Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) managed to sneak past the strong unit of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 10 runs in the clash that took place at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, on Sunday. The victory has helped the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2nd position in the points table and will be exciting to see if they can hold on going further into the tournament.
The toss did go in favor of David Warner and Co. and one could say that the right call was made to bowl first. But the 27-year old Nitish Rana at the top got off to a flying start and he ensured his presence till the 18th over of the game, finishing his innings at 80 runs from 56 balls. Though the Sunrisers once again managed to take control of the last five overs, the damage was already done by the KKR batsmen in the middle-overs.
The SRH openers were rather dismissed cheaply as both Warner and Saha were dismissed 3 and 7 respectively. The chase was then up to the in-form English batsman Jonny Bairstow and Indian talismanic batter Manish Pandey. The pair managed to stitch together 92 runs for the 3rd wicket but with 22 runs required in the last over, the SRH side fell short by 10 runs.
Cricwizz, today takes a look at the players who were behind the success and failure of the teams. Make sure to have your say as we bring you the exclusive picks.
Hero of the Match
Well, this was quite straightforward. The opener started off his innings on a brilliant note by hammering Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a four-down cover of the very first ball. He was then seen in impeccable form and continued his great touch. Scoring a fluent 80 runs from 56 balls, which included 9 fours and 4 sixes, Nitish Rana became an easy pick for our Hero of the Match.
Zero of the Match
It was once again the expectations that were not met that we took into consideration on the zero of the match. Though a tough choice to make between the SRH skipper David Warner and opener Saha, we feel that the Australian hard-hitting has set the bar and his presence at the top is the key for the Sunrisers’ success over the years. The poor show from Warner who fell for just 3 runs from 4 balls makes him the receiver of the Zero of the match.
Game-changing moment of the match
It was Nitish Rana who set the foundation for the KKR and his innings was definitely the bat between Sunrisers and victory. The 27-year old did not give away many chances as he was very cautious throughout his innings. But very early in the 3rd over of the game, he did play a false shot in the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and ended up chipping the ball. Abdul Samad at mid-on though was a bit slow in judging the trajectory of the ball and ended up just falling short, giving Rana a second-go which proved to be a game-killer for the SRH.
The 4th match of the Indian Premier League 2021 is set to feature the last season’s bottom dwellers- Rajasthan Royals and KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings. Do stay tuned with Cricwizz as we ensure to bring you more intriguing game analysis and match previews. Also, do our fantasy picks and match preview for the upcoming clash between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, this Monday.
