Introduction:

There are only a few instances where both the playing team members make a century in a match. Well, we watched one of those kinds of matches yesterday. Yesterday, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders locked horns at Eden Gardens (the home ground of KKR) and in this match, both Narine & Buttler scored a century. Well, one of a rare kind of matches it was. Let’s look at the breathtaking win of Rajasthan Royals in yesterday’s match & do not forget to stay connected with Cricfeverr.com to get all the sports updates on time.

What are the details of the match?

Yesterday, Rajasthan Royals & Kolkata Knight Riders were scheduled to play the 31st match of the IPL 2024. The venue of the match was Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and the match started at 7:30 PM.

Who won the toss?

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to bowl first.

What happened on the pitch?

RR won the toss and decided to do the fielding first at the home ground of KKR. Opener Phil Salt, KKR’s hero against Lucknow Supergiants (LSG), did not last long. Salt was at 10 off 13 balls when Avesh Khan dismissed him with an incredible returning catch off his own bowling.

Last night we saw a Narine show basically. He was calmer than usual, and he was very selective about the balls and didn’t face every ball even. Narine scored 109 in just 56 balls. Although, he got to his century in 49 balls, his first ton in any kind of senior cricket. Earlier, Sunil Narine equaled the record for the fastest IPL century for a Kolkata Knight Riders player as he took the Rajasthan Royals bowlers, particularly the spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, to the cleaners. Apart from Narine, Rinku Singh also made some crucial contributions to the match. Rinku Singh’s quickfire 20 off 9 balls helped KKR reach 223/6 in 20 overs.

However, Trent Boult ended the Narine show. Narine fell to Trent Boult in the 18th over. After a huge batting show, KKR ended up with a score of 223/6 in 20 overs batting first. 

Although it is a fact that Phil Salt and Sunil Narine are one of the most dangerous opening pairs of the IPL 2024. However, the lethal bowling department of RR kept them grounded.

On the other hand, if we look at the RR, Jos Buttler almost single-handedly led Rajasthan Royals to a record-equalling chase of 224 against the Kolkata Knight Riders with an unbeaten 107 off 60 balls. He won the Player of the Match title for this as well. 

Yuzvendra Chahal took the wicket of KKR captain Shreyas Iyer and it is his 199th IPL wicket.

 Andre Russell came in but restricted himself from going all-offensive because Narine spared no bowlers at the other end. His free-flowing fours and sixes earned him the first 100 of his career.

In the other players, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 19 runs off 9 balls, Sanju Samson scored 12 runs off 8 balls & Riyan Parag scored 34 runs off 14 balls. Buttler did not look very comfortable but continued at a moderate pace. He lost Dhruv Jurel scored 2 runs off 4 balls, Ravichandran Ashwin scored 8 off 11 balls and Shimron Hetmyer (golden duck) one after another.

Player of the match:

Jos Buttler won the Player of the Match title for his unbeaten 107 off 60 balls. It was the second time this year that someone from the opposition team scored a hundred, and, in reply, Buttler scored a 100 as well to win it for his team. Last time, it was Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This time, it was Sunil Narine.

With this score, he has bagged some records & the records are:

Most centuries in IPL chases (3)

Most centuries by an overseas player in IPL (7)

Most centuries in IPL in winning cause (7)

Point table scenario:

With this win, RR is still holding the 1st position in the point table with only 1 loss and 6 wins in the 7 matches they have played so far. RR has 12 points and +0.677 NRR (Net Run Rate.

On the other hand, KKR is holding the second position in the point table with 4 wins and 2 losses among the 6 matches they have played so far. KKR has 8 points and +1.399 NRR as well.

Post-match reactions:

Jos Buttler, the Player of the Match stated: “Keep believing, that was the real key today. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. At times you feel frustrated or you are questioning yourself. I tell myself it’s okay, keep going, you’ll get your rhythm back, and try to stay calm.

Sanju Samson, RR captain stated: “Very happy with the win. We were wondering like the wickets we lost. Rovman hit a couple of sixes and that’s when we felt like we were in the game. Some luck also, they also played really well. The quality of spin they had, they bowled really well. This ground suited them. Jos did what he does for us in the last 6-7 years, so happy for him. It (Jos’s knock) should go right on top. Being an openers, if he gets in, no runs are unchaseable. He does something special.”

Shreyas Iyer,  KKR captain stated: “(Was this game a bitter pill to swallow?) I would second that actually, emotions were a roller coaster, certainly didn’t think we will get into this situation. It’s a funny game at the end of the day, he was striking the ball cleanly and timing them so well, have to take it on the chin and move on. I mean at this point of time you see that you bowl your best deliveries, a little bit hit or miss and you are sent out of the ground, it’s good that it happened now rather than it happening in the later stages of the tournament, good learning for us. (On Sunil Narine) He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game, he is that kind of player who capitalizes on each and every moment. I’m glad that he is a part of our team. Since he was striking it so well, I thought let’s take pace off the ball and gave it to Chakaravarthy, and it’s high pressure when you have five fielders inside the circle, you basically don’t have idea where to bowl. “It’s just about relaxing and rejuvenating, it was very humid as well today. It’s important to learn from our mistakes and bounce back. We have a few days break. At the end of the day, it was a great game, a few overs here and there but I’m really proud of the boys.”

Final words: 

Rajasthan Royals are in great form this season and we believe they will be able to continue this form. Enjoy every match of IPL 2024 & stay connected with Cricfeverr.com to get all the sports updates on time.