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Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2nd Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary
Can KKR join the big boys CSK and MI with a title win this season? © BCCI
KKR have pulled it off! What a stunning run-chase at the Eden Gardens. It's one of those evening when there was very little the opposition could do as Andre Russell muscled his way through a tough chase. At one stage when KKR needed 68 off the last 30 balls, SRH looked likelier to take the two points from this game. KKR were further dented in the next over when Rashid ended Nitish Rana's exceptional over. But, up stepped Russell to show you why a chase is never over for as long as he's still out in the middle. He first took on Sid Kaul in a 19-run over and then unleashed carnage on the SRH skipper for the night with 21 off it. KKR still needed 14 from the final over but Shakib offered two hit-me balls that Shubman Gill classically dispatched into the stands. What a second fixture after how the season began last night in the CSK-RCB slugfest.
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Half-century for David Warner
Will he be the same old Warner? How much cricket has he played in this 'gap' year? Won't he be rusty?
David Warner answers all those questions with a typically fiery half-century on a very good batting wicket at the Eden Gardens. And fittingly, he got there with a six off the 31st ball he played. That's his 37th IPL fifty!
PowerPlay Done - SRH 54/0 in 6 overs
SRH fans have a reason to rejoice - David Warner is back! And back like he was probably never away. He's taken on KKR's strength - their spin bowling - and picked runs off Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine - who conceded 11 in his first over. Jonny Bairstow is getting his first glimpse of the IPL in the company of one of the finest batsman in the tournament. He's moving along at a run-a-ball even as SRH are smashing it at nine-an-over.
Bairstow reviews successfully!
A big appeal, an immediate decision and an even quicker review! Jonny Bairstow didn't read Piyush Chawla's googly - though he bowls them five times in an over - and got struck on the pad while he was on the back-foot. Bairstow reviews like a man who knew he'd faintly nicked it. Snicko agreed with his assessment and he lives on.
Swing for Prasidh, free-hit for Bairstow and an atrocious review
Not so much control for the young Indian pacer, though. But he gets away with the free-hit delivery as Jonny Bairstow struggles to connect one while trying to swing it over midwicket. On his return, David Warner has been fluent so far, thumping Piyush Chawla for two fours. It's that fluency that perhaps pushed DK to review an lbw call for a ball that pitched WAY outside the leg stump. Hard to disagree with the commentators when they unanimously dubbed it as the worst ever DRS decision.
As we build up to the first 4 pm game of the season, there's loads to catch up on! Firstly, an unexpected opener ensued at the Chepauk last night, one that the RCB faithful would swiftly want to forget. Virat Kohli talked up the need for making better decisions but didn't quite appear to have put that in practice as they sent out two spin options against CSK's four on an incredible turner.
It must be said that it certainly wasn't a 70-all-out pitch, but both captains weren't happy with how it behaved anyway.
You should also read this lovely story of Lockie Ferguson - one of KKR's four foreign picks today - by Bharath Ramaraj.
TOSS - KKR opt to bowl first. Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads SRH as Kane Williamson misses out due to shoulder injury
#STATATTACK - Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played 103 IPL games before being named captain - the second most in that list after KXIP skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, who played 111 games before taking up leadership duties.
ANALYSIS CORNER:A statistical deep-dive into IPL batting and bowling through the prism of contextual statistics. We also have an in-depth look at the value of a batsman in the IPL. Binge away!
Prelude - Two shrewd past-winners eye fast start
The Indian Premier League now has teams in clusters. There are studious front-benchers in CSK and MI, with six titles between them split three each. KXIP, RCB and Delhi Capitals reside right at the back with zilch to show for success. And the struggle for course correction is evident, but yet to amount to tangible results.
The middle rows have three, two of which have been more recently successful. KKR and SRH with two and one title each, don't just have trophies in their collection to show off, but also the reputation of being immensely shrewd sides.
Not long since KKR turned their squad around - with a tough decision of replacing Sourav Ganguly with Gautam Gambhir - they pulled off two title victories. Another one this year would mean they're fellow big boys with CSK and MI.
SRH's biggest USP - besides one of the finest IPL batsman in David Warner - over the years has been their auction strategy. They've managed to find upgrades - particularly in their bowling unit - for five seasons now. And this evolution shows in their consistent results - specially over the last three seasons.
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