C) (WK), Carlos Brathwaite KC Cariappa Piyush Chawla Joe Denly Lockie Ferguson Harry Gurney Matthew Kelly Kuldeep Yadav Chris Lynn Shrikant Mundhe Nikhil Naik Sunil Narine Prasidh Krishna Prithvi Raj Nitish Rana Andre Russell Shubman Gill Rinku Singh Robin Uthappa Sandeep Warrier
Rajasthan Royals
Steve Smith (C), Varun Aaron Jofra Archer Stuart Binny Aryaman Birla Jos Buttler (WK) Prashant Chopra Shreyas Gopal Krishnappa Gowtham Dhawal Kulkarni Liam Livingstone Mahipal Lomror Sudhesan Midhun Riyan Parag Ajinkya Rahane Shubham Ranjane Sanju Samson Shashank Singh Ish Sodhi Ben Stokes Oshane Thomas Rahul Tripathi Ashton Turner Manan Vohra Jaydev Unadkat
( The match will begin at 8pm and will be streamed live on Hotstar )
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