With 152 runs to chase, Kolkata Knight Riders will walk out oozing confidence, carrying all the momentum. If the dew sets in, batting should be a breeze, but if conditions remain dry, the Rajasthan Royals' bowlers will have to strike early and exploit any lingering assistance to stay in the hunt. A fascinating chase awaits. Stay tuned for KKRâs reply!
Varun Chakaravarthy from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says that the wicket was holding up a bit, and he used the lengths correctly to get those wickets. Adds that it is great to bowl with Moeen Ali and that he bowled pretty well today. Adds that Moeen didnât know he was playing this match and he had to turn up quickly just before the start of the match. Mentions that he is happy with the score and feels that this is not the same pitch which is at Eden Gardens, so the sm
But just when Rajasthan Royals looked set to accelerate, the game flipped on its head! The introduction of spin triggered a dramatic collapse, as RR tumbled from a promising 67/1 to a shocking 85/5 in the blink of an eye. The KKR bowlers turned up the heat, tightened the screws, and gave nothing away, making run-scoring a nightmare in the middle overs. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly, halting the free fall with crucial stands alongside Shubham Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer, but once he departed, RRâ
Put in to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked a touch out of rhythm but managed to get going alongside Sanju Samson in what seemed like a watchful approach to gauge the conditions. However, Vaibhav Arora struck early, cleaning up Samson and handing KKR a crucial breakthrough. That brought skipper Riyan Parag to the crease, and together with Jaiswal, the duo steadied the ship with a solid partnership, ensuring RR ended the Powerplay strongly at 54/1.
A sensational bowling display from Kolkata Knight Riders has put them in the driver's seat, restricting Rajasthan Royals to a modest 151/9! In a tournament filled with high-scoring thrillers, the Guwahati pitch threw in a twist, playing slightly two-paced and offering assistance to the bowlers, setting the stage for a gripping second half.
Spencer Johnson to Tushar Deshpande, Just a couple of runs to end the innings then!
Tushar Deshpande is the last man in to play the last ball of the inning.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! b Spencer Johnson.
Spencer Johnson to Maheesh Theekshana, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Back of a length and on off, Jofra Archer slaps it down to long off for just a run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Short of a length and on middle, Jofra Archer pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! Oh..wow! That is outta here!
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Goes for the wide yorker, but this is a bit too outside off, Jofra Archer leaves it alone. Wided. Spencer Johnson is not happy with that decision.
Maheesh Theekshana comes out to bat at number ten. Also, Spencer Johnson will bowl the final over.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, ! TAKEN! Harshit Rana finishes his spell with a wicket! He takes pace off again, full and around off. Shimron Hetmyer clears his front leg away to loft it down the ground but gets it more from the bottom part of his bat. The ball goes flat and uppishly towards long on where Angkrish Raghuvanshi takes a good catch. RR are eight down now!
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Swing and a miss! A slower delivery, full and around off, Shimron Hetmyer goes down across for the big slog sweep but only connects with thin air.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, On a length and around off, Jofra Archer pats it towards mid off for a single.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, Good stop! Goes fuller and on middle, Jofra Archer drills it hard down the pitch. Harshit Rana just about manages to get his boot on his follow-through and saves a boundary.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, ! What a way to get off the mark! Short of a length and well outside off. Jofra Archer gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it over deep point for a cracking six.
Jofra Archer is the new batter for RR.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! DRAGGED ON! Another one bites the dust! Harshit Rana serves this full and just on off. Dhruv Jurel stays in his crease and tries to heave it across the line but loses his shape a bit. He ends up getting an inside edge straight back onto the stumps. A crucial wicket at the right time for KKR as Jurel walks back for 33 off 28. Rajasthan Royals are 131/7!
Harshit Rana will bowl the penultimate over of the first inning.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Spencer Johnson bangs in a sharp bouncer on off, Dhruv Jurel steps across to pull it away but gets beaten by the pace and bounce.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller one and on off, Dhruv Jurel drives it firmly but straight to extra covers.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Hard length and around off, Shimron Hetmyer cuts it hard wide of point but Rinku Singh makes a fine diving stop to his right. They cross.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, AND ! A fantastic effort in the deep but goes in vain!
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Tries the same delivery but loses his line completely; this one is further outside off. Wided again.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, slower but well outside off, Shimron Hetmyer leaves it alone. Wided.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Good end to the over for RR! Overpitched and around off, Dhruv Jurel leans on to it and scythes it away to the deep extra covers fence for a boundary. 11 runs off the over!
Change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, A full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel steps across and flicks it away wide of deep square leg. Andre Russell moves to his left quickly and makes a fine sliding stop. Two runs taken.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Back of a length and outside off, takes pace off again, Dhruv Jurel cuts it straight to point.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good reply! A slower one, full and on middle, Dhruv Jurel blocks it back to the bowler.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Cheeky and effective! Harshit Rana goes fuller and around off. Dhruv Jurel quickly shuffles across, keeps his eyes on the ball, and scoops it to the fine leg fence for a much-needed boundary for the Royals.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length and on middle, Shimron Hetmyer pulls it towards deep square leg for a single.
Harshit Rana (2-0-18-0) comes back into the attack. Also, KKR uses their impact sub here as Angkrish Raghuvanshi comes in, and Varun Chakaravarthy goes out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Darts in a yorker, on middle, Shimron Hetmyer tucks it through mid-wicket for a run. Hettie wanted the second, but the slip from Jurel did not allow it. Just 2 runs off the over. Varun Chakaravarthy finishes a superb spell with figures of (4-0-17-2).
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flighted, full and on leg, Shimron Hetmyer knocks it to the left of the bowler.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Quicker, short again and on middle, Dhruv Jurel clips it through square leg for a single. Nelson on the board!
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Flatter, short and on off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fires one full and on middle, angling in. Dhruv Jurel looks to push it away but gets an inside edge towards short fine.
Shimron Hetmyer will bat next for RR.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! CAUGHT! The struggle for Shubham Dubey comes to an end and Vaibhav Arora gets his second wicket to conclude his spell for the game.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! Nicely done! Shubham Dubey finally manages to connect one. A low full toss, outside off, Dubey slices it over backward point for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Looks for the yorker, on the pads, but ends up bowling a low full toss that is flicked to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Short of a length, angling into the batter, the ball gets big on Dubey who miscues his pull to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Fuller than a length, well outside off, Shubham Dubey swings across and only manages to get an inside edge to short fine leg.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Short and over off, Dhruv Jurel pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Double change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and on off, some pace taken off this time, Dhruv Jurel knocks it to long on and takes a run. 11 runs come off this over.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Back of a good length, on middle and off, Shubham Dubey pulls well but straight to deep mid-wicket. Just a single.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Goes short and just outside off, Shubham Dubey looks to ramp it over the keeper but misses.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on off, Jurel steers it to backward point for one.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Dhruv Jurel is living dangerously at the moment and KKR wouldn't mind this one bit! Hard length, on off, Dhruv Jurel stands tall and swivels for the pull. Gets an underedge that falls past the leg stump and beats Quinton de Kock to his other side this time for another boundary.Â
STRATEGIC BREAK! The spinners of Kolkata Knight Riders have been brilliant so far with their lengths and varied pace as they are attacking the stumps most of the time and have picked up four wickets together. Moeen Ali came in in place of Sunil Narine today, and he made an impact straight away. KKR are cruising here as the half side of Rajasthan Royals are back in the hut, and they were prompted to use their impact sub player Shubham Dubey. A couple more wickets will make this one sided for
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Almost a wicket just after the break!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Tossed up, outside off, Jurel drives it to deep cover for a single. 8 runs come off this over and RR will be hoping this continues for a few more overs from here. Moeen Ali ends with figures 4-0-23-2 on his debut for KKR!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, ! A welcome boundary this for Rajasthan Royals!
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, A bit short, on middle, Dubey punches it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Lovely ball this! Gives the ball a lot of revs and keeps it full, on middle and gets it to bite the surface and turn away past the outside edge.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Short and going on with the arm, on the pads, Dhruv Jurel steps out and tucks it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Will Moeen Ali bowl another? Yes, he will continue to bowl out here.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Comes from wider on the crease and goes full, outside off, Shubham Dubey gets closer to the line and hits it down to long on for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and around off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third. Just two runs off this over.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Drags the length down and keeps it around off, Shubham Dubey knocks it to long off for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Full and on middle and leg, Shubham Dubey taps it to mid-wicket.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Tossed up, on middle, Shubham Dubey blocks it out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, A bit short and on middle and leg, tucked away to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Shubham Dubey comes out to the middle now.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, ! b Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on off, Nitish Rana sweeps it to deep mid-wicket and takes two quick runs.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Floated full, on off, Dhruv Jurel plants his front leg out and looks to whip it across but skews it off the outer half of the bat in front of long on for one.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Slides this one into the pads, on a length, Rana tucks it in front of deep mid-wicket and picks up a run.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, At 90.1 kph, Moeen attacks the stumps, full, Dhruv Jurel taps it to mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on middle, Nitish Rana steps out and knocks it to long on for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, ! c Ajinkya Rahane b Varun Chakaravarthy.
Who walks out now?
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Just falls short! Varun keeps it slow and fuller, into the line of the stumps, Nitish Rana goes for a reverse sweep but gets a top edge instead. The ball lobs up towards short third where Harshit Rana runs in to his right and puts in a stretched dive, but the ball lands ahead of him. The batters take a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, In the air... but falls safely!Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, Much fuller and around middle and leg, Wanindu Hasaranga comes forward and flicks it down the ground towards long on. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his left and puts in a dive to save two runs for his side.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Short and on the pads, Rana uses his wrists to turn it towards wide short fine leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Nagging length, on the pads, Nitish tucks it to deep square leg for a single to end the over.
Moeen Ali to Wanindu Hasaranga, Floated it up, around off, Wanindu Hasaranga flicks it to long on for a single to get off the mark.
Strategic Break! The spinners have given the upper hand to Kolkata Knight Riders with a couple of big wickets in quick succession. They will be looking to build on it and put even more pressure on the middle order of RR. The Royals need to build up a partnership here and avoid losing more wickets at the moment or else they could be in danger of getting bundled out for a below-par total. Also, Dhruv Jurel is the next man in.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! CAUGHT! Another one bites the dust, and the Rajasthan Royals are in serious trouble as their top order is gone back in the hut!Â
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Dragged length, around off, Nitish Rana pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tossed it up, around off, Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it to deep square leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nagging length and on the pads, Yashasvi Jaiswal misses his flick shot and gets hit on the pads.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Tossed it up, around off, Nitish Rana comes forward to defend it.
Nitish Rana comes out to the middle now.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! CAUGHT! An excellent catch by the wicket keeper Quinton de Kock has ended the stay of Riyan Parag.Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Quicker and flatter, around off, Parag drops it down to mid off.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! SUPERB SHOT! Varun drops it short again and into the stumps, Riyan Parag goes back and hammers it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie. 90 M six.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Touch short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts it to deep point for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Begins with a short ball, around off, Parag uses his wrists to nudge it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Dragged length, around middle, Parag nudges it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Flighted it up, around middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it aerially towards deep square leg. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his right to collect the ball and restricts the batters to just a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, 1 run.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Floated it up, around leg, Jaiswal takes a step forward and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, From around the wicket, much fuller and into the line of the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee and misses his sweep shot. Gets hit on the front pad and Moeen makes an appeal for LBW but is turned down by the umpire.Â
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Tossed it up, around off and middle, Parag lunges and turns it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Time for some spin now as Moeen Ali comes into the attack.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Yashasvi Jaiswal ends the Powerplay with a bang! Arora bowls a full toss, around off, a freebie. Jaiswal prods forward for a bit and whacks it over long off for a biggie. RR are 54/1 after the Powerplay.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Much fuller and around off, Jaiswal drives it but straight to cover.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, A yorker around middle and leg, Riyan Parag gets a leading edge in trying to flick it towards cover for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, ! PURE TIMING! Arora serves it full and into the line of the stumps this time, Riyan Parag just comes forward and chips it with the full face of the bat. The timing is that good as the ball sails over the bowler's head for a biggie.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, BEATEN! Arora bowls it fuller and well outside off, gets it to swing away further from the batter, Riyan Parag throws his hands at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, by Harshit Rana! Wasn't too easy, but that could've been taken! He lands it on a length, around off and takes pace off again, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drag it across the line and ends up swatting it off the lower half of the bat over the bowler. Harshit Rana on his follow-through leaps a bit to get both hands to it but fails to cling on. Â
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rana smartly takes pace off and angles it across, on a length, Yashasvi Jaiswal is deceived by the lack of pace and withdraws his shot to let it pass.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Short of a length, into the bodyline, Riyan Parag drops it down towards deep square leg for one.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Corrects his length and goes a bit fuller, on middle and off, Riyan Parag blocks it.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, ! Absolutely effortless! Harshit Rana goes into the deck, short and on middle, sits up around the waist height for Riyan Parag who pulls it over deep square leg for a biggie.Â
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Starts from over the wicket and hits the right line and length, over off, Riyan Parag cuts it to point.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, Hard length, on off, Riyan Parag taps it to cover and takes a single to get off the blocks straightaway.Â
Skipper Riyan Parag walks out to bat at number 3.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! CLEANED'EM UP! Vaibhav Arora gives Kolkata Knight Riders a big wicket and that of Sanju Samson!
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Fuller and on off, Jaiswal punches it to the right of cover and scampers for a quick run.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sees the batter make room and follows him with a full-ball, Yashasvi Jaiswal only manages to push it out to cover.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Full and on the pads, Sanju Samson clips it to deep square leg and picks up a run.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, WIDE! Full and going down leg, Sanju Samson looks to tickle it fine but misses.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! Sanju Samson is batting just like he did in the opener game! Fearlessely! Short of a length, on middle and off, Samson makes room and thumps it over covers for a boundary.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Drags the length down by a bit and keeps it outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal taps it to cover.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! High and gone! A clean strike! Spencer Johnson goes full and gets punished again. Angling into the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal swings across and sends the ball sailing over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal stays put and looks to slice it on the off side but misses.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Fuller than a length, on off, Samson drives it to mid off for one.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Johnson goes hard into the deck, on a back of a length and angles it into the batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal is very late to pull and is hurried onto the shot. Scuffs it to square leg for one.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Top shot! Spencer Johnson goes full and on off, Yashasvi Jaiswal whips it with a straight bat and beats Andre Russell at mid off to his left for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good length, on middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it to mid on and steals a quick run. A good start from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A very risky run!Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Superb effort from the KKR skipper to save a couple of runs for his side. Fuller than a length, on off, shaping in, Sanju Samson swings through the line and lifts it over mid on. Ajinkya Rahane chases the ball down and pushes it back in time.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Good length, over off, Samson taps it to cover. Good start this from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A hint of shape coming back into the batter, from outside off, on a length, Sanju Samson pushes it to cover off the inner half of the bat.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Starts from over the wicket and lands it on a good length, on the hips, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it in front of square leg and picks up a single.
Vaibhav Arora to share the attack.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, ! Beautiful shot to get off the mark! Spencer Johnson goes a bit too full and outside off, almost a wide yorker, Sanju Samson crouches low and steers it past backward point for a boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 9/0 after the first over.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Lovely nut! Angling across, on a hard length, from around middle and zipping through quicker. Sanju Samson looks to ride the bounce and tries to play straight but gets beaten on the outside edge.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, A confident shot first up from Sanju Samson! On a length, around off, Samson leans into the shot and punches it firmly but straight to cover.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gets the ball to nip back into the left-hander this time, on a hard length, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drop it down and ekes out an inside edge rolling off his pads towards point. The batters take a single.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! In the air, but goes over! Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajasthan Royals are off with a boundary! Spencer Johnson steams in from over the wicket and bashes the deck hard, on a back of a length, over middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal pulls a bit too early and gets a top edge that flies over the slip cordin and rolls over to the deep third fence.Â
We are all set to begin! The crowd has come in numbers in Guwahati to support their home boy, Riyan Parag's Rajasthan Royals, but there are also some patches of purple for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. We can see the KKR players in a huddle, and then they spread out to take their respective field positions. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the two openers for RR. Spencer Johnson has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Andre Russell from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says coming into the season as the defending champions feels nice but adds a bit of pressure right from the start but is a great seat to be in. Mentions that the games come thick and fast and they will have to make necessary changes along the way. States that they are putting in effort in the training and they have looked at how they can improve from the first game and are excited. Says he gets enough time to assess the condit
Riyan Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals says that he is very proud and humbled to lead the franchise at his home ground. Adds that there was a lot of positives in the last game as the middle order stepped up. Informs that Wanindu Hasaranga comes in the team for Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali (In place of Sunil Narine), Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, says that they are going to bowl first as the wicket looks really good. They are here for the first time, and they want to have an idea of the pitch and obviously, the dew factor is also there in making his decision to bowl first. Adds that the discussion was about being positive after that loss in the first game and that they want to be fearless and that there is an opportunity for everyone in each match to do well. Mentions that he doesnâ
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Ajinkya Rahane and Kolkata Knight Riders have elected to BOWL first.
We are back with KKR's reply!
... THE RUN CHASE ...
With 152 runs to chase, Kolkata Knight Riders will walk out oozing confidence, carrying all the momentum. If the dew sets in, batting should be a breeze, but if conditions remain dry, the Rajasthan Royals' bowlers will have to strike early and exploit any lingering assistance to stay in the hunt. A fascinating chase awaits. Stay tuned for KKRâs reply!
Varun Chakaravarthy from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says that the wicket was holding up a bit, and he used the lengths correctly to get those wickets. Adds that it is great to bowl with Moeen Ali and that he bowled pretty well today. Adds that Moeen didnât know he was playing this match and he had to turn up quickly just before the start of the match. Mentions that he is happy with the score and feels that this is not the same pitch which is at Eden Gardens, so the sm
But just when Rajasthan Royals looked set to accelerate, the game flipped on its head! The introduction of spin triggered a dramatic collapse, as RR tumbled from a promising 67/1 to a shocking 85/5 in the blink of an eye. The KKR bowlers turned up the heat, tightened the screws, and gave nothing away, making run-scoring a nightmare in the middle overs. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly, halting the free fall with crucial stands alongside Shubham Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer, but once he departed, RRâ
Put in to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked a touch out of rhythm but managed to get going alongside Sanju Samson in what seemed like a watchful approach to gauge the conditions. However, Vaibhav Arora struck early, cleaning up Samson and handing KKR a crucial breakthrough. That brought skipper Riyan Parag to the crease, and together with Jaiswal, the duo steadied the ship with a solid partnership, ensuring RR ended the Powerplay strongly at 54/1.
A sensational bowling display from Kolkata Knight Riders has put them in the driver's seat, restricting Rajasthan Royals to a modest 151/9! In a tournament filled with high-scoring thrillers, the Guwahati pitch threw in a twist, playing slightly two-paced and offering assistance to the bowlers, setting the stage for a gripping second half.
Spencer Johnson to Tushar Deshpande, Just a couple of runs to end the innings then!
Tushar Deshpande is the last man in to play the last ball of the inning.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! b Spencer Johnson.
Spencer Johnson to Maheesh Theekshana, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Back of a length and on off, Jofra Archer slaps it down to long off for just a run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Short of a length and on middle, Jofra Archer pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! Oh..wow! That is outta here!
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Goes for the wide yorker, but this is a bit too outside off, Jofra Archer leaves it alone. Wided. Spencer Johnson is not happy with that decision.
Maheesh Theekshana comes out to bat at number ten. Also, Spencer Johnson will bowl the final over.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, ! TAKEN! Harshit Rana finishes his spell with a wicket! He takes pace off again, full and around off. Shimron Hetmyer clears his front leg away to loft it down the ground but gets it more from the bottom part of his bat. The ball goes flat and uppishly towards long on where Angkrish Raghuvanshi takes a good catch. RR are eight down now!
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Swing and a miss! A slower delivery, full and around off, Shimron Hetmyer goes down across for the big slog sweep but only connects with thin air.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, On a length and around off, Jofra Archer pats it towards mid off for a single.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, Good stop! Goes fuller and on middle, Jofra Archer drills it hard down the pitch. Harshit Rana just about manages to get his boot on his follow-through and saves a boundary.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, ! What a way to get off the mark! Short of a length and well outside off. Jofra Archer gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it over deep point for a cracking six.
Jofra Archer is the new batter for RR.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! DRAGGED ON! Another one bites the dust! Harshit Rana serves this full and just on off. Dhruv Jurel stays in his crease and tries to heave it across the line but loses his shape a bit. He ends up getting an inside edge straight back onto the stumps. A crucial wicket at the right time for KKR as Jurel walks back for 33 off 28. Rajasthan Royals are 131/7!
Harshit Rana will bowl the penultimate over of the first inning.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Spencer Johnson bangs in a sharp bouncer on off, Dhruv Jurel steps across to pull it away but gets beaten by the pace and bounce.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller one and on off, Dhruv Jurel drives it firmly but straight to extra covers.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Hard length and around off, Shimron Hetmyer cuts it hard wide of point but Rinku Singh makes a fine diving stop to his right. They cross.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, AND ! A fantastic effort in the deep but goes in vain!
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Tries the same delivery but loses his line completely; this one is further outside off. Wided again.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, slower but well outside off, Shimron Hetmyer leaves it alone. Wided.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Good end to the over for RR! Overpitched and around off, Dhruv Jurel leans on to it and scythes it away to the deep extra covers fence for a boundary. 11 runs off the over!
Change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, A full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel steps across and flicks it away wide of deep square leg. Andre Russell moves to his left quickly and makes a fine sliding stop. Two runs taken.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Back of a length and outside off, takes pace off again, Dhruv Jurel cuts it straight to point.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good reply! A slower one, full and on middle, Dhruv Jurel blocks it back to the bowler.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Cheeky and effective! Harshit Rana goes fuller and around off. Dhruv Jurel quickly shuffles across, keeps his eyes on the ball, and scoops it to the fine leg fence for a much-needed boundary for the Royals.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length and on middle, Shimron Hetmyer pulls it towards deep square leg for a single.
Harshit Rana (2-0-18-0) comes back into the attack. Also, KKR uses their impact sub here as Angkrish Raghuvanshi comes in, and Varun Chakaravarthy goes out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Darts in a yorker, on middle, Shimron Hetmyer tucks it through mid-wicket for a run. Hettie wanted the second, but the slip from Jurel did not allow it. Just 2 runs off the over. Varun Chakaravarthy finishes a superb spell with figures of (4-0-17-2).
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flighted, full and on leg, Shimron Hetmyer knocks it to the left of the bowler.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Quicker, short again and on middle, Dhruv Jurel clips it through square leg for a single. Nelson on the board!
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Flatter, short and on off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fires one full and on middle, angling in. Dhruv Jurel looks to push it away but gets an inside edge towards short fine.
Shimron Hetmyer will bat next for RR.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! CAUGHT! The struggle for Shubham Dubey comes to an end and Vaibhav Arora gets his second wicket to conclude his spell for the game.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! Nicely done! Shubham Dubey finally manages to connect one. A low full toss, outside off, Dubey slices it over backward point for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Looks for the yorker, on the pads, but ends up bowling a low full toss that is flicked to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Short of a length, angling into the batter, the ball gets big on Dubey who miscues his pull to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Fuller than a length, well outside off, Shubham Dubey swings across and only manages to get an inside edge to short fine leg.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Short and over off, Dhruv Jurel pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Double change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and on off, some pace taken off this time, Dhruv Jurel knocks it to long on and takes a run. 11 runs come off this over.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Back of a good length, on middle and off, Shubham Dubey pulls well but straight to deep mid-wicket. Just a single.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Goes short and just outside off, Shubham Dubey looks to ramp it over the keeper but misses.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on off, Jurel steers it to backward point for one.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Dhruv Jurel is living dangerously at the moment and KKR wouldn't mind this one bit! Hard length, on off, Dhruv Jurel stands tall and swivels for the pull. Gets an underedge that falls past the leg stump and beats Quinton de Kock to his other side this time for another boundary.Â
STRATEGIC BREAK! The spinners of Kolkata Knight Riders have been brilliant so far with their lengths and varied pace as they are attacking the stumps most of the time and have picked up four wickets together. Moeen Ali came in in place of Sunil Narine today, and he made an impact straight away. KKR are cruising here as the half side of Rajasthan Royals are back in the hut, and they were prompted to use their impact sub player Shubham Dubey. A couple more wickets will make this one sided for
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Almost a wicket just after the break!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Tossed up, outside off, Jurel drives it to deep cover for a single. 8 runs come off this over and RR will be hoping this continues for a few more overs from here. Moeen Ali ends with figures 4-0-23-2 on his debut for KKR!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, ! A welcome boundary this for Rajasthan Royals!
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, A bit short, on middle, Dubey punches it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Lovely ball this! Gives the ball a lot of revs and keeps it full, on middle and gets it to bite the surface and turn away past the outside edge.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Short and going on with the arm, on the pads, Dhruv Jurel steps out and tucks it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Will Moeen Ali bowl another? Yes, he will continue to bowl out here.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Comes from wider on the crease and goes full, outside off, Shubham Dubey gets closer to the line and hits it down to long on for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and around off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third. Just two runs off this over.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Drags the length down and keeps it around off, Shubham Dubey knocks it to long off for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Full and on middle and leg, Shubham Dubey taps it to mid-wicket.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Tossed up, on middle, Shubham Dubey blocks it out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, A bit short and on middle and leg, tucked away to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Shubham Dubey comes out to the middle now.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, ! b Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on off, Nitish Rana sweeps it to deep mid-wicket and takes two quick runs.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Floated full, on off, Dhruv Jurel plants his front leg out and looks to whip it across but skews it off the outer half of the bat in front of long on for one.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Slides this one into the pads, on a length, Rana tucks it in front of deep mid-wicket and picks up a run.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, At 90.1 kph, Moeen attacks the stumps, full, Dhruv Jurel taps it to mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on middle, Nitish Rana steps out and knocks it to long on for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, ! c Ajinkya Rahane b Varun Chakaravarthy.
Who walks out now?
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Just falls short! Varun keeps it slow and fuller, into the line of the stumps, Nitish Rana goes for a reverse sweep but gets a top edge instead. The ball lobs up towards short third where Harshit Rana runs in to his right and puts in a stretched dive, but the ball lands ahead of him. The batters take a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, In the air... but falls safely!Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, Much fuller and around middle and leg, Wanindu Hasaranga comes forward and flicks it down the ground towards long on. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his left and puts in a dive to save two runs for his side.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Short and on the pads, Rana uses his wrists to turn it towards wide short fine leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Nagging length, on the pads, Nitish tucks it to deep square leg for a single to end the over.
Moeen Ali to Wanindu Hasaranga, Floated it up, around off, Wanindu Hasaranga flicks it to long on for a single to get off the mark.
Strategic Break! The spinners have given the upper hand to Kolkata Knight Riders with a couple of big wickets in quick succession. They will be looking to build on it and put even more pressure on the middle order of RR. The Royals need to build up a partnership here and avoid losing more wickets at the moment or else they could be in danger of getting bundled out for a below-par total. Also, Dhruv Jurel is the next man in.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! CAUGHT! Another one bites the dust, and the Rajasthan Royals are in serious trouble as their top order is gone back in the hut!Â
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Dragged length, around off, Nitish Rana pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tossed it up, around off, Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it to deep square leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nagging length and on the pads, Yashasvi Jaiswal misses his flick shot and gets hit on the pads.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Tossed it up, around off, Nitish Rana comes forward to defend it.
Nitish Rana comes out to the middle now.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! CAUGHT! An excellent catch by the wicket keeper Quinton de Kock has ended the stay of Riyan Parag.Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Quicker and flatter, around off, Parag drops it down to mid off.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! SUPERB SHOT! Varun drops it short again and into the stumps, Riyan Parag goes back and hammers it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie. 90 M six.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Touch short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts it to deep point for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Begins with a short ball, around off, Parag uses his wrists to nudge it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Dragged length, around middle, Parag nudges it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Flighted it up, around middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it aerially towards deep square leg. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his right to collect the ball and restricts the batters to just a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, 1 run.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Floated it up, around leg, Jaiswal takes a step forward and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, From around the wicket, much fuller and into the line of the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee and misses his sweep shot. Gets hit on the front pad and Moeen makes an appeal for LBW but is turned down by the umpire.Â
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Tossed it up, around off and middle, Parag lunges and turns it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Time for some spin now as Moeen Ali comes into the attack.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Yashasvi Jaiswal ends the Powerplay with a bang! Arora bowls a full toss, around off, a freebie. Jaiswal prods forward for a bit and whacks it over long off for a biggie. RR are 54/1 after the Powerplay.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Much fuller and around off, Jaiswal drives it but straight to cover.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, A yorker around middle and leg, Riyan Parag gets a leading edge in trying to flick it towards cover for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, ! PURE TIMING! Arora serves it full and into the line of the stumps this time, Riyan Parag just comes forward and chips it with the full face of the bat. The timing is that good as the ball sails over the bowler's head for a biggie.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, BEATEN! Arora bowls it fuller and well outside off, gets it to swing away further from the batter, Riyan Parag throws his hands at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, by Harshit Rana! Wasn't too easy, but that could've been taken! He lands it on a length, around off and takes pace off again, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drag it across the line and ends up swatting it off the lower half of the bat over the bowler. Harshit Rana on his follow-through leaps a bit to get both hands to it but fails to cling on. Â
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rana smartly takes pace off and angles it across, on a length, Yashasvi Jaiswal is deceived by the lack of pace and withdraws his shot to let it pass.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Short of a length, into the bodyline, Riyan Parag drops it down towards deep square leg for one.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Corrects his length and goes a bit fuller, on middle and off, Riyan Parag blocks it.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, ! Absolutely effortless! Harshit Rana goes into the deck, short and on middle, sits up around the waist height for Riyan Parag who pulls it over deep square leg for a biggie.Â
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Starts from over the wicket and hits the right line and length, over off, Riyan Parag cuts it to point.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, Hard length, on off, Riyan Parag taps it to cover and takes a single to get off the blocks straightaway.Â
Skipper Riyan Parag walks out to bat at number 3.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! CLEANED'EM UP! Vaibhav Arora gives Kolkata Knight Riders a big wicket and that of Sanju Samson!
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Fuller and on off, Jaiswal punches it to the right of cover and scampers for a quick run.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sees the batter make room and follows him with a full-ball, Yashasvi Jaiswal only manages to push it out to cover.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Full and on the pads, Sanju Samson clips it to deep square leg and picks up a run.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, WIDE! Full and going down leg, Sanju Samson looks to tickle it fine but misses.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! Sanju Samson is batting just like he did in the opener game! Fearlessely! Short of a length, on middle and off, Samson makes room and thumps it over covers for a boundary.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Drags the length down by a bit and keeps it outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal taps it to cover.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! High and gone! A clean strike! Spencer Johnson goes full and gets punished again. Angling into the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal swings across and sends the ball sailing over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal stays put and looks to slice it on the off side but misses.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Fuller than a length, on off, Samson drives it to mid off for one.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Johnson goes hard into the deck, on a back of a length and angles it into the batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal is very late to pull and is hurried onto the shot. Scuffs it to square leg for one.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Top shot! Spencer Johnson goes full and on off, Yashasvi Jaiswal whips it with a straight bat and beats Andre Russell at mid off to his left for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good length, on middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it to mid on and steals a quick run. A good start from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A very risky run!Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Superb effort from the KKR skipper to save a couple of runs for his side. Fuller than a length, on off, shaping in, Sanju Samson swings through the line and lifts it over mid on. Ajinkya Rahane chases the ball down and pushes it back in time.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Good length, over off, Samson taps it to cover. Good start this from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A hint of shape coming back into the batter, from outside off, on a length, Sanju Samson pushes it to cover off the inner half of the bat.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Starts from over the wicket and lands it on a good length, on the hips, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it in front of square leg and picks up a single.
Vaibhav Arora to share the attack.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, ! Beautiful shot to get off the mark! Spencer Johnson goes a bit too full and outside off, almost a wide yorker, Sanju Samson crouches low and steers it past backward point for a boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 9/0 after the first over.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Lovely nut! Angling across, on a hard length, from around middle and zipping through quicker. Sanju Samson looks to ride the bounce and tries to play straight but gets beaten on the outside edge.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, A confident shot first up from Sanju Samson! On a length, around off, Samson leans into the shot and punches it firmly but straight to cover.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gets the ball to nip back into the left-hander this time, on a hard length, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drop it down and ekes out an inside edge rolling off his pads towards point. The batters take a single.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! In the air, but goes over! Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajasthan Royals are off with a boundary! Spencer Johnson steams in from over the wicket and bashes the deck hard, on a back of a length, over middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal pulls a bit too early and gets a top edge that flies over the slip cordin and rolls over to the deep third fence.Â
We are all set to begin! The crowd has come in numbers in Guwahati to support their home boy, Riyan Parag's Rajasthan Royals, but there are also some patches of purple for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. We can see the KKR players in a huddle, and then they spread out to take their respective field positions. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the two openers for RR. Spencer Johnson has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Andre Russell from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says coming into the season as the defending champions feels nice but adds a bit of pressure right from the start but is a great seat to be in. Mentions that the games come thick and fast and they will have to make necessary changes along the way. States that they are putting in effort in the training and they have looked at how they can improve from the first game and are excited. Says he gets enough time to assess the condit
Riyan Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals says that he is very proud and humbled to lead the franchise at his home ground. Adds that there was a lot of positives in the last game as the middle order stepped up. Informs that Wanindu Hasaranga comes in the team for Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali (In place of Sunil Narine), Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, says that they are going to bowl first as the wicket looks really good. They are here for the first time, and they want to have an idea of the pitch and obviously, the dew factor is also there in making his decision to bowl first. Adds that the discussion was about being positive after that loss in the first game and that they want to be fearless and that there is an opportunity for everyone in each match to do well. Mentions that he doesnâ
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Ajinkya Rahane and Kolkata Knight Riders have elected to BOWL first.
Newsletter
Kolkata Knight Riders
153/2(17.3 Overs)
We are back with KKR's reply!
... THE RUN CHASE ...
With 152 runs to chase, Kolkata Knight Riders will walk out oozing confidence, carrying all the momentum. If the dew sets in, batting should be a breeze, but if conditions remain dry, the Rajasthan Royals' bowlers will have to strike early and exploit any lingering assistance to stay in the hunt. A fascinating chase awaits. Stay tuned for KKRâs reply!
Varun Chakaravarthy from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says that the wicket was holding up a bit, and he used the lengths correctly to get those wickets. Adds that it is great to bowl with Moeen Ali and that he bowled pretty well today. Adds that Moeen didnât know he was playing this match and he had to turn up quickly just before the start of the match. Mentions that he is happy with the score and feels that this is not the same pitch which is at Eden Gardens, so the sm
But just when Rajasthan Royals looked set to accelerate, the game flipped on its head! The introduction of spin triggered a dramatic collapse, as RR tumbled from a promising 67/1 to a shocking 85/5 in the blink of an eye. The KKR bowlers turned up the heat, tightened the screws, and gave nothing away, making run-scoring a nightmare in the middle overs. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly, halting the free fall with crucial stands alongside Shubham Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer, but once he departed, RRâ
Put in to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked a touch out of rhythm but managed to get going alongside Sanju Samson in what seemed like a watchful approach to gauge the conditions. However, Vaibhav Arora struck early, cleaning up Samson and handing KKR a crucial breakthrough. That brought skipper Riyan Parag to the crease, and together with Jaiswal, the duo steadied the ship with a solid partnership, ensuring RR ended the Powerplay strongly at 54/1.
A sensational bowling display from Kolkata Knight Riders has put them in the driver's seat, restricting Rajasthan Royals to a modest 151/9! In a tournament filled with high-scoring thrillers, the Guwahati pitch threw in a twist, playing slightly two-paced and offering assistance to the bowlers, setting the stage for a gripping second half.
Spencer Johnson to Tushar Deshpande, Just a couple of runs to end the innings then!
Tushar Deshpande is the last man in to play the last ball of the inning.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! b Spencer Johnson.
Spencer Johnson to Maheesh Theekshana, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Back of a length and on off, Jofra Archer slaps it down to long off for just a run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Short of a length and on middle, Jofra Archer pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! Oh..wow! That is outta here!
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Goes for the wide yorker, but this is a bit too outside off, Jofra Archer leaves it alone. Wided. Spencer Johnson is not happy with that decision.
Maheesh Theekshana comes out to bat at number ten. Also, Spencer Johnson will bowl the final over.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, ! TAKEN! Harshit Rana finishes his spell with a wicket! He takes pace off again, full and around off. Shimron Hetmyer clears his front leg away to loft it down the ground but gets it more from the bottom part of his bat. The ball goes flat and uppishly towards long on where Angkrish Raghuvanshi takes a good catch. RR are eight down now!
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Swing and a miss! A slower delivery, full and around off, Shimron Hetmyer goes down across for the big slog sweep but only connects with thin air.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, On a length and around off, Jofra Archer pats it towards mid off for a single.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, Good stop! Goes fuller and on middle, Jofra Archer drills it hard down the pitch. Harshit Rana just about manages to get his boot on his follow-through and saves a boundary.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, ! What a way to get off the mark! Short of a length and well outside off. Jofra Archer gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it over deep point for a cracking six.
Jofra Archer is the new batter for RR.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! DRAGGED ON! Another one bites the dust! Harshit Rana serves this full and just on off. Dhruv Jurel stays in his crease and tries to heave it across the line but loses his shape a bit. He ends up getting an inside edge straight back onto the stumps. A crucial wicket at the right time for KKR as Jurel walks back for 33 off 28. Rajasthan Royals are 131/7!
Harshit Rana will bowl the penultimate over of the first inning.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Spencer Johnson bangs in a sharp bouncer on off, Dhruv Jurel steps across to pull it away but gets beaten by the pace and bounce.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller one and on off, Dhruv Jurel drives it firmly but straight to extra covers.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Hard length and around off, Shimron Hetmyer cuts it hard wide of point but Rinku Singh makes a fine diving stop to his right. They cross.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, AND ! A fantastic effort in the deep but goes in vain!
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Tries the same delivery but loses his line completely; this one is further outside off. Wided again.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, slower but well outside off, Shimron Hetmyer leaves it alone. Wided.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Good end to the over for RR! Overpitched and around off, Dhruv Jurel leans on to it and scythes it away to the deep extra covers fence for a boundary. 11 runs off the over!
Change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, A full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel steps across and flicks it away wide of deep square leg. Andre Russell moves to his left quickly and makes a fine sliding stop. Two runs taken.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Back of a length and outside off, takes pace off again, Dhruv Jurel cuts it straight to point.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good reply! A slower one, full and on middle, Dhruv Jurel blocks it back to the bowler.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Cheeky and effective! Harshit Rana goes fuller and around off. Dhruv Jurel quickly shuffles across, keeps his eyes on the ball, and scoops it to the fine leg fence for a much-needed boundary for the Royals.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length and on middle, Shimron Hetmyer pulls it towards deep square leg for a single.
Harshit Rana (2-0-18-0) comes back into the attack. Also, KKR uses their impact sub here as Angkrish Raghuvanshi comes in, and Varun Chakaravarthy goes out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Darts in a yorker, on middle, Shimron Hetmyer tucks it through mid-wicket for a run. Hettie wanted the second, but the slip from Jurel did not allow it. Just 2 runs off the over. Varun Chakaravarthy finishes a superb spell with figures of (4-0-17-2).
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flighted, full and on leg, Shimron Hetmyer knocks it to the left of the bowler.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Quicker, short again and on middle, Dhruv Jurel clips it through square leg for a single. Nelson on the board!
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Flatter, short and on off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fires one full and on middle, angling in. Dhruv Jurel looks to push it away but gets an inside edge towards short fine.
Shimron Hetmyer will bat next for RR.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! CAUGHT! The struggle for Shubham Dubey comes to an end and Vaibhav Arora gets his second wicket to conclude his spell for the game.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! Nicely done! Shubham Dubey finally manages to connect one. A low full toss, outside off, Dubey slices it over backward point for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Looks for the yorker, on the pads, but ends up bowling a low full toss that is flicked to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Short of a length, angling into the batter, the ball gets big on Dubey who miscues his pull to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Fuller than a length, well outside off, Shubham Dubey swings across and only manages to get an inside edge to short fine leg.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Short and over off, Dhruv Jurel pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Double change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and on off, some pace taken off this time, Dhruv Jurel knocks it to long on and takes a run. 11 runs come off this over.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Back of a good length, on middle and off, Shubham Dubey pulls well but straight to deep mid-wicket. Just a single.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Goes short and just outside off, Shubham Dubey looks to ramp it over the keeper but misses.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on off, Jurel steers it to backward point for one.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Dhruv Jurel is living dangerously at the moment and KKR wouldn't mind this one bit! Hard length, on off, Dhruv Jurel stands tall and swivels for the pull. Gets an underedge that falls past the leg stump and beats Quinton de Kock to his other side this time for another boundary.Â
STRATEGIC BREAK! The spinners of Kolkata Knight Riders have been brilliant so far with their lengths and varied pace as they are attacking the stumps most of the time and have picked up four wickets together. Moeen Ali came in in place of Sunil Narine today, and he made an impact straight away. KKR are cruising here as the half side of Rajasthan Royals are back in the hut, and they were prompted to use their impact sub player Shubham Dubey. A couple more wickets will make this one sided for
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Almost a wicket just after the break!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Tossed up, outside off, Jurel drives it to deep cover for a single. 8 runs come off this over and RR will be hoping this continues for a few more overs from here. Moeen Ali ends with figures 4-0-23-2 on his debut for KKR!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, ! A welcome boundary this for Rajasthan Royals!
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, A bit short, on middle, Dubey punches it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Lovely ball this! Gives the ball a lot of revs and keeps it full, on middle and gets it to bite the surface and turn away past the outside edge.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Short and going on with the arm, on the pads, Dhruv Jurel steps out and tucks it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Will Moeen Ali bowl another? Yes, he will continue to bowl out here.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Comes from wider on the crease and goes full, outside off, Shubham Dubey gets closer to the line and hits it down to long on for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and around off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third. Just two runs off this over.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Drags the length down and keeps it around off, Shubham Dubey knocks it to long off for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Full and on middle and leg, Shubham Dubey taps it to mid-wicket.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Tossed up, on middle, Shubham Dubey blocks it out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, A bit short and on middle and leg, tucked away to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Shubham Dubey comes out to the middle now.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, ! b Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on off, Nitish Rana sweeps it to deep mid-wicket and takes two quick runs.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Floated full, on off, Dhruv Jurel plants his front leg out and looks to whip it across but skews it off the outer half of the bat in front of long on for one.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Slides this one into the pads, on a length, Rana tucks it in front of deep mid-wicket and picks up a run.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, At 90.1 kph, Moeen attacks the stumps, full, Dhruv Jurel taps it to mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on middle, Nitish Rana steps out and knocks it to long on for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, ! c Ajinkya Rahane b Varun Chakaravarthy.
Who walks out now?
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Just falls short! Varun keeps it slow and fuller, into the line of the stumps, Nitish Rana goes for a reverse sweep but gets a top edge instead. The ball lobs up towards short third where Harshit Rana runs in to his right and puts in a stretched dive, but the ball lands ahead of him. The batters take a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, In the air... but falls safely!Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, Much fuller and around middle and leg, Wanindu Hasaranga comes forward and flicks it down the ground towards long on. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his left and puts in a dive to save two runs for his side.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Short and on the pads, Rana uses his wrists to turn it towards wide short fine leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Nagging length, on the pads, Nitish tucks it to deep square leg for a single to end the over.
Moeen Ali to Wanindu Hasaranga, Floated it up, around off, Wanindu Hasaranga flicks it to long on for a single to get off the mark.
Strategic Break! The spinners have given the upper hand to Kolkata Knight Riders with a couple of big wickets in quick succession. They will be looking to build on it and put even more pressure on the middle order of RR. The Royals need to build up a partnership here and avoid losing more wickets at the moment or else they could be in danger of getting bundled out for a below-par total. Also, Dhruv Jurel is the next man in.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! CAUGHT! Another one bites the dust, and the Rajasthan Royals are in serious trouble as their top order is gone back in the hut!Â
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Dragged length, around off, Nitish Rana pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tossed it up, around off, Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it to deep square leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nagging length and on the pads, Yashasvi Jaiswal misses his flick shot and gets hit on the pads.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Tossed it up, around off, Nitish Rana comes forward to defend it.
Nitish Rana comes out to the middle now.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! CAUGHT! An excellent catch by the wicket keeper Quinton de Kock has ended the stay of Riyan Parag.Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Quicker and flatter, around off, Parag drops it down to mid off.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! SUPERB SHOT! Varun drops it short again and into the stumps, Riyan Parag goes back and hammers it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie. 90 M six.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Touch short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts it to deep point for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Begins with a short ball, around off, Parag uses his wrists to nudge it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Dragged length, around middle, Parag nudges it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Flighted it up, around middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it aerially towards deep square leg. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his right to collect the ball and restricts the batters to just a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, 1 run.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Floated it up, around leg, Jaiswal takes a step forward and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, From around the wicket, much fuller and into the line of the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee and misses his sweep shot. Gets hit on the front pad and Moeen makes an appeal for LBW but is turned down by the umpire.Â
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Tossed it up, around off and middle, Parag lunges and turns it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Time for some spin now as Moeen Ali comes into the attack.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Yashasvi Jaiswal ends the Powerplay with a bang! Arora bowls a full toss, around off, a freebie. Jaiswal prods forward for a bit and whacks it over long off for a biggie. RR are 54/1 after the Powerplay.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Much fuller and around off, Jaiswal drives it but straight to cover.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, A yorker around middle and leg, Riyan Parag gets a leading edge in trying to flick it towards cover for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, ! PURE TIMING! Arora serves it full and into the line of the stumps this time, Riyan Parag just comes forward and chips it with the full face of the bat. The timing is that good as the ball sails over the bowler's head for a biggie.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, BEATEN! Arora bowls it fuller and well outside off, gets it to swing away further from the batter, Riyan Parag throws his hands at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, by Harshit Rana! Wasn't too easy, but that could've been taken! He lands it on a length, around off and takes pace off again, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drag it across the line and ends up swatting it off the lower half of the bat over the bowler. Harshit Rana on his follow-through leaps a bit to get both hands to it but fails to cling on. Â
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rana smartly takes pace off and angles it across, on a length, Yashasvi Jaiswal is deceived by the lack of pace and withdraws his shot to let it pass.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Short of a length, into the bodyline, Riyan Parag drops it down towards deep square leg for one.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Corrects his length and goes a bit fuller, on middle and off, Riyan Parag blocks it.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, ! Absolutely effortless! Harshit Rana goes into the deck, short and on middle, sits up around the waist height for Riyan Parag who pulls it over deep square leg for a biggie.Â
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Starts from over the wicket and hits the right line and length, over off, Riyan Parag cuts it to point.
Change? Yes, Harshit Rana replaces Spencer Johnson.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, Hard length, on off, Riyan Parag taps it to cover and takes a single to get off the blocks straightaway.Â
Skipper Riyan Parag walks out to bat at number 3.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! CLEANED'EM UP! Vaibhav Arora gives Kolkata Knight Riders a big wicket and that of Sanju Samson!
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Fuller and on off, Jaiswal punches it to the right of cover and scampers for a quick run.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sees the batter make room and follows him with a full-ball, Yashasvi Jaiswal only manages to push it out to cover.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Full and on the pads, Sanju Samson clips it to deep square leg and picks up a run.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, WIDE! Full and going down leg, Sanju Samson looks to tickle it fine but misses.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! Sanju Samson is batting just like he did in the opener game! Fearlessely! Short of a length, on middle and off, Samson makes room and thumps it over covers for a boundary.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Drags the length down by a bit and keeps it outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal taps it to cover.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! High and gone! A clean strike! Spencer Johnson goes full and gets punished again. Angling into the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal swings across and sends the ball sailing over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal stays put and looks to slice it on the off side but misses.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Fuller than a length, on off, Samson drives it to mid off for one.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Johnson goes hard into the deck, on a back of a length and angles it into the batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal is very late to pull and is hurried onto the shot. Scuffs it to square leg for one.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Top shot! Spencer Johnson goes full and on off, Yashasvi Jaiswal whips it with a straight bat and beats Andre Russell at mid off to his left for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good length, on middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it to mid on and steals a quick run. A good start from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A very risky run!Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Superb effort from the KKR skipper to save a couple of runs for his side. Fuller than a length, on off, shaping in, Sanju Samson swings through the line and lifts it over mid on. Ajinkya Rahane chases the ball down and pushes it back in time.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Good length, over off, Samson taps it to cover. Good start this from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A hint of shape coming back into the batter, from outside off, on a length, Sanju Samson pushes it to cover off the inner half of the bat.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Starts from over the wicket and lands it on a good length, on the hips, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it in front of square leg and picks up a single.
Vaibhav Arora to share the attack.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, ! Beautiful shot to get off the mark! Spencer Johnson goes a bit too full and outside off, almost a wide yorker, Sanju Samson crouches low and steers it past backward point for a boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 9/0 after the first over.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Lovely nut! Angling across, on a hard length, from around middle and zipping through quicker. Sanju Samson looks to ride the bounce and tries to play straight but gets beaten on the outside edge.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, A confident shot first up from Sanju Samson! On a length, around off, Samson leans into the shot and punches it firmly but straight to cover.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gets the ball to nip back into the left-hander this time, on a hard length, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drop it down and ekes out an inside edge rolling off his pads towards point. The batters take a single.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! In the air, but goes over! Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajasthan Royals are off with a boundary! Spencer Johnson steams in from over the wicket and bashes the deck hard, on a back of a length, over middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal pulls a bit too early and gets a top edge that flies over the slip cordin and rolls over to the deep third fence.Â
We are all set to begin! The crowd has come in numbers in Guwahati to support their home boy, Riyan Parag's Rajasthan Royals, but there are also some patches of purple for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. We can see the KKR players in a huddle, and then they spread out to take their respective field positions. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the two openers for RR. Spencer Johnson has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Andre Russell from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says coming into the season as the defending champions feels nice but adds a bit of pressure right from the start but is a great seat to be in. Mentions that the games come thick and fast and they will have to make necessary changes along the way. States that they are putting in effort in the training and they have looked at how they can improve from the first game and are excited. Says he gets enough time to assess the condit
Riyan Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals says that he is very proud and humbled to lead the franchise at his home ground. Adds that there was a lot of positives in the last game as the middle order stepped up. Informs that Wanindu Hasaranga comes in the team for Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Impact Players for Rajasthan Royals - Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI) - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (C), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
Impact Players for Kolkata Knight Riders - Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali (In place of Sunil Narine), Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, says that they are going to bowl first as the wicket looks really good. They are here for the first time, and they want to have an idea of the pitch and obviously, the dew factor is also there in making his decision to bowl first. Adds that the discussion was about being positive after that loss in the first game and that they want to be fearless and that there is an opportunity for everyone in each match to do well. Mentions that he doesnâ
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Ajinkya Rahane and Kolkata Knight Riders have elected to BOWL first.
We are back with KKR's reply!
... THE RUN CHASE ...
With 152 runs to chase, Kolkata Knight Riders will walk out oozing confidence, carrying all the momentum. If the dew sets in, batting should be a breeze, but if conditions remain dry, the Rajasthan Royals' bowlers will have to strike early and exploit any lingering assistance to stay in the hunt. A fascinating chase awaits. Stay tuned for KKRâs reply!
Varun Chakaravarthy from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says that the wicket was holding up a bit, and he used the lengths correctly to get those wickets. Adds that it is great to bowl with Moeen Ali and that he bowled pretty well today. Adds that Moeen didnât know he was playing this match and he had to turn up quickly just before the start of the match. Mentions that he is happy with the score and feels that this is not the same pitch which is at Eden Gardens, so the sm
But just when Rajasthan Royals looked set to accelerate, the game flipped on its head! The introduction of spin triggered a dramatic collapse, as RR tumbled from a promising 67/1 to a shocking 85/5 in the blink of an eye. The KKR bowlers turned up the heat, tightened the screws, and gave nothing away, making run-scoring a nightmare in the middle overs. Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly, halting the free fall with crucial stands alongside Shubham Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer, but once he departed, RRâ
Put in to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked a touch out of rhythm but managed to get going alongside Sanju Samson in what seemed like a watchful approach to gauge the conditions. However, Vaibhav Arora struck early, cleaning up Samson and handing KKR a crucial breakthrough. That brought skipper Riyan Parag to the crease, and together with Jaiswal, the duo steadied the ship with a solid partnership, ensuring RR ended the Powerplay strongly at 54/1.
A sensational bowling display from Kolkata Knight Riders has put them in the driver's seat, restricting Rajasthan Royals to a modest 151/9! In a tournament filled with high-scoring thrillers, the Guwahati pitch threw in a twist, playing slightly two-paced and offering assistance to the bowlers, setting the stage for a gripping second half.
Spencer Johnson to Tushar Deshpande, Just a couple of runs to end the innings then!
Tushar Deshpande is the last man in to play the last ball of the inning.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! b Spencer Johnson.
Spencer Johnson to Maheesh Theekshana, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Back of a length and on off, Jofra Archer slaps it down to long off for just a run.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Short of a length and on middle, Jofra Archer pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, ! Oh..wow! That is outta here!
Spencer Johnson to Jofra Archer, Goes for the wide yorker, but this is a bit too outside off, Jofra Archer leaves it alone. Wided. Spencer Johnson is not happy with that decision.
Maheesh Theekshana comes out to bat at number ten. Also, Spencer Johnson will bowl the final over.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, ! TAKEN! Harshit Rana finishes his spell with a wicket! He takes pace off again, full and around off. Shimron Hetmyer clears his front leg away to loft it down the ground but gets it more from the bottom part of his bat. The ball goes flat and uppishly towards long on where Angkrish Raghuvanshi takes a good catch. RR are eight down now!
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Swing and a miss! A slower delivery, full and around off, Shimron Hetmyer goes down across for the big slog sweep but only connects with thin air.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, On a length and around off, Jofra Archer pats it towards mid off for a single.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, Good stop! Goes fuller and on middle, Jofra Archer drills it hard down the pitch. Harshit Rana just about manages to get his boot on his follow-through and saves a boundary.
Harshit Rana to Jofra Archer, ! What a way to get off the mark! Short of a length and well outside off. Jofra Archer gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it over deep point for a cracking six.
Jofra Archer is the new batter for RR.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! DRAGGED ON! Another one bites the dust! Harshit Rana serves this full and just on off. Dhruv Jurel stays in his crease and tries to heave it across the line but loses his shape a bit. He ends up getting an inside edge straight back onto the stumps. A crucial wicket at the right time for KKR as Jurel walks back for 33 off 28. Rajasthan Royals are 131/7!
Harshit Rana will bowl the penultimate over of the first inning.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, 1 run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Spencer Johnson bangs in a sharp bouncer on off, Dhruv Jurel steps across to pull it away but gets beaten by the pace and bounce.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller one and on off, Dhruv Jurel drives it firmly but straight to extra covers.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Hard length and around off, Shimron Hetmyer cuts it hard wide of point but Rinku Singh makes a fine diving stop to his right. They cross.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, AND ! A fantastic effort in the deep but goes in vain!
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Tries the same delivery but loses his line completely; this one is further outside off. Wided again.
Spencer Johnson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, slower but well outside off, Shimron Hetmyer leaves it alone. Wided.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Good end to the over for RR! Overpitched and around off, Dhruv Jurel leans on to it and scythes it away to the deep extra covers fence for a boundary. 11 runs off the over!
Change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, A full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel steps across and flicks it away wide of deep square leg. Andre Russell moves to his left quickly and makes a fine sliding stop. Two runs taken.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Back of a length and outside off, takes pace off again, Dhruv Jurel cuts it straight to point.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good reply! A slower one, full and on middle, Dhruv Jurel blocks it back to the bowler.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Cheeky and effective! Harshit Rana goes fuller and around off. Dhruv Jurel quickly shuffles across, keeps his eyes on the ball, and scoops it to the fine leg fence for a much-needed boundary for the Royals.
Harshit Rana to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length and on middle, Shimron Hetmyer pulls it towards deep square leg for a single.
Harshit Rana (2-0-18-0) comes back into the attack. Also, KKR uses their impact sub here as Angkrish Raghuvanshi comes in, and Varun Chakaravarthy goes out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Darts in a yorker, on middle, Shimron Hetmyer tucks it through mid-wicket for a run. Hettie wanted the second, but the slip from Jurel did not allow it. Just 2 runs off the over. Varun Chakaravarthy finishes a superb spell with figures of (4-0-17-2).
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flighted, full and on leg, Shimron Hetmyer knocks it to the left of the bowler.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Quicker, short again and on middle, Dhruv Jurel clips it through square leg for a single. Nelson on the board!
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Flatter, short and on off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fires one full and on middle, angling in. Dhruv Jurel looks to push it away but gets an inside edge towards short fine.
Shimron Hetmyer will bat next for RR.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! CAUGHT! The struggle for Shubham Dubey comes to an end and Vaibhav Arora gets his second wicket to conclude his spell for the game.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, ! Nicely done! Shubham Dubey finally manages to connect one. A low full toss, outside off, Dubey slices it over backward point for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Looks for the yorker, on the pads, but ends up bowling a low full toss that is flicked to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Short of a length, angling into the batter, the ball gets big on Dubey who miscues his pull to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Shubham Dubey, Fuller than a length, well outside off, Shubham Dubey swings across and only manages to get an inside edge to short fine leg.
Vaibhav Arora to Dhruv Jurel, Short and over off, Dhruv Jurel pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Double change.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and on off, some pace taken off this time, Dhruv Jurel knocks it to long on and takes a run. 11 runs come off this over.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Back of a good length, on middle and off, Shubham Dubey pulls well but straight to deep mid-wicket. Just a single.
Harshit Rana to Shubham Dubey, Goes short and just outside off, Shubham Dubey looks to ramp it over the keeper but misses.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, Good length, on off, Jurel steers it to backward point for one.
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Dhruv Jurel is living dangerously at the moment and KKR wouldn't mind this one bit! Hard length, on off, Dhruv Jurel stands tall and swivels for the pull. Gets an underedge that falls past the leg stump and beats Quinton de Kock to his other side this time for another boundary.Â
STRATEGIC BREAK! The spinners of Kolkata Knight Riders have been brilliant so far with their lengths and varied pace as they are attacking the stumps most of the time and have picked up four wickets together. Moeen Ali came in in place of Sunil Narine today, and he made an impact straight away. KKR are cruising here as the half side of Rajasthan Royals are back in the hut, and they were prompted to use their impact sub player Shubham Dubey. A couple more wickets will make this one sided for
Harshit Rana to Dhruv Jurel, ! Almost a wicket just after the break!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Tossed up, outside off, Jurel drives it to deep cover for a single. 8 runs come off this over and RR will be hoping this continues for a few more overs from here. Moeen Ali ends with figures 4-0-23-2 on his debut for KKR!
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, ! A welcome boundary this for Rajasthan Royals!
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, A bit short, on middle, Dubey punches it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Lovely ball this! Gives the ball a lot of revs and keeps it full, on middle and gets it to bite the surface and turn away past the outside edge.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Short and going on with the arm, on the pads, Dhruv Jurel steps out and tucks it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Will Moeen Ali bowl another? Yes, he will continue to bowl out here.
Moeen Ali to Shubham Dubey, Comes from wider on the crease and goes full, outside off, Shubham Dubey gets closer to the line and hits it down to long on for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, Fuller and around off, Dhruv Jurel steers it to short third. Just two runs off this over.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Drags the length down and keeps it around off, Shubham Dubey knocks it to long off for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Full and on middle and leg, Shubham Dubey taps it to mid-wicket.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Shubham Dubey, Tossed up, on middle, Shubham Dubey blocks it out.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, A bit short and on middle and leg, tucked away to deep square leg for one by Jurel.
Shubham Dubey comes out to the middle now.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, ! b Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on off, Nitish Rana sweeps it to deep mid-wicket and takes two quick runs.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, Floated full, on off, Dhruv Jurel plants his front leg out and looks to whip it across but skews it off the outer half of the bat in front of long on for one.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Slides this one into the pads, on a length, Rana tucks it in front of deep mid-wicket and picks up a run.
Moeen Ali to Dhruv Jurel, At 90.1 kph, Moeen attacks the stumps, full, Dhruv Jurel taps it to mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Full, on middle, Nitish Rana steps out and knocks it to long on for one.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Dhruv Jurel, No run.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, ! c Ajinkya Rahane b Varun Chakaravarthy.
Who walks out now?
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Just falls short! Varun keeps it slow and fuller, into the line of the stumps, Nitish Rana goes for a reverse sweep but gets a top edge instead. The ball lobs up towards short third where Harshit Rana runs in to his right and puts in a stretched dive, but the ball lands ahead of him. The batters take a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, In the air... but falls safely!Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Wanindu Hasaranga, Much fuller and around middle and leg, Wanindu Hasaranga comes forward and flicks it down the ground towards long on. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his left and puts in a dive to save two runs for his side.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Short and on the pads, Rana uses his wrists to turn it towards wide short fine leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Nagging length, on the pads, Nitish tucks it to deep square leg for a single to end the over.
Moeen Ali to Wanindu Hasaranga, Floated it up, around off, Wanindu Hasaranga flicks it to long on for a single to get off the mark.
Strategic Break! The spinners have given the upper hand to Kolkata Knight Riders with a couple of big wickets in quick succession. They will be looking to build on it and put even more pressure on the middle order of RR. The Royals need to build up a partnership here and avoid losing more wickets at the moment or else they could be in danger of getting bundled out for a below-par total. Also, Dhruv Jurel is the next man in.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! CAUGHT! Another one bites the dust, and the Rajasthan Royals are in serious trouble as their top order is gone back in the hut!Â
Moeen Ali to Nitish Rana, Dragged length, around off, Nitish Rana pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tossed it up, around off, Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it to deep square leg for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nagging length and on the pads, Yashasvi Jaiswal misses his flick shot and gets hit on the pads.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Nitish Rana, Tossed it up, around off, Nitish Rana comes forward to defend it.
Nitish Rana comes out to the middle now.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! CAUGHT! An excellent catch by the wicket keeper Quinton de Kock has ended the stay of Riyan Parag.Â
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Quicker and flatter, around off, Parag drops it down to mid off.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, ! SUPERB SHOT! Varun drops it short again and into the stumps, Riyan Parag goes back and hammers it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie. 90 M six.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Touch short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal cuts it to deep point for a single.
Varun Chakaravarthy to Riyan Parag, Begins with a short ball, around off, Parag uses his wrists to nudge it to long on for a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Dragged length, around middle, Parag nudges it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Flighted it up, around middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee to sweep it aerially towards deep square leg. Venkatesh Iyer runs in to his right to collect the ball and restricts the batters to just a single.
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, 1 run.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Floated it up, around leg, Jaiswal takes a step forward and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Moeen Ali to Yashasvi Jaiswal, From around the wicket, much fuller and into the line of the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal goes on his knee and misses his sweep shot. Gets hit on the front pad and Moeen makes an appeal for LBW but is turned down by the umpire.Â
Moeen Ali to Riyan Parag, Tossed it up, around off and middle, Parag lunges and turns it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Time for some spin now as Moeen Ali comes into the attack.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Yashasvi Jaiswal ends the Powerplay with a bang! Arora bowls a full toss, around off, a freebie. Jaiswal prods forward for a bit and whacks it over long off for a biggie. RR are 54/1 after the Powerplay.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Much fuller and around off, Jaiswal drives it but straight to cover.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, A yorker around middle and leg, Riyan Parag gets a leading edge in trying to flick it towards cover for a single.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, ! PURE TIMING! Arora serves it full and into the line of the stumps this time, Riyan Parag just comes forward and chips it with the full face of the bat. The timing is that good as the ball sails over the bowler's head for a biggie.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, BEATEN! Arora bowls it fuller and well outside off, gets it to swing away further from the batter, Riyan Parag throws his hands at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, by Harshit Rana! Wasn't too easy, but that could've been taken! He lands it on a length, around off and takes pace off again, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drag it across the line and ends up swatting it off the lower half of the bat over the bowler. Harshit Rana on his follow-through leaps a bit to get both hands to it but fails to cling on. Â
Harshit Rana to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rana smartly takes pace off and angles it across, on a length, Yashasvi Jaiswal is deceived by the lack of pace and withdraws his shot to let it pass.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Short of a length, into the bodyline, Riyan Parag drops it down towards deep square leg for one.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Corrects his length and goes a bit fuller, on middle and off, Riyan Parag blocks it.
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, ! Absolutely effortless! Harshit Rana goes into the deck, short and on middle, sits up around the waist height for Riyan Parag who pulls it over deep square leg for a biggie.Â
Harshit Rana to Riyan Parag, Starts from over the wicket and hits the right line and length, over off, Riyan Parag cuts it to point.
Change? Yes, Harshit Rana replaces Spencer Johnson.
Vaibhav Arora to Riyan Parag, Hard length, on off, Riyan Parag taps it to cover and takes a single to get off the blocks straightaway.Â
Skipper Riyan Parag walks out to bat at number 3.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! CLEANED'EM UP! Vaibhav Arora gives Kolkata Knight Riders a big wicket and that of Sanju Samson!
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Fuller and on off, Jaiswal punches it to the right of cover and scampers for a quick run.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sees the batter make room and follows him with a full-ball, Yashasvi Jaiswal only manages to push it out to cover.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Full and on the pads, Sanju Samson clips it to deep square leg and picks up a run.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, WIDE! Full and going down leg, Sanju Samson looks to tickle it fine but misses.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, ! Sanju Samson is batting just like he did in the opener game! Fearlessely! Short of a length, on middle and off, Samson makes room and thumps it over covers for a boundary.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Drags the length down by a bit and keeps it outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal taps it to cover.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! High and gone! A clean strike! Spencer Johnson goes full and gets punished again. Angling into the stumps, Yashasvi Jaiswal swings across and sends the ball sailing over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Short and outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal stays put and looks to slice it on the off side but misses.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Fuller than a length, on off, Samson drives it to mid off for one.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Johnson goes hard into the deck, on a back of a length and angles it into the batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal is very late to pull and is hurried onto the shot. Scuffs it to square leg for one.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! Top shot! Spencer Johnson goes full and on off, Yashasvi Jaiswal whips it with a straight bat and beats Andre Russell at mid off to his left for a boundary.
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good length, on middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it to mid on and steals a quick run. A good start from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A very risky run!Â
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Superb effort from the KKR skipper to save a couple of runs for his side. Fuller than a length, on off, shaping in, Sanju Samson swings through the line and lifts it over mid on. Ajinkya Rahane chases the ball down and pushes it back in time.
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, Good length, over off, Samson taps it to cover. Good start this from Vaibhav Arora!
Vaibhav Arora to Sanju Samson, A hint of shape coming back into the batter, from outside off, on a length, Sanju Samson pushes it to cover off the inner half of the bat.Â
Vaibhav Arora to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Starts from over the wicket and lands it on a good length, on the hips, Yashasvi Jaiswal tucks it in front of square leg and picks up a single.
Vaibhav Arora to share the attack.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, ! Beautiful shot to get off the mark! Spencer Johnson goes a bit too full and outside off, almost a wide yorker, Sanju Samson crouches low and steers it past backward point for a boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 9/0 after the first over.
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, Lovely nut! Angling across, on a hard length, from around middle and zipping through quicker. Sanju Samson looks to ride the bounce and tries to play straight but gets beaten on the outside edge.Â
Spencer Johnson to Sanju Samson, A confident shot first up from Sanju Samson! On a length, around off, Samson leans into the shot and punches it firmly but straight to cover.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gets the ball to nip back into the left-hander this time, on a hard length, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to drop it down and ekes out an inside edge rolling off his pads towards point. The batters take a single.Â
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, No run.
Spencer Johnson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, ! In the air, but goes over! Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajasthan Royals are off with a boundary! Spencer Johnson steams in from over the wicket and bashes the deck hard, on a back of a length, over middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal pulls a bit too early and gets a top edge that flies over the slip cordin and rolls over to the deep third fence.Â
We are all set to begin! The crowd has come in numbers in Guwahati to support their home boy, Riyan Parag's Rajasthan Royals, but there are also some patches of purple for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. We can see the KKR players in a huddle, and then they spread out to take their respective field positions. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the two openers for RR. Spencer Johnson has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Andre Russell from Kolkata Knight Riders is in for a quick chat. He says coming into the season as the defending champions feels nice but adds a bit of pressure right from the start but is a great seat to be in. Mentions that the games come thick and fast and they will have to make necessary changes along the way. States that they are putting in effort in the training and they have looked at how they can improve from the first game and are excited. Says he gets enough time to assess the condit
Riyan Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals says that he is very proud and humbled to lead the franchise at his home ground. Adds that there was a lot of positives in the last game as the middle order stepped up. Informs that Wanindu Hasaranga comes in the team for Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Impact Players for Rajasthan Royals - Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI) - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (C), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
Impact Players for Kolkata Knight Riders - Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali (In place of Sunil Narine), Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, says that they are going to bowl first as the wicket looks really good. They are here for the first time, and they want to have an idea of the pitch and obviously, the dew factor is also there in making his decision to bowl first. Adds that the discussion was about being positive after that loss in the first game and that they want to be fearless and that there is an opportunity for everyone in each match to do well. Mentions that he doesnâ
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Ajinkya Rahane and Kolkata Knight Riders have elected to BOWL first.