Summing up a stunning game
Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad very nearly stole victory away from the home side at Eden Gardens on Saturday, but 22-year-old Harshit Rana successfully defended 12 off the final over to take Kolkata Knight Riders over the line in a last-ball thriller.
Needing 13 off the final over and with momentum on their side, Sunrisers had a dream start to the 20th over when Klaasen pulled Harshit for six over square leg. But he followed it up with two singles, two wickets and one dot in the next five balls to seal the deal.
Earlier, it was Sunil Narine's 1 for 19 in four overs on a batting-friendly surface - that included zero boundaries - which kept Sunrisers quiet through the middle overs. His economy of 4.75 was a complete outlier on a surface where bowlers, whether experienced or not, went for aplenty. That had given KKR the upper hand with three overs to go and Sunrisers needing 60 in 18 balls. But Klaasen's 29-ball 63, laced with eight sixes, dragged Sunrisers back into the contest.
KKR also had Andre Russell, Phil Salt and Ramandeep Singh to thank. From a position of 51 for 4 in the first innings, KKR rebuilt courtesy Salt's 40-ball 54 on KKR debut and a 17-ball 35 from Ramandeep Singh. Russell put the finishing touches to the KKR innings by smacking seven sixes in his 25-ball unbeaten 64.
Catch the full report on the website soon!