IPL 7, KKR vs RR, Highlights: Super Over tied, Rajasthan Royals defeat Kolkata Knight Riders on boundary count

Rajasthan Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders on a superior boundary count in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. (Scorecard | Commentary | Points Table | Fixtures)

 

James Faulkner, Man-of-the-Match: I am going to sleep well tonight and the rest of the squad as well. This was my first Super Over but after we got the first wicket, we wanted to try and ball dots and singles. At the end, we won as a team and that's what we came out here to do in Abu Dhabi. It's just great to win today. It has been a slow journey since I had the surgery but things are coming back now.

That's the end of this game. It's Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Wednesday.

 

Shane Watson, Rajasthan Royals captain: That was an incredible game of cricket. It is a great feeling to come on top after such a game. I wanted to just run as fast as I could but Steve Smith was calm under pressure. Great to have Faulkner back and firing - he is a very key component of our team.

 

Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders captain: It was a great game of cricket, the crowd enjoyed it but we are disappointed to lose. We deserved to be in a better position because we played some good cricket. This is what T20 cricket is all about. We can take a lot of positives out of this game. It was important for me to get some runs. Hopefully, from hereon I can be more aggressive at the top.

 

00:05 IST: Rajasthan Royals also get 11 off the Super Over. A tie again but the Royals have won on a boundary count.

 

23:59 IST: Shane Watson and Steve Smith, the two Aussies out to take on Narine.

 

23:56 IST: Sunil Narine to bowl the Super Over for the Knight Riders.

 

23:52 IST: KKR are 11/2 after their Super Over. RR need 12 to win this game.

 

23:51 IST: SIX! Pandey picked up the slower ball and launches it in the stands. Pandey thumps his fist in the air. Faulkner follows up with a yorker length.

 

23:47 IST: WICKET! Brilliant run-out affected and it catches Yadav short of his ground. Manish Pandey at the crease.

 

23:45 IST: Yadav and Shakib back to face the Super Over. Faulkner to bowl.

 

23:39 IST: It's a tie and that's the first Super Over of the season. Stay here for more updates.

 

23:38 IST: Three needed off the last ball for KKR. All three results possible now.

 

23:35 IST: Chawla is run-out as he wanted Shakib back on the strike - Shakib sends his partner back to the striker's end but he could not make it in time. KKR are 146/8 off 19.2 overs as Narine walks in to join Shakib.

 

23:34 IST: FOUR! Shakib is keeping KKR in the game - he takes full toll on a poor delivery from Richardson. Watson is far from impressed. Gambhir is betraying every sign of nervousness in the dug-out.

 

23:33 IST: KKR are 141/7 off 19 overs and they need 12 off the last over.

 

23:31 IST: WICKET! Uthappa falls first ball to Faulkner. KKR are losing their grip again. WICKET! Faulkner is on a hat-trick here as Vinay Kumar departs. Piyush Chawla takes strike and survives the hat-trick ball.

 

23:24 IST: WICKET! Yadav is gone - he sent Faulkner high in the air and Smith was there under the ball to take the catch. KKR are 137/5 off 18.1 overs.

 

23:22 IST: KKR are 137/4 after 18 overs and they need 16 from the last two overs.

 

23:19 IST: FOUR! Short from Richardson and Shakib gets enough bat on it to send the ball racing away to the fence. FOUR! Sensational timing from Shakib and the KKR camp is now excited. They know they are in there with a realistic chance of pulling off a brilliant win.

 

23:15 IST: SIX! Yadav hammers that from Watson and the ball disappears into the night sky. Breathtaking shot to a yorker length delivery outside off. FOUR! Yadav gets a thick edge and the ball races past the 'keeper. KKR are still in there with a chance. KKR are 126/4 off 17 overs.

 

23:14 IST: A big no-ball from Watson, his second tonight. Free-hit for KKR but Yadav manages only a single.

 

23:11 IST: Watson brings himself back on after the timeout. This won't be easy for the Knight Riders. Don't forget, Kane Richardson still has two overs left.

 

23:08 IST: KKR are 111/4 off 16 overs and it's a strategic timeout.

 

23:06 IST: FOUR! Yadav sweeps Tambe fine, brilliant placement. Is there some life still in this chase for the Knight Riders?

 

23:03 IST: 100 up for the Knight Riders in the 15th over. KKR are 101/4 after 15 overs.

 

23:01 IST: Abdulla comes back into the attack. FOUR! Yadav finds a gap over cover.

 

23:00 IST: Shakib and Suryakumar Yadav will have no time to settle down as KKR reach 92/4 after 14 overs. They need 61 from the last six overs.

 

22:57 IST: WICKET! Gambhir has perished - he picked Bhatia to the leg-side as Abdulla takes the catch in the deep. Two former KKR captains pair up to see off the captain.

 

22:53 IST: WICKET! Pandey was looking dangerous but like so often these days, Tambe has the last laugh, trapping Pandey lbw with the wrong 'un. KKR are 85/3. with seven overs left in the innings.

 

22:51 IST: SIX! Manish Pandey steps down the track and clobbers Tambe. Just what the doctor had ordered for the Knight Riders. Some more of that could open the match up. FOUR! Pandey delivers another punch, again down the leg-side. This is good batting from the young man.

 

22:48: Another futile over for the Knight Riders - runs have been difficult to come. The Royals have bowled and fielded spectacularly. KKR are 73/2 at the end of the 12th.

 

22:44 IST: Kolkata Knight Riders are 65/2 off 11 overs and they are not going anywhere with their painfully slow place. KKR need to score at 9.77 for the next nine overs from hereon.

 

22:40 IST: Halfway through the innings, KKR are 59/2 and need another 94 runs from the last 10 overs.

 

22:39 IST: FOUR! Gambhir gets into good position and lofts Bhatia over cover. Much needed runs for KKR, who want their captain to lead the way tonight.

 

22:36 IST: Manish Pandey joins Gambhir in the middle. KKR 50/2 off 9 overs.

 

22:32 IST: WICKET! Tambe has struck in his first over - Kallis tried to go aerial and Smith ran down quickly in the deep, to cover good ground and take a good catch. KKR are 49/2 off 8.5 and it's strategic timeout

 

22:30 IST: Pravin Tambe into the attack

 

22:29 IST: FOUR! Watson drifted down the leg-side and Kallis picked it off gratefully for a boundary. KKR are 46/1 off 8 overs.

 

22:25 IST: KKR are 38/1 after 7 overs, chasing 153 for a win over the Royals.

 

22:22 IST: Bhatia in the attack and he will take the pace off the ball, making life difficult for the batsmen.

 

22:18 IST: Kallis swings wildly but only manages a single. KKR 33/1 after 6 overs.

 

22:16 IST: No-ball after Kallis nicked Watson to Samson behind the wickets. What a moment in the game. It's a free-hit.

 

22:15 IST: Shane Watson brings himself on with his KKR counterpart looking steady. A battle of the captains on the cards.

 

22:14 IST: FOUR! Gambhir sweeps in typical style - he is finding his touch back slowly but steadily. Great signs for KKR tonight as they chase a sizeable total. KKR 30/1 off 5 overs.

 

22:11 IST: Iqbal Abdulla in the attack, bowling against his former IPL captain.

 

22:10 IST: Kallis is the new man in and Richardson finishes an outstanding over. KKR are 21/1 off 4 overs.

 

22:07 IST: WICKET! Terrible shot from Bisla, as he edges Richardson to Nair at first slip. KKR are 21/1 off 3.4 overs.

 

22:03 IST: FOUR! Short from Faulkner and Gambhir rocks on the backfoot and pulls it away. KKR 20/0 after 3 overs.

 

22:01 IST: Faulkner in the attack, replaces Binny. And he starts with wides down the leg side.

 

21:58 IST: FOUR! Slightly short of the length from Kane Richardson and Gambhir slams it on the off-side. And he follows it up with a single. After three ducks and 1, the KKR captain is looking much better tonight.

 

21:56 IST: End of the first over and KKR are 7/0.

 

21:52 IST: Stuart Binny to bowl the first over for RR. Gambhir is off the mark first ball.

 

21:37 IST: Rajasthan Royals are 152/5 off their 20 overs. Ajinkya Rahane slammed 72 as the Royals made good use of Shane Watson's decision to bat first against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Karun Nair, Rahane's opening partner, fell to a rash short off the bowling of Vinay Kumar before Sanju Samson came out and played some crisp shots. However, his innings was short-lived too and it was then left to the trusted pair of Watson (33) and Rahane to stitch a fine stand against the Knight Riders, who pulled back things to an extent before Steve Smith came down the order and played a quick cameo.

 

21:29 IST: FOUR! Smith is getting some quick runs here as the RR head for a big total on the board.

 

21:28 IST: RR are 133/2 off 18 overs as Narine comes on for his last over.

 

21:25 IST: Steve Smith is the new man in and he is off the mark with a quick two.

 

21:24 IST: WICKET! Morkel removes Binny for a duck as RR reach 128/4 off 17.2 overs.

 

21:23 IST: Morkel back in the attack with RR on 127/3 off 17 overs.

 

21:19 IST: FOUR! Another majestic shot by Rahane off Narine, who has been in a different class today.

 

21:18: WICKET! Watson is gone - he tried to come back for the second but Pandey's throw was well collected by Bisla who caught the RR captain short of the ground. RR 118/3 after 16 overs.

 

21:13 IST: SIX! Rahane laced that off Vinay - Shakib tried to do a Lynn but he was certainly no where near as good.

 

21:12 IST: Rahane brings up his 12th IPL fifty with a double. This has been another steadying influence on the Royals.

 

21:10 IST: Gambhir brings Vinay Kumar back in the attack. Can he stop the Watson onslaught? We'll find out soon. But Rahane on strike for now.

 

21:09 IST: FOUR! Narine pulled it in short and Watson hammered that through the off-side. This is brutal from the RR skipper.

 

21:07 IST: Narine back in the attack after the timeout. This could be fun. The RR 100 is up in the 15th over.

 

21:03 IST: FOUR! That was driven through covers with such force by Watson that none of the fielders even bothered to move. FOUR! Watson is on the go here, as KKR suffer. RR 99/2 after 14 overs and it's a strategic timeout.

 

21:01 IST: FOUR! Watson cracks that to the midwicket fence. Chawla constantly erring in line here, this is not good bowling from the Knight Riders.

 

20:53 IST: FOUR! Rahane goes inside out and and hits Shakib over extra cover as the Royals make their intentions clear. RR 73/2 after 11 overs.

 

20:52 IST: FOUR! Watson charges down the track and hammers Shakib to the fence. Aggression from the captain and that could mean the Royals will try to break free here with Rahane dropping anchor at one end.

 

20:50 IST: Halfway through the innings, Rajasthan Royals are 63/2 after opting to bat.

 

20:48 IST: Chawla in the attack and FOUR! Rahane sweeps that fine. Bad line from Chawla to start his spell.

 

20:44 IST: Shane Watson is the new man in.

 

20:41 IST: WICKET! Shakib gets the breakthrough, removes Samson when he was beginning to look rather dangerous. RR 54/2 after 8.2 overs and it's a strategic timeout.

 

20:37 IST: 50 up for RR in the 8th over.

 

20:36 IST: Another bowling change for the Knight Riders as Kallis comes into the attack.

 

It's the last game in Abu Dhabi and BCCI showed their gratitude to the pitch curator for dishing out some nice surfaces for the IPL 2014.

 

20:31 IST: Shakib in the attack.

20:29 IST: FOUR! Short from Morkel but Samson is up to the task - this is not Durban, it's Abu Dhabi. Samson is setting the tone for the Royals here and FOUR! more. The powerplay is over and RR are 45/1.

 

20:27 IST: FOUR! Morkel bowls another hit-me ball. That was just poor, poor bowling and Samson does not need another invitation to send it to the ropes.

 

20:25 IST: Morkel for his third over. FOUR! Samson plays it straight down the ground. A crisp shot that was.

 

20:24 IST: Excellent first over from Narine - just twio off it. RR 25/1 after 5 overs.

 

20:22 IST: Sunil Narine in the attack. The message to him would be clear - get a wicket here.

 

20:19 IST: FOUR! Rahane plays that beautifully - that shot had four written all over it the moment ball left bat. RR are 23/1 after the 4th.

 

20:18 IST: FOUR! Rahane edges a Morkel delivery but the ball flies past a diving Kallis at slip, as it races away to the fence.

 

20:16 IST: Good over from Vinay, two runs and a wicket off it. RR are 15/1 after three overs.

 

20:14 IST: Sanju Samson is the new man in for the Royals. He and Rahane have had several good stands together and today is another occasion to pull it off.

 

20:12 IST: WICKET! Vinay Kumar strikes for KKR. That was an unbelievable shot from Karun Nair, playing for glory. Kumar hits the top of the stumps as RR reach 13/1 off 2.1 overs.

 

20:05 IST: Morne Morkel runs in to bowl the second over and Rahane takes three more. He's looking to score runs without taking any risks.

 

20:04 IST: Rajasthan Royals are 7/0 after the first over.

 

20:01 IST: FOUR! Delightful timing from Rahane - flicks it from off-stump to the leg-side. Vinay will need to watch his line here.

 

20:01 IST: The Rajasthan Royals openers Ajinkya Rahane and Karun Nair are in the middle. Vinay Kumar to bowl the first over for KKR. Rahane to take strike and he gets two straightaway.

 

19:41 IST: Here are the playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Manvinder Bisla (WK), Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Shakib-al-Hasan, Robin Uthappa, Suryakumar Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson (WK), Shane Watson (Captain), Stuart Binny, Steve Smith, Rajat Bhatia, James Faulkner, Kane Richardson, Pravin Tambe, Iqbal Abdulla

 

19:35 IST: Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and will bat against Kolkata Knight Riders. Two changes for RR: Abhishek Nayar is out and Iqbal Abdulla will make his RR debut against KKR, his old team. James Faulkner in for Tim Southee. Two changes for KKR: Shakib-al-Hasan in for Lynn and Bisla in for Yusuf Pathan.

Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders look for turnaround against Rajasthan Royals

Hit hard by the woeful form of its captain Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders would look for a turnaround in their fortunes when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

 

Kolkata is struggling in their batting department with Gambhir having been dismissed for a duck thrice in the four matches he has led the team so far. He scored just one in Kolkata's last match against leaders Kings XI Punjab, which his side lost by 23 runs.

 

The 2012 edition champions have one of the strongest batting line-ups among the eight IPL teams but none of their batsmen, except Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, have been consistent so far. Their batting problem was compounded by the disappointing form of big hitter Yusuf Pathan, who has scored just 17 in the four outings till now. (Read full preview here)

Indian Premier League 7 turns into a horror story for Gautam Gambhir

 

If there was a cap for the lowest individual score in the Indian Premier League, most bets would have been on Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Gautam Gambhir 'winning' it. After four matches, Gambhir has just one run to show for his 'efforts' leaving many to question his credibility to lead the 2012 champions.

 

Gambhir has appeared edgy right from the start. Opening the innings for his team, Gambhir registered a hat-trick of ducks in the ongoing season. Against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday, he dropped to the No. 3 position but could only score one run! According to Punjab's Mitchell Johnson, bowlers now know exactly how to trouble the 32-year-old. "I have played a fair bit against him and I've always enjoyed bowling to him. If you get the ball to move away from him just a little bit, you're in the game," he was quoted as saying in an interview on the official IPL website. (Read full story here)

Wasim Akram believes Kolkata Knight Riders can make final four of IPL 7

 

Encouraged by the presence of many "team players", Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Wasim Akram has expressed confidence that his side will make it to the final four in the Indian Premier League as they have a "good enough" bowling attack.

 

"We just went for the players we thought are team players and obviously individual match winners, Yusuf is there, Shakib-al-Hasan, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell. All these guys are team people and a team sport needs players who support each other when things are bad," Akram said in an interview.

"There will be a rough time. You'll lose couple of games on the trot, which will happen, it's a long tournament. But, it was decision made by the management, we want boys who could actually be good team players apart from being individual match winners," the former Pakistani skipper said on whether KKR had consciously stayed away from star players this time. (Read full story here)

 

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: G Gambhir (Captain), MS Bisla (WK), PP Chawla, PJ Cummins, DB Das, JH Kallis, Kuldeep Yadav, CA Lynn, SS Mondal, M Morkel, SP Narine, MK Pandey, YK Pathan, V Pratap Singh, AD Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, RN ten Doeschate, RV Uthappa (WK), R Vinay Kumar, SA Yadav, UT Yadav

Rajasthan Royals: SR Watson (Captain), Amit Mishra, Ankit Sharma, AK Bains, R Bhatia, STR Binny, UBT Chand, KK Cooper, BCJ Cutting, JP Faulkner, BJ Hodge, DJ Hooda, Iqbal Abdulla, DS Kulkarni, VS Malik, KK Nair, AM Nayar, AM Rahane, KW Richardson, SV Samson, SPD Smith, TG Southee, PV Tambe, R Tewatia, DH Yagnik