IPL 2021: RR vs KKR Review – All-round Rajasthan cruise past ailing Kolkata
Rajasthan Royals achieved their second win in the IPL 2021 season when they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 24. This was Kolkata’s fourth straight loss in this season of the IPL and they are now lying down at the bottom of the table.
Having won the toss, Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson decided to field first. KKR’s innings played out but never took off. There was some smart bowling from the Rajasthan team but it seemed like KKR weren’t just prepared. They had a slow start to the innings, scoring only 25 runs in their first six overs.
Regular strikes with the ball ensured that the KKR team was always under a lot of pressure of not scoring enough runs. Chris Morris was the star of the unit, picking up four wickets for his team. Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman took a wicket each. Rahul Tripathi top-scored for Kolkata with 26-ball 36 which helped his team to reach 133 for 9.
With the bat, the Royals needed a few sensible partnerships to win it and they did exactly that. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 22 runs while Shivam Dube made 22 runs as well. Sanju Samson scored a brilliant 42 guiding his team home with seven balls to spare. David Miller also contributed with 24 runs.
Top performers:
Chris Morris: The big money Morris has been successful in delivering two match-winning performances now in the IPL 2021. He took four wickets for the Rajasthan team in this game and his strikes crippled KKR’s innings. He took the scalps of Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi.
Sanju Samson: The captain played a wonderful innings in a chase which could’ve been tricky with some wickets falling around. But, he didn’t lose his calm and batted through to score a 41-ball 42, making sure that his team won the match.
Personal records/Achievements:
Chris Morris has now dismissed Andre Russell four times in the IPL, which the most by a single bowler
Chris Morris is the first-ever Rajasthan Royals player to take a 4 wicket haul (or more) in IPL since Shreyas Gopal in 2018.
Way ahead:
Kolkata will now face Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on April 26. Rajasthan will now play Mumbai in Delhi on April 29.
