What a match. Went down the wire and in the end, PBKS just edged past KKR. Shahrukh Khan's nine-ball 22 coming to Punjab's rescue. KKR have themselves to blame; those dropped chances coming back to haunt them. PBKS's win means they are still alive in the playoff race and Delhi Capitals have now qualified for the playoffs. That would be all from our side. Thanks for joining us tonight.
- END OF CHASE -
PBKS 168/5 in 19.3 overs: Shahrukh finds a single. 4 to win from 5. KL on strike. Rahul goes for the slog and holes out to long-on! This is unbelievable. Shahrukh on strike. Length from Iyer and SRK pulls it over midwicket and Tripathi parries the ball over the fence for SIX! How about that for a finish! Punjab squeezes through as a faint hand from KKR and Tripathi does the job for them. Nevertheless, massive two points for Punjab!
Venkatesh Iyer for the final over! Whoa, that's some move from Morgan. 5 to win off the last six.
PBKS 161/4 in 19 overs: Mavi to KL. OUT! A terrific grab from Tripathi at the deep. The umpires aren't certain and opts for a replay. Wow! The decision has been overturned! KL breaks out of jail once again. The fingers seemed completely underneath the ball as Tripathi dived forward. Well, well, third-umpire Anil Dandekar has stirred up the night. A yorker to Shahrukh, he finds a single and KL's up for the last ball. Loose from Mavi and Rahul slams the ball behind point for four!
![RON7875JPG RON7875JPG](/theme/images/ss-online/1x1_spacer.png)
PBKS 151/4 in 18 overs: KL escapes! Southee offers a slower one onto the pads an Rahul aims to paddle it behind the keeper. Karthik nearly makes ground to grab the ball and KL would have had his heart in his mouth. Shahrukh eases the nerves with a sizzling boundary through covers. He wallops Southee's delivery outside the off-stump with sheer disdain. PBKS needs 15 runs in 12 balls.
Southee is back
PBKS 142/4 in 17 overs: Mavi to Hooda. OUT! Dear, oh dear! Punjab's letting this slip away too? Mavi lines it up to the middle-stump and Hooda attempts a slog over mid-wicket. He fails to override Mavi's pace and does not get the desired timing. Excellent catch from Tripathi on the line and Punjab's surely facing the heat now. Shahrukh Khan's the new man. He slams it to deep point and finds two runs to get off the mark. Mavi goes short and Shahrukh slams it to deep square leg. The ball seems to sail over and Iyer nearly pulls off the unthinkable! He jumps with his right hand in the air to get the hold of the ball and tumbles down within the boundary. He fails to hold onto the ball as his feet eventually hits the boundary. Deepak Hooda c Tripathi b Shivam Mavi 3 (4b)
Shivam Mavi into the attack. PBKS needs 35 to 24 balls.
PBKS 131/3 in 16 overs: Narine to Markram. OUT! Hit fiercely but holes out to the deep! Markram is dejected. He launches Narine for a 95m six over cow corner and hopes to emulate the same on the other side. Narine hits length outside off and the ball was there to be hit. Markram lines it up and swats it over covers, only to have Gill hold onto a clean catch on the fence. Aiden Markram c Shubman Gill b Narine 18 (16b 1x6)
PBKS 121/2 in 15 overs: Fifty for KL Rahul! He reaches there in style as he pummels Southee over mid-wicket for a cracking six.
Southee is back. PBKS needs 57 to win in six overs.
PBKS 109/2 in 14 overs: Narine operates from around the wicket to the right-handed pair. He deftly slides it in by offering no room. KL and Markram nudge about for six singles as the chase intensifies! Timeout.
Narine up for his third
PBKS 103/2 in 13 overs: 100 up for Punjab as KL finally breaks loose with a wristy heave to midwicket. Iyer attacks the stumps and drops his length and KL latches onto it with might and finds a six.
V Iyer replaces Chakravarthy
PBKS 92/2 in 12 overs: Rana keeps the batters poking around for singles. No boundaries conceded and the pressure slowly grows on Punjab. PBKS needs 74 in eight overs.
Nitish Rana into the attack
PBKS 85/2 in 11 overs: Chakravarthy to Pooran. OUT! Pooran's horrible run continues. He slams a full-toss for six on the on-side and attempts another over long-off. He ends up slicing it and the ball flies straight to deep point. Varun gets his second! He bowls it in style with figures of 2/24 in four overs. Nicholas Pooran c Shivam Mavi b Varun 12 (7b 1x6)
PBKS 76/1 in 10 overs: Pooran's dropped first ball! A hard whack through the off and Tripathi spills the ball at cover. Massive reprieve for Pooran who's had a torrid season with the blade so far.
Narine is back
PBKS 71/1 in 9 overs: Chakravarthy to Mayank. OUT! Falls to Morgan this time! A spitting image of the first ball he face tonight that Morgan dropped at covers and this time he holds onto it. Varun tosses it outside off and lures Mayank into the drive. The ball travels with some force behind it but Morgan holds onto it nicely this time. PBKS loses one right when it was stepping on the pedal. Mayank Agarwal c Morgan b Varun 40 (27b 3x4 3x6)
PBKS 63/0 in 8 overs: Mayank in the zone! Iyer bowls a no-ball and finds himself bowling a wide full-toss outside off. Mayank leans into it and smashes it over covers for a beautiful six.
Venkatesh Iyer into the attack
PBKS 51/0 in 7 overs: 50 up for Punjab! Mayank and KL have been pretty watchful in the start. KL's yet to break free.
PBKS needs 120 in 84 balls. Chakravarthy to continue.
PBKS 46/0 in 6 overs: Narine wafts one in and Mayank is slightly surprised by the lack of pace. He goes for a lofted stroke down the ground and just about holds his shape to send the ball over the boundary on the full. Watchful start from the openers as they make 46 inside six overs. And we have a timeout.
Narine replaces Mavi
PBKS 33/0 in 5 overs: Varun keeps it on length and bowls quicker through the air. Mayank finds minimal room to free his arms and just three runs come off a top over.
Chakravarthy into the attack
PBKS 30/0 in 4 overs: Mavi's excellent over is once again spoilt by that one loose ball. Mayank holds his balance as Mavi offers some width off the last ball. He slashes and slashes hard over the point fielder for four.
PBKS 25/0 in 3 overs: Rahul's off to an iffy start but he sheds some of it with a neat drive down the ground off Southee. The ball skims through the grass for four. Mayank's on the charge and smokes Southee over long-on for a six. Brisk start for Punjab.
PBKS 13/0 in 2 overs: Mavi pins Mayank to the crease as he hits the deck and pushes the ball into the stumps. Mayank leans forward and defends well. Mayank launches Mavi as he lands one in the slot. He lofts it straight over the bowler and it rolls onto the boundary.
Shivam Mavi into the attack
PBKS 7/0 in 1 over: KL off the mark instantly with a single to deep point. Morgan drops a straight-forward chance as Mayank slams it straight to the skipper at cover. Mayank adds to the misery of Morgs with a beautiful drive through extra cover for four.
Tim Southee up with the new ball.
Back for the chase! KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal walk out to the middle.
====================================
KKR would certainly feel it's 20 runs short, given the start Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi set in the first-half. However, Punjab's excellent death-bowling came to the fore once again as Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh hit the blockhole more often than not, denying the batters any room to go for the slog. Just the 44 runs in the last five and Punjab finds itself slightly in front at the half-way mark. Can Rahul's men finally shove away their horrors to keep themselves alive in the playoffs race?
KKR 165/6 in 20 overs: Terrific over from Arshdeep. He nearly hits the blockhole throughout the over and finishes up by crashing the ball into Karthik's middle-stump. KKR end up with 165 on the board. Karthik b Arshdeep Singh 11(11)
KKR 158/6 in 19 overs: Shami to Karthik. OUT! Excellent from Shami as he hits the block-hole to keep Karthik on his toes. Seifert sets on a single but Shami quickly finds the ball and hits the stumps at the non-striker's. Seifert attempts to scamper back but falls short. Excellent stuff from Shami at the death, just the seven runs from the penultimate. Tim Seifert run out (Mohammed Shami) 2 (4b)
KKR 151/5 in 18 overs: Arshdeep to Rana. OUT! Caught inches away from the mid-wicket fence! Rana aims to build on his onslaught on Arshdeep after a six and a boundary. He goes for the heave but fails to ace the timing this time. Mayank does a fine job at the fence to hold onto a ball that was travelling with some speed. Nitish Rana c Agarwal b Arshdeep Singh 31 (18b 2x4 2x6)
Arshdeep is back
KKR 137/4 in 17 overs: Massive from Rana! Ellis' slower-ball is picked up early once again. Rana sets himself in the crease for the slider and hammers it over the bowler for a massive six into the stands. Not his night. Ellis finishes with figures of 0/46 as KKR slowly begins its final surge.
Ellis up for his fourth
KKR 125/4 in 16 overs: Shami to Morgan. OUT! Plumb in front! Shami goes full as Morgan swivels towards the off-side to slide the ball behind square. He misses it altogether and Shami crashes the ball onto the pads. The umpire has no hesitation as he raises his finger in a flash. Morgan falls for another low score. Eoin Morgan lbw b Mohammed Shami 2 (2b)
Shami into the attack
KKR 121/3 in 15 overs: Bishnoi to Iyer. OUT! Iyer finds the man in the deep. Bishnoi floats one in outside off and Iyer sets himself for the slog-sweep. He slams it flat and the ball flies straight to Hooda at deep mid-wicket. A splendid hand from Iyer comes to an end. He departs after placing KKR on a fine platform to accelerate at the death. Venkatesh Iyer c Hooda b Ravi Bishnoi 67 (49b 9x4 1x6)
Bishnoi replaces Allen
KKR 115/2 in 14 overs: Power and finesse! Ellis strays to the pads and Iyer moves across and slides it behind short fine for a boundary. He wallops the bowler again as he drills a loosener outside with absolute disdain for four!
Ellis returns
KKR 104/2 in 13 overs: FIFTY for Venkatesh Iyer! He tucks a single to the on-side to get there and he celebrates the milestone with a cracking six over mid-wicket!
KKR 93/2 in 12 overs: Bishnoi to Tripathi. Top-edge and holes out to deep mid-wicket! Bishnoi persists with his line and it pays off. Tripathi aims for the slog again but does not get the desired timing on it. Hooda runs in from the fence and completes a fine catch. Nitish Rana gets a promotion to No.4. Rahul Tripathi c Hooda b Ravi Bishnoi 34 (26b 3x4 1x6)
KKR 87/1 in 11 overs: Tripathi smokes Ellis on the off-side! Two sizzling square-cuts from Tripathi. He uses the pace of Ellis to whip the ball past the point fielder and Kolkata continues to build on the momentum.
Ellis is back
KKR 76/1 in 10 overs: Bishnoi keeps it tight around the off-stump. Tripathi attempts to cut loose through the off, but the cover fielder denies him twice.
Bishnoi to continue after the break
KKR 73/1 in 9 overs: Top-class Tripathi! Allen floats one into middle-and-leg. Tripathi tonks it over mid-wicket with a wristy slog sweep. The ball sails over the stands for six and the momentum continues to build in the KKR camp. And on that note, we have the first Timeout.
KKR 61/1 in 8 overs: Iyer plays with Rahul's fielders once again. Bishnoi drifts it across Iyer from over the wicket. Iyer's deep in his crease and plays it late and fine behind point. The ball once again skids away to beat short third and Iyer gets another boundary.
Bishnoi into the attack
KKR 55/1 in 7 overs: Fifty up for Kolkata! Iyer finds the boundary once again as Allen bowls short. Excellent use of the crease from Iyer as he moves deep in a flash and whips it to the mid-wicket boundary.
Allen is back
KKR 48/1 in 6 overs: Iyer toys with the field and the ploys of Ellis. He picks the slower-one and creams it past mid-off for a boundary. Iyer follows up with another exquisite stroke to split the on-side fielders to find the mid-wicket boundary.
Nathan Ellis into the attack
KKR 37/1 in 5 overs: Venkatesh Iyer continues to impress! Arshdeep attacks the off-stump with precision but Iyer moves over to his left and deftly slides the ball behind short fine leg for a boundary.
KKR 30/1 in 4 overs: Tripathi off the blocks! Shami pins the batters down with a nagging line throughout the over. Tripathi breaks away with a fine pull off the last delivery. Not enough room for the stroke but Tripathi trusts his gut and swings his arms and finds the long-on boundary.
READ:
KKR 23/1 in 3 overs: Arshdeep to Gill. OUT! Through the defence and cleans him up! A cracking delivery from the left-armer. Swings it in from over the wicket and zips straight through Gill's forward push! Tripathi is the new man. Arshdeep's in some fine nick. He shapes the ball into Tripathi who attempts to step out of the crease. The ball swings considerably and cuts Tripathi's slog in half. Top start for Arshdeep! Shubman Gill b Arshdeep Singh 7 (7b 1x4)
Arshdeep replaces Allen
KKR 17/0 in 2 overs: Shami charges in and hits the deck to keep Gill quiet. Gill breaks the shackles soon after as he charges down and hammers the ball through extra cover for another boundary.
Mohammed Shami from the other end
KKR 10/0 in 1 over: Iyer up and running! Iyer begins with a boundary. He clips the ball on his pads towards the deep square fence. Allen follows up with a tight line and concedes a couple of singles. He floats it wide off Iyer to finish and the elegant leftie carves it through covers for a fine boundary to start off.
Fabian Allen to start proceedings for PBKS.
Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill at the middle for KKR.
Game On! Out walk the umpires Richard Illingworth and K Ananthapadmanabhan. KL Rahul's red brigade to follow.
=================================
Interesting changes for both sides tonight. Punjab's strengthened its lower-order with the inclusion of Shahrukh Khan and Fabian Allen besides Mayank's return to the top. Meanwhile, Kolkata has left out Ferguson for an extra batter in Tim Seifert. Morgan's men can afford it with Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana offering handy options with the ball.
Playing XIs
Toss: KL Rahul wins toss, PBKS to bowl first
It's TOSS time!
6:55PM IST: Live visuals suggest that Mayank Agarwal will be back after missing out in the last match due to injury. Chris Jordan is having a run-in as well.
6:44PM IST: KKR's Tim Seifert will make his IPL debut
PITCH REPORT from Kevin Pietersen and Simon Doull: 'It's the same surface that we played two nights ago and it looks magnificent. The ground staff have done a terrific job, nice grass covering and the surface is very hard. Three times the team batting first have won, three times the team bowling first have won. The average score is 159, there are no demons and the batters can trust this surface. From a bowling point of view, you have to get your length right.'
6:20PM IST: KKR vs PBKS - Last 5 meetings: KKR won - 4, PBKS won - 1
The recent contests have been heavily drawn in favour of Kolkata. Can KL Rahul inspire his side to a rapid shift in fortunes as the playoffs race heats up?
Here's how the table stands now:
5:45PM IST: Numbers Game
5:35PM IST: KKR vs PBKS -
Head-to-head in brief
5:20PM IST: Massive night for both sides in the bid for the playoffs. A loss would put Punjab's hopes well on the edge while Kolkata could just about survive a car-crash. With the exit of Gayle and an out-of-form Nicholas Pooran in the top-order, KL Rahul and coach Anil Kumble will have to get their choices absolutely spot-on tonight.
Match Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders will be keen to record its second win of the season over Punjab Kings in order to get closer to a coveted playoffs berth in the 2021 Indian Premier League.
When the two sides meet at the Ring of Fire in Dubai on Friday, the intensity is expected to be high. KKR, fourth with 10 points, will try to remain in the top half, while PBKS, two points and as many slots away from the Eoin Morgan-led team, will be desperate to win its remaining three matches to be relevant in the business end.
KKR has players who have contributed in key moments to provide a distinct momentum to the side in the Gulf leg of the event. Performers like eye-catching all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Lockie Ferguson and promising spinner Varun Chakravarthy have taken the responsibility in the time of need.
The win over the formidable Delhi Capitals and a better head-to-head record (19 wins, nine losses) against PBKS should spur the team, which will play an evening match after two consecutive day encounters.
PBKS has enough resources, but it has not managed to seize the important moments.
Recovering from its defeat to Mumbai Indians, PBKS will rely on captain K.L. Rahul and Aiden Markram in the batting department while hoping that Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran regain their form. Efficient bowlers in Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis have it in them to go for the kill.
Now Trending...
Predicted XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders P11: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (capt), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Punjab Kings P11: KL Rahul (capt, wk), Mandeep Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami
Where to watch today's match?
The IPL 2021 match between KKR and PBKS will be aired live on Star Sports channels - Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD at 7:30pm. The online streaming will be available on Hotstar.
Comments
SHARE