IPL 2018, KKR vs RR: Hosts beat RR by 6 wickets thanks to Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik

Kolkata: Hosts Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals by six wickets to inch closer to the playoffs in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

After restricting Rahane’s side to 142, KKR got to a flying start before Sunil Narine got out for 21.

This was also followed by Robin Uthappa’s wicket, who departed for just four runs.

However, Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana put up a 39-run stand for the third wicket, after which Rana too got dismissed for 21.

However, it was the partnership between Lynn and captain Dinesh Karthik that got the hosts back on track for a crucial win.

But, the big moment for RR came when Ben Stokes scalped the big wicket of Lynn, who fell for 45.

However, nothing stopped the hosts from scoring as Dinesh Karthik hit the winning runs with a six to seal the match with exactly two overs to spare.

During the course of the innings, Karthik and Andre Russell had put up a 28-run stand.

Karthik and Russell remained unbeaten on 41 and 11 runs respectively.

For RR, Ben Stokes’ spell of 3-15 went in vain whereas Ish Sodhi managed to take just one wicket.

KKR 117-4 from 15.2 overs

OH NO! Chris Lynn has missed out on what would have been his sixth IPL fifty, as he is dismissed for 45. Anureet Singh completes the catch to dismiss the Aussie, courtesy tet another Ben Stokes wicket.

KKR 69-3 from 8.2 overs

WICKET! Nitish Rana has been given lbw as Ish Sodhi strikes. Rana departs for 21. Is 21 starting to become an unlucky number? 

KKR 36-2 from 3.5 overs

WICKET! Ben Stokes does the damage again, this time, sees off Robin Uthappa for just four runs. Rahul Tripathi completes the catch at deep backward square as RR get their second wicket.

KKR 21-1 from 1.2 overs

WICKET! Sunil Narine got to a flying start, but has been dismissed by Ben Stokes for 21 runs! Yes, so far, he is the only run-scorer for the hosts. This is a massive wicket for RR.

RR innings

Rajasthan Royals were bundled for 142 in their IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Tuesday.

The visitors got off to a strong start, cruising past 50 in just 3.2 overs.

However, there was problem aplenty for them as they lost in-form Jos Buttler for 39.

Following this, Stuart Binny (1), Sanju Samson (12), Krishnappa Gowtham (3) and Ben Stokes (11) were dismissed for low scores.

There was a slight hope in Jaydev Unadkat as he contributed 26 runs, but was the last man to be dismissed.

RR must be disappointed with a total below 150, but their bowlers will hope to do a better show when the run-chase begins.

RR 135-9 from 17.3 overs

WICKET! Shubman Gill takes a good catch to dismiss Jofra Archer as Andre Russell celebrates his wicket.

RR 128-8 from 16.3 overs

WICKET! After losing Ben Stokes in the 14th over, the visitors have lost Ish Sodhi, who scores just one run.

RR 103-6 from 13 overs

RR have continued to lose wickets after a strong start. While Jos Buttler was dismissed for 39, Stuart Binny (1), Sanju Samson (12), Krishnappa Gowtham (3) and Ben Stokes (11) were dismissed for low scores.

RR 76-2 from 7.2 overs

WICKET! Kuldeep Yadav celebrates the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane, who is clean bowled for nine runs.

RR 63-1 from 4.5 overs

WICKET! Andre Russell provides the hosts a much-needed breakthrough, as he removes Rahul Tripathi for 27. Dinesh Karthik takes a good catch to complete the dismissal.

Toss update

Hosts KKR have won the toss and have elected to field.

RR have made three chages in their playing XI. They have included Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh and Rahul Tripathi.

Whereas, for the hosts, Piyush Chawla has suffered a side strain and is replaced by Shivam Mavi.

Here is the playing XI for both the teams:

Preview

Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR( and Ajinkya Rahane’s Rajasthan Royals (RR) will lock horns in an all-important Indian Premier League (IPL) clash here on Tuesday, with an eye on the playoffs.

It will be a clash of third vs fourth with both the teams being levelled with 12 points from as many games.

KKR are coming on the back of a morale-boosting win against Kings XI Punjab, which they won by 31 runs after posting 245-6.

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, had a memorable outing to Mumbai in their last match as they beat the defending champions by seven wickets to boost their hopes of advancing to the next stage.

I n all likeliness, Sunil Narine will be opening the batting along with Chris Lynn. The West Indian was the top-scorer for KKR in their last match, contributing 75 runs.

Despite being expensive, KKR’s Andre Russell stole the show among the bowlers, ending with a spell of 3-41 from four overs.

However, Russell will definitely have a role to play in the upcoming match, if KKR are to qualify.

Jofra Archer will be the go-to man in RR’s bowling attack He has already picked up 13 wickets from just seven wickets.

All in all, RR hold a 9-7 head-to-head record over KKR, whereas Dinesh Karthik’s men are enjoying a 4-1 record against RR at their home turf.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane(captain), D Arcy Short, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ankit Sharma, Anureet Singh, Ish Sodhi, Prashant Chopra, Sudhesan Midhun, Ben Laughlin, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Jatin Saxena, Dushmantha Chameera, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik(Captain), Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Shubman GillPiyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Johnson, Ishank Jaggi, Vinay Kumar, Apoorv Wankhade, Rinku Singh, Shivam Mavi, Cameron Delport, Tom Curran, Javon Searles.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 8 P.M. IST on Tuesday, May 15th.

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.