Knight Riders chase down Sunrisers' 115-8 with two balls and six wickets to spare; Shubman Gill's well-timed half-century lays foundation for win; Kolkata two points clear in fourth place with better net run rate than three challengers for play-off spot
Monday 4 October 2021 13:08, UK
Kolkata Knight Riders got over the line with two balls left in a low-scoring game against Sunrisers Hyderabad to take the box seat in the race for the final IPL play-off spot.
Eoin Morgan's side restricted already-eliminated Sunrisers to 115-8, thanks to their miserly spinners and a spectacular runout from the recalled Shakib Al Hasan which got rid of a motoring Kane Williamson.
The modest target occasionally appeared otherwise during a laboured pursuit, but Shubman Gill injected momentum where required during his classy half-century, and a landmark cameo from Dinesh Karthik saw Kolkata home with two balls and six wickets in the bank.
Victory leaves the fourth-placed Knight Riders two points clear of a three-strong chasing pack and with the best net run rate of the four ahead of their final group game against Rajasthan Royals, who are among their pursuers along with Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings.
Hyderabad came into the match as the sole team for whom the play-offs are out of reach, and their current haplessness was summed up by a first-ball dismissal for Wriddhiman Saha, who would have been reprieved had he opted to review a leg-before decision off Tim Southee's bowling.
An impatient swipe accounted for Jason Roy, but there was the promise of a notable knock from Williamson when, driving and late-cutting with ominous command, the skipper took 18 off a Shivan Mavi over.
It took a stunning piece of work to cut him off in his prime, Shakib swivelling in his follow-through and throwing down the stumps as Williamson attempted a scampered single.
The New Zealander's 26 remained Sunrisers' highest score of the innings, the combined overs of Shakib and Sunil Narine going for just 32 even as the lion's share of wickets went elsewhere - two apiece for Southee, Mavi and Varun Chakravarthy.
With their net run rate already healthy, there was no need for Kolkata to fling the bat in the run chase, but watchfulness threatened to become complete inertia in spells, not least after Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi departed within 10 balls.
Gill sensed as much, kicking off a flurry of boundaries with a chancy lofted four to midwicket off Rashid Khan. Two came off the 21-year-old Umran Malik, more than lively on his IPL debut as he hustled in and twice hit 150kph on the speed gun.
When Gill eventually holed out off Siddarth Kaul having scored 57 from 51 - his first half-century in this season's competition - old stager Karthik immediately took charge with a straight-driven four.
Karthik was there at the end, a cross-batted boundary sparking Kolkata celebrations, in-between times bringing up his 4,000th IPL run.
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