Champions League Twenty20 Highlights: Suryakumar Yadav Helps Kolkata Knight Riders to Thrilling Win vs Perth
In a close battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Perth Scorchers, Suryakumar Yadav emerges as the unlikely hero with his 43* off 19. Here are the highlights from the match.
Kolkata Knight Riders struggled to register their record 12th win on the trot but the side eventually managed to go past Perth Scorchers by 3 wickets in Hyderabad. (Scorecard | Report | Points Table)
Kolkata have now almost assured themselves of a place in the semis. (Kolkata vs Perth in pics)
2324 IST: Suryakumar is the true hero for Kolkata - the Indian club with the most number of consecutive wins (12) now. "I am glad I could win this match for my team as I have never shown my teammates a match-winning knock," he said after the clash.
© BCCI
2317 IST: Match over! Suryakumar scores 43* off 19 to take his team to a nail-batting victory against Perth.
2314 IST: SIX AND SIX! Suryakumar Yadav smashes two maximums to put Kolkata in command. Just five needed off last over.
2306 IST: Two overs left, 24 to get. Can Kolkata win or will Perth prevail? Comment in the box below.
2301 IST: Pathan gets up, takes strike, swings and is dismissed. Andre Russell gets a loud reception. His exploits against Chennai in the opening match has clearly not been forgotten.
2255 IST:Pathan hurts his ankle while taking a single. Pain is clearly visible on his face but he does get up and is testing himself. KKR need 35 off 19.
2246 IST: Pathan gets some support from Suryakumar Yadav who smashes Yasir Arafat for two big sixes. The strikes take some of the pressure away from Kolkata.
2237 IST: Kolkata pray for Yusuf Pathan to lash out. He has already hit Hogg for a six and combined but ten Doechate falls at the other end.
2229 IST: OUT! Manish Pandey becomes Coulter-Nile's second victim. He is bowled on 24 as Kolkata lose fourth wicket. Need 85 off 56.
2220 IST: While Kolkata put up a fight against a determined Perth attack, there is another thriller awaiting hockey fans. In Asian Games 2014, Indian men will take on Pakistan on Thursday. Read full preview here. (Complete schedule for Thursday | Medal Tally)
2209 IST: Robin Uthappa's fire extinguished! The batsman becomes a bit overambitious and steps out to swing at a rising delivery from Coulter-Nile. An edge is all he can manage and falls on an 18-ball 23. Kolkata three men down.
2202 IST: Robin Uthappa on fire! The batsman takes charge of Kolkata's innings and his aggressive style of repairing the innings and putting the chase back on the track makes local fans scream in celebration. He has Manish Pandey at the other end.
2154 IST: OUT! Kallis (6) makes his way back as Kolkata suffer yet another blow. Jason Behrendorff gets the wicket. Kolkata 13/2, 2.5.
2150 IST: One senior makes way for another in Kolkata's batting. Gambhir's early fall brings Kallis to the middle. Returning to the side, the South African was rather unimpressive with the ball - 39/0 from his 4. Can he enchant fans with his batting?
2146 IST: OUT! Early jolt to Kolkata as Gautam Gambhir (2) falls in the second over. He looks for a boundary on the off side but his aerial ambitions finds a fielder off Joel Paris' bowling. Kolkata 6/1, 1.1.
© BCCI
2140 IST: After Perth's batting, Narine is asked how he keeps calm when bowling towards the end of his innings. "It is in my personality, I am a humble person."
© BCCI
2127 IST: Perth set a target of 152 with Narine finishing with four wickets.
2114 IST: OUT! There is no stopping Narine - he removes Ashton Turner and will be on a hat-trick if and when he comes to bowl the final over of the innings. Perth 132/6 after 18.
2112 IST: OUT! Narine claims his second as Ashton Agar walks back.
2106 IST: OUT! Coulter-Nile falls and there are no prizes or guessing who takes his wicket. Kuldeep takes a blinder off his own bowling to claim his third wicket of the day. Perth 120/4, 16.1.
© BCCI
2104 IST: OUT! Sam Whiteman threatened Narine with a four and a six but the spinner has the last laugh.
2102 IST: Five overs left and in comes Narine once again. He has three left which means Perth may not find it easy to score big in the final few overs.
2100 IST: Voges completes his half-century off just 38 balls. Perth bring up 100 runs in 14.4 overs.
2053 IST: While Perth's scoring has slowed down, skipper Voges has entered into his 40s.
2046 IST: OUT! Mitchell Marsh is removed on 4. His dismissal almost identical to that of Simmons as Kuldeep celebrates his second success of the day.
this kuldeep yadav is such fun to watch. straight arm, lots of mystery and a rare skill. #chinaman
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 24, 2014
2039 IST: OUT! A dangerous Simmons steps out but misses Kuldeep's googly and is stumped on 39. Mitchell Marsh gets a promotion and he makes his way to the middle.
2035 IST: Piyush Chawla gifts 17 runs in his second over. Just when Perth's innings looked like taking a small break, Simmons fires the ball into the stands. Perth: 65/0 after 8.
2030 IST: Did you know? In Big Bash, Perth Scorchers have won all their matches batting first. It is quite easy to see why considering the manner in which Simmons and Voges have begun the innings against Kolkata.
© BCCI
2021 IST: Just when Perth openers were looking to scamper to a quick start, Gambhir brings in Sunil Narine to bowl the fifth over and the spinner gets the respect he has commanded from batsmen the world over. Perth: 39/0 after 5. (When Narine overtook WI teammate Bravo in CLT20)
2013 IST: Simmons once again picks two fours from the third over. This is determined batting and he has raced to 22 off 12 balls. Even in the previous match - against Dolphins - Simmons scored at a quick pace and took 48 off 36 balls. (Perth vs Dolphins scorecard)
2009 IST: Kallis bowls the second over - an eventful one. The veteran South African takes a hit on his hand from a Craig Simmons' return short. Physio comes on, takes a look and walks back again without much concern on his face. Kolkata fans can breathe easy. Perth 15/0.
© BCCI
2004 IST: Kolkata open the bowling with Yusuf Pathan's spin. He concedes two fours. Perth: 9/0.
1950 IST: Did you know? In this match, the age difference between the oldest player (Hogg) and youngest (Kuldeep) is 24 years!
1945 IST: Full squads:
Kolkata: Uthappa, Gambhir, Kallis, Pandey, Pathan, ten Doeschate, Russell, S Yadav, Chawla, Narine and Kuldeep Yadav.
Perth: Voges, Simmons, Whiteman, Marsh, Turner, Agar, Coulter-Nile, Arafat, Behrendorff, Paris and HoggÂÂ
1935 IST: Did you know? Kolkata are one win away from becoming the Indian club with the most successive T20 wins. "I know about it, I read the papers but every match is a new game. Perth is a quality side and they have some good players," Gambhir says at the toss.
© BCCI
1932 IST: Kolkata play Jacques Kallis in place of Pat Cummins while Manish Pandey replaces Manvinder Bisla in the match. For the Scorchers, Nathan Coulter-Nile gets a game.
1930 IST: TOSS! Perth Scorchers' captain Adam Voges calls it right and he will bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders. "I would have bowled first anyway because there is no point changing a winning formula," says Gautam Gambhir.
© BCCI
Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders have played exceptionally well in the tournament so far and their two wins stand as proof. The team beat a strong Chennai Super Kings team in the opening match while Lahore Lions were tamed with classy ease and elegance. While teammates have been gloating about Gautam Gambhir's captaincy, bowling coach Wasim Akram recently said it is the close bonding that has helped the side shine bright. "The best thing about KKR is that it is a family including manager, support staff and us guys. We enjoy each other's company. Win or lose we stay together. It is a sign of a good team. We support each other," he said. (Read full report)
The consequence of supporting each other has clearly reflected in the cricket. While Gambhir's captaincy has been praised, the likes of Ryan ten Doeschate and Andre Russell have batted up a storm. At the other end are the bowlers who have always been the main pillars for the team. Sunil Narine has bowled to his potential while Russell and Piyush Chawla have given him good support.
Perth in contrast were not as dominant in the only match they played. The thrilling six-wicket win off the final ball against Dolphins has the team pumped although Brad Hogg feels it is a good chance to test young players in the side. "We got off to a great start in this tournament beating Dolphins the other day and are looking forward to testing our young players against an Indian Premier League (IPL) team Wednesday," he said. (Read full report here)
Battles to watch out for:
Narine vs Marsh: One is a wily spinner. The other is a slam-bam hitter without a care in the world. The contest between Narine and Mitchell Marsh would surely be mouth-watering.
Gambhir vs Behrendorff: In what may well be a David vs Goliath battle, Gambhir would look to blunt Jason Behrendorff's threat. The young Aussie claimed three wickets against Dolphins and would look to make the new ball do the talking once again.
Pitch and conditions:
The Hyderabad track favours good batting but also has some assistance for the bowlers. Players will have to earn their runs or wickets here. Kolkata though would have the slight edge as Akram has already said how this venue is a home away from home for the side.