IPL 2018 Eliminator: KKR beat RR by 25 runs, to play SRH for finals berth

In IPL 2018 eliminator, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals to reach qualifier 2, where they would play Sunrisers Hyderabad. Winner of that game will play CSK on 27th

In the Eliminator of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs, thanks to the brilliant death bowling by Prashidh Krishan and Andre Russell. Cruising for the most part of the game, RR lost the plot in the 16th over after Rahane's dismissal.  Piyush Chawla came to bowl 17th. Samson completed his 50 by hitting a four over covers. Samson hit one high in the air and was caught at the boundary. He made 50 runs.

Prasidh came to bowl the 18 and bowled dot after dot. Binny was dismissed for a duck. Prasidh gave only 3 runs his over. RR needed 40 from 12 balls. Russell came to bowl the penultimate the over. Only 6 runs came from his over. RR needed 34 from 6 balls. Prasidh bowled the last over and gave just 8 runs to seal the victory for KKR. 

IPL 2018 ELIMINATOR KKR vs RR SCOREBOARD

Rajasthan Royals innings update: Over by over

Rajasthan Royals playing 11 for today's Eliminator: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin

Over 1: Anjikya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi to open for RR. Andre Russell to start it off for KKR. Leading edge for Rahane, falls safely behind the covers. Dot after dot. Rahane goes over point, amazing six. Dot to finish the over. RR: 9-0

Over 2: Prasidh Krishna to Ajinkya Rahane, DOT ball. One run taken. Prasidh Krishna took a single as he loses his bat. Rahane flicked the 3rd ball for four. Defensive shot for no run. Another DOT ball to end the over. RR: 15/0, Ajinkya Rahane: 14 (10b), Rahul Tripathi: 1 (2b)

Over 3: Piyush Chawla to Rahul Tripathi, powerful cover drive for four followed by a single. DOT ball. Googly hit the pad out given overturned by DRS. Single off the next ball. another googly wades away for a no run. RR:21/0, Ajinkya Rahane: 15 (13b), Rahul Tripathi: 6 (5b)

Over 4: Prasidh Krishna to Ajinkya Rahane, hit for four in the leg side followed by an uppercut for another four. A single taken off the next ball. Rahul Tripathi took a single off the 4th ball. another single taken by Rahane. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 32/0

Over 5: Sunil Narine to Ajinkya Rahane, WIDE, A single taken. DOT ball. Rahul Tripathi hit two consecutive sixes. DOT ball. A single taken to end the over. RR: 47/0, Rahul Tripathi: 20 (12b), Ajinkya Rahane: 26 (18b)

Over 6: Piyush Chawla to Tripathi, OUT, caught and bowled. Sanju Samson took a single off the first ball he faced. Rahane punched the 3rd ball to long-on for a single. Another single taken by Samson. One run. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 50/1, Rahul Tripathi c & b Chawla 20 (13b 1x4 2x6)

Over 7: Kuldeep Yadav to Ajinkya Rahane, padded away for no run. Hit high on the leg dot ball. Rahane dabs the 3rd ball for a single. DOt ball. To runs. Another DOt ball to end the over. RR: 54/1, Sanju Samson: 4 (6b), Ajinkya Rahane: 29 (23b)

Over 8: Sunil Narine to Ajinkya Rahane, one run taken. Two runs off the next. DOT ball. two runs taken. One run taken. Delicate dab for four. RR: 64/1, Sanju Samson: 9 (10b), Ajinkya Rahane: 34 (25b)

Over 9: Kuldeep Yadav to Sanju Samson, four runs followed by a single. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Samson hit inside out to end the over. RR: 74/1, Sanju Samson: 18 (13b), Ajinkya Rahane: 35 (28b)

Over 10: Searles to Ajinkya Rahane, one run taken. Samson pulled the next ball for six. DOT ball. Dabbed between third man and backward point for four. A single taken. Rahane took a single to end the over. RR: 87/1, Sanju Samson: 29 (17b), Ajinkya Rahane: 37 (30b)

Over 11: Kuldeep Yadav to Rahane, swept away for a single. Top edge just over the keeper for a single. Rahane didn't pick the wrong one, no run. DOT ball. Rahane punched the 5th ball to long-off for a single. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 90/1, Sanju Samson: 30 (19b), Ajinkya Rahane: 39 (34b)

Over 12: Piyush Chawla to Ajinkya Rahane, one run taken. Sanju Samson took a single off the 2nd ball. Another single taken to Rahane. Two runs taken by Samson. DOT ball. Single taken to end the over. RR: 96/1, Sanju Samson: 34(23b), Ajinkya Rahane: 41 (36b)

Over 13: Andre Russell to Sanju Samson, one run taken. Two runs taken by Rahane. A single taken by Rahane. Sanju Samson took a single off the 4th ball. DOT ball. Rahane took a double to end the over. RR: 103/1, Sanju Samson: 36(25b), Ajinkya Rahane: 46 (40b)

Over 14: Sunil Narine to Rahul Tripathi, DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Third DOT ball of the over. Fourth DOT ball. Smashed the 5th ball for 6. DOT ball to end the over. RR: 109/1, Sanju Samson: 42(31b), Ajinkya Rahane: 46 (40b)

Over 15: Kuldeep Yadav to Ajinkya Rahane, caught and bowled OUT, a big blow. Heinrich Klassen beaten off the first ball he faced. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Klassen took a single off the 5th ball. Samson took a single to keep the strike. RR: 111/2, Ajinkya Rahane c & b Kuldeep Yadav 46 (41b 4x4 1x6)

Over 16: Sunil Narine to Sanju Samson, pull shot just fall short of deep mid-wicket, one run taken. A single taken by Klassen. DOT ball. Samson took a single off the 4th ball. Reverse sweep went for four. A single taken by Klassen to end the over. RR: 119/2, Sanju Samson: 45(35b), Heinrich Klaasen: 7(7b)

Over 17: Piyush Chawla to Henrich Klassen, flicked to deep mid-wicket for a single. Full toss smashed for four in the point region for four. Samson took a single to complete his fifty. Klassen shimmers across the stumps for a single. Sanju Samson OUT. Klassen took a single to end the over. RR: 127/3, Sanju Samson c Searles b Chawla 50 (38b 4x4 2x6)

Over 18: Prasidh Krishna to Klaasen, no run. Two runs taken off the 2nd ball. A single taken off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Bouncer, Another DOT ball. Binny OUT for a duck after failed to get a connection of the two balls. RR: 130/4, Stuart Binny c Lynn b Prasidh Krishna 0 (3b 0x4 0x6)

Over 19: Andre Russell to Klassen, inside edge for one run. Gowtham squeezed the yorker for a single. Klassen hit the 3rd ball straight to long-off. Another big swing only went for a single. Two runs taken by Klassen. Bouncer, DOT ball. RR: 136/4, Heinrich Klaasen 17(17), Krishnappa Gowtham: 2(2)

Over 20: Prasidh Krishna to Gowtham, a big swing and a miss, DOT ball. Two runs taken off the 2nd ball. DOT ball. A single taken. Top edge went for four as RR knocked out of IPL 2018.

Rajsthan Royals' batsman Sanju Samson plays a shot as KKR's captain wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik looks on during the 2nd qualifier IPL eliminator cricket match between KKR and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Garden in Kolkata. Photo: PTI

Rajasthan Royals innings analysis after 20 overs

Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi opened the innings for RR while Andre Russell bowled the first over. Rahane got lucky on the very first ball of the innings when he got a leading edge on the ball which landed in the no-man's land. A couple of dot balls and Rahane hit a maximum in the deep backward point region using the pace of the ball. Prasidh Krishna bowled the second over and conceded 6 runs in it. Piyush Chawla was introduced into the attack and Tripathi thanked him with a cover drive boundary. Only two runs came off the next five balls of the over. RR were off to a decent start with 21/0 after 3 overs

Prasidh Krishna continued from the other end after bowling a tidy first over and Rahane welcomed him with consecutive boundaries taking good advantage of the field restrictions. Krishna conceded 11 runs in his over. KKR was in a desperate need of wickets and therefore, Sunil Narine was introduced into the attack. But the strategy didn't seem to work as Tripathi went hard on him and wacked him away for consecutive sixes. Narine leaked 15 runs. Chawla returned and got the necessary breakthrough for KKR. Another soft dismissal, courtesy of another caught and bowled. Sanju Samson was the next man on the crease. Both the batsmen kept rotating the strike. RR were scoring as per the required run rate and stood at 51/1 after 6 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav was brought into the attack. Just three runs came off the over. Narine came into bowl again and the pitch offered every bit of help to him with tremendous amounts of turn. Batsmen took no chances and kept the scoreboard kept ticking with singles and doubles. Yadav continued and went too short, Samson punished him for the loose ball with a four. A couple of dot balls and Samson found the gap in the covers region to score another boundary of the over. RR had just kept the asking rate in check and stood at 74/1 after 9 overs.

Javon Searles was introduced into the attack for the first time in the 10th over and Sanju Samson showed his class with a six and a four. Searles conceded 13 runs. RR were comfortably approaching the target without taking too many risks. Kuldeep Yadav was brought back. KKR needed a wicket to stay alive in the game. Yadav bowled a tight over leaking just 3 runs in it. Piyush Chawla returned. RR batsmen were in control and kept rotating the strike. RR stood at 96/1 after 12 overs.

Russell returned for the first time after bowling the first over of the innings. The 50 partnership came up between Samson and Rahane. A solid partnership for RR to build on even if one of them got out. RR were at the perfect spot to change their gears and seal the match. Karthik brought Sunil Narine into the attack. Asking run rate had crossed the 10 run mark and it was the high time that RR increased their scoring rate, but Samson was struggling against Narine and played 4 consecutive dot balls. Pressure was building and Samson eased it off a bit by hitting a six. Kuldeep Yadav bowled the 15th over and Rahane fell victim to and unlucky dismissal while attempting a sweep shot. A leading edge yet another caught and bowled. Heinrich Klaasen was the new man in. Yadav ended a successful over conceding just 2 runs in it. Narine came in for his last of the match. Asking rate had climbed past 12 rpo and RR was in desperate need of some big runs. Samson continued with singles while Klaasen went in for a reverse sweep boundary towards third man. RR stood at 119/2 after 16 overs and needed 51 runs off the last 24 balls.

Karthik looked to exhaust his spin resources in the 17th over itself as Piyush Chawla came in to bowl his last over. Chawla bowled a quick full toss outside-off and Samson did no mistakes in sending it across the fence. But the pressure was building and he went for another big shot which went high up in the sky and landed in the safe hands of Javon Searles. Stuart Binny was the new man in. Chawla finished his job with a wicket-taking over. Prasidh Krishna was brought back into the attack in the 18th over. RR were in a similar position as that of the CSK in the first qualifier and needed 43 runs off the last 18 balls, but they had no set batsmen like Du Plessis on the crease. Prasidh bowled a beautiful over and ended it with Stuart Binny's dismissal. Only 3 runs and a wicket came off the 18th over. Krishna Gowtham was the new man on the crease. RR needed 40 runs in 12 balls. Russell bowled the 19th over. Both Klaasen and Gowtham were getting no timing on the ball and no big runs came in the over. RR had an almost impossible task to score 34 runs in the last over. The match had become one-sided in the last 3 overs. Prasidh bowled yet another wonderful over and RR fell 25 runs short of the target. KKR won the match and kept their title hopes alive. Up until the 10th over RR were right in line with the asking rate and were moving quite comfortably but went too slow in the middle overs due to which the required run rate became almost insurmountable in the death overs. RR made it impossible for themselves to chase the target by not taking the charge when they were in a position to do so.

Kolkata Knight Riders innings update: Over by over

Kolkata Knight Riders playing 11 for today's Eliminator: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

Over 1: Krishnappa Gowtham to Sunil Narine, smashed in the cover region for four. Narine OUT stumped by Klassen. A single taken by Robin Uthappa. Short leg in for Chris Lynn and outside edge fell short of cover fielder. Miss field by bowler, one run taken. Reverse sweep attempted by Robin, missed and went for 4 byes. KKR: 10/1, Sunil Narine st Klaasen b Gowtham 4 (2b 1x4 0x6) 

Over 2: Jofra Archer to Chris Lynn, drops just short of mid on, one run taken. A single taken by Uthappa. WIDE down the leg side. One run took. Two consecutive WIDE. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. A quick single taken by Robin to end the over. KKR: 17/1, Robin Uthappa: 3(6b), Chris Lynn: 3(4b)

Over 3: Krishnappa Gowtham to Robin Uthappa, OUT caught and Bowled. One run taken by Nitish Rana. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Lynn smashed the 5th ball for four. DOT ball to end the over. KKR: 22/2, Robin Uthappa c & b Gowtham 3 (7b 0x4 0x6)

Over 4: Jofra Archer to Nitish Rana, left alone to the keeper, no run. Nitish Rana punched the 2nd ball in the cover region for two. Bouncer, DOT ball. Nitish Rana OUT miss time to mid-on. Dinesh Karthik defended the 5th ball and flicked the last ball off the over for four. KKR: 28/3, Nitish Rana c Unadkat b Archer 3 (5b 0x4 0x6)

Over 5: Krishnappa Gowtham to Chris Lynn, no run. A single taken off the second ball. Dinesh Karthik took a single off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Lynn played the 5th ball straight to bowler, no run. Two runs taken to end the over. KKR: 32/3, Dinesh Karthik: 5(3b), Chris Lynn: 10(13b)

Over 6: Jaydev Unadkat to Dinesh Karthik, driven over the in field for four followed by cover drive for another four. Glided down to short third-man for a single. Lynn hit the 4th ball for over the in-field for 3rd four of the over. A single taken off the 5th ball. DOT ball to end the powerplay. KKR: 46/3, Dinesh Karthik: 14(7b), Chris Lynn: 15(15b)

Over 7: Ish Sodhi to Chris Lynn, no run. A single off the second. A big turn punched into cover, DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Good loop went for no run. Dinesh Karthik took a single to end the over. KKR: 48/3, Dinesh Karthik: 15(11b), Chris Lynn: 16(17b)

Over 8: Shreyas Gopal to Dinesh Karthik, one run. DOT ball. Lynn took 2 runs off the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Chris Lynn OUT, googly stopped onto the ball easy caught and bowled for Gopal. KKR: 51/4, Chris Lynn c & b Gopal 18 (22b 2x4 0x6)

Over 9: Ish Sodhi to Dinesh Karthik, two runs taken. DOt ball. Another DOT ball. Single taken by Karthik. Shubhman Gill took single off the 5th ball. Karthik took a single to end the over. KKR: 56/4, Dinesh Karthik: 20 (17b), Shubman Gill: 1 (1b)

Over 10: Shreyas Gopal to Karthik, four runs. DOt ball. A single taken by Karthik. Shubman Gill took single off the 4th ball. DOT ball. Dinesh Karthik took a single to keep the strike. KKR: 63/4, Dinesh Karthik: 26 (22b), Shubman Gill: 2 (2b)

Over 11: Ben Laughlin to Dinesh Karthik, 2 runs taken. Single taken down the third man region. DOT ball. Leading edge flew to third man region for four. Shubman Gill punched the 5th ball in cover region for a single. Single taken to end the over. KKR: 72/4, Dinesh Karthik: 30 (25b), Shubman Gill: 7 (5b)

Over 12: Shreyas Gopal to Dinesh Karthik, one run taken. Shubman Gill took a single off the 2nd ball. DOT ball. A single taken. DOT ball. Shubman Gill took a single to keep the strike. KKR: 76/4, Dinesh Karthik: 32 (28b), Shubman Gill: 9 (8b). 

Over 13: Ish Sodhi to Shubman Gill, one run taken. Dinesh Karthik took a single. Shubman Gill whipped the 3rd ball for 2 runs. A single taken. Another single taken. DOT ball to end the over. KKR:  82/4, Dinesh Karthik: 34 (30b), Shubman Gill: 13 (12b)

Over 14: Shreyas Gopal to Dinesh Karthik, two runs taken. A single taken off the 2nd ball. Shubman Gill cut the 3rd ball for four followed by a six. Single taken off the next ball. Karthik smashed the last ball for 6 to end the over. KKR: 102/4, Dinesh Karthik: 43 (33b), Shubman Gill: 24 (15b)

Over 15: Jofra Archer to Shubman Gill, slapped in the cover region for four. Shubman Gill OUT, extra bounce undone him. Andre Russell in, bouncer for no run. Another bouncer NO BALL given. FREE HIT smashed for six over the long-on boundary for six. A single taken by Russell to keep the strike. KKR: 114/5, Shubman Gill c †Klaasen b Archer 28 (17b 3x4 1x6)

Over 16: Ish Sodhi to Andre Russell, no run. Sharp turn helped the ball in the cover a single. Dinesh Karthik took a single off the third ball. DOT ball. another DOT ball and no run to end the over. KKR: 116/5, Andre Russell 8 (10b), Dinesh Karthik: 44(34b)

Over 17: Jaydev Unadkat to Dinesh Karthik, top edge went over the keeper for six followed by a single. Russell walloped the 3rd ball for six followed by a four. A single taken. Another single taken. KKR: 135/5, Andre Russell 19 (13b), Dinesh Karthik: 52 (37b)

Over 18: Ben Laughlin to Dinesh Karthik, OUT, a big wicket. Andre Russell hammered the 2nd ball for six. A single taken off the next ball. Javon Searles took a single off the 4th ball. DOT ball. Short ball dispatched into the crowd to end the over. KKR: 149/6, Dinesh Karthik c Rahane b Laughlin 52 (38b 4x4 2x6) 

Over 19: Jofra Archer to Searles, missed DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Searles hit the 3rd ball. DOT ball. Slower ball a fore hand went for six. Yorker squeezed for a single to end the over. KKR: 157/6,  Andre Russell 39 (20b), Javon Seales: 2 (4b)

Over 20: Ben Laughlin to Jofra Archer, WIDE, Another WIDE. Russell hit the first ball four. DOT ball. Single taken. Searles OUT. Another four. Single to end the over. KKR: 169/7, Andre Russell: 49(25b)

Kolkata Knight Riders innings analysis after 16 overs
In the Eliminator of IPL 2018, Krishnappa Gowtham struck on the second ball of the match for Rajasthan Royals as he dismissed Sunil Narine. He stepped out to a ball that bounced a little too much for his liking and paid the price. Robin Uthappa came to the crease. Tough 10 runs were scored in the first over, the wicket did put pressure on Chris Lynn. 

With three boundaries coming in the last over of the power play, KKR had built some kind of momentum for themselves. Ish Sodhi bowled the 7th over and bowled a tight one. Shreyas Gopal was introduced into the attack. Chris Lynn who had been playing from the beginning of the innings was dismissed when he misread the speed of the ball and lofted the ball straight into the hands of Gopal. Sodhi returned in the 9th over. The pitch was creating too much problems for the batsmen with extra bounce and they were struggling to connect the ball and go for some quick runs. Another tight over and Sodhi conceded just 5 runs in it. KKR were 56/4 after 9 overs.

Shreyas Gopal continued from the other end. KKR were scoring at just over run-a-ball but the ball was still not coming on to the bat which meant that KKR couldn't have changed gears whenever they wanted. Ben Laughlin was introduced into the attack, Somehow, runs were coming in towards third man and fine leg as the batsmen weren't required to do too much there. Gopal bowled the 12th over. Dinesh Karthik and Shubhman Gill were both looking to build a partnership to take advantage of it in the later overs. Gopal bowled another tight over and KKR stood at 77/4 after 12 overs.

Rahane was looking for more wickets and kept attacking with some of his best bowlers. Ish Sodhi and Gopal continued, but the batsmen weren't taking any risks. They were choosing their balls wisely and went big only off of a few selected deliveries. Gopal felt the heat in the 14th over and was hit for 2 sixes and a four. He conceded 20 runs in his over. Just when KKR were finding their rhythm, Shubhman Gill lost his wicket off of a wonderful delivery by Jofra Archer in the 15th over. Andre Russell was the next man in and was off the mark with a maximum off a free-hit. Ish Sodhi came in to bowl his last. Both the batsmen were still finding it difficult to go after him. Sodhi conceded just 2 runs in it. KKR stood at 116/5 after 16 overs.

Unadkat returned and Karthik got a thick upper edge on the ball which landed just across the fence over the wicket-keeper's head. KKR had marked their bowler and went hard against Unadkat. He conceded 19 runs in his over. Ben Laughlin was brought back into the attack and got the much-needed breakthrough for RR. Karthik mis-timed the ball which landed in the hands of Ajinkya Rahane and Karthik had to depart at a crucial stage of the game. Javon Searles was the new man on the crease. A wicket on the very first ball didn't stop Russell from continuing his assault. The West-Indian powerhouse made even the mis-hits travel past the boundary line. Archer returned to bowl the 19th over. Bowled a couple of precious dot balls to Searles from RR's point of view. Archer finished his spell with a brilliant over and conceded just 8 runs off it. Laughlin bowled the 20th over. Started with a couple of wide deliveries and dismissed Searles while Russell hit him for 2 boundaries. KKR added 12 runs in their total in the last over and posted a score of 169/7. A 25 ball 49 runs innings from Russell helped KKR to put up enough runs for their bowlers to go out and defend.



Here are a few things to know about the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals (KKR vs RR) match to be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:
 
Last three wins have prepared us well for playoffs, says Simon Katich: Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Simon Katich said his team is looking to ride the new-found momentum when it takes on Rajasthan Royals in the IPL Eliminator 2018 in today’s IPL match. Kolkata suffered back to back losses to Mumbai Indians that included their heaviest defeat in the IPL when they were humiliated by 102 runs at home to slip out of top-four. But the Dinesh Karthik-led side scripted a remarkable turnaround posting the highest total of the season -- 245/6 -- en route to winning three on the trot to clinch a playoff berth for the sixth time. "To be able to put that behind mentally, go back and be able to regroup is testament to the group and character of the team. We would like to think that it would hold us in good stead for IPL Eliminator 2018," Katich told reporters at Eden Gardens
 
The team head to head ahead of IPL Eliminator 2018 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals (KKR vs RR):
 
Overall:
Matches: 18
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 9
Rajasthan Royals won: 9
 
At the Eden Gardens:
Matches: 7
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 6
Rajasthan Royals won: 1

Rajasthan Royals only victory against KKR at Eden Gardens came back in 2008 (IPL inaugural edition) when RR side led by Shane Warne defeated the depleted KKR under Sourav Ganguly