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          As it happened - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2021

          • Sidharth Monga
          Oct 7, 2021, 10:16 AM

          Win this game, and Eoin Morgan's Kolkata Knight Riders are all but assured of a place in the top four. Can Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals play spoilsport?

          You'll find ball-by-ball commentary here in English, and here in Hindi. If you're in the USA, you can watch this game on ESPN+ in English, as well as in Hindi.

          Perfect result for KKR

          They were down and out, they had lost Russell and Ferguson, but here KKR are, all but in the playoffs. They have bowled Royals out for 85, the lowest score of this season. Apart from the win, they get a nice NRR bump, going to 0.59. Even if Mumbai win tomorrow, they will have to win by 171 runs in order to go past KKR. A complete performance from KKR to seal the playoff spot. They will have to win two matches at the same venue to make the final. Thanks for joining us.

          RR avoid dubious honours

          Thanks to some hitting from Rahul Tewatia, Royals go from 35 for 7 to 82 for 7 and counting. They have gone past 49, the lowest total in the IPL, which belongs to RCB against KKR in 2017, and 58, Royals' lowest score in the IPL, scored way back in 2009.

          Law 25.2

          At the fall of Samson's wicket, Shivam Dube gets up and starts to walk out. Sitting a couple of rows behind him in the dugout, RR coach and MCC president Kumar Sangakkara is a little surprised as he wants Anuj Rawat to bat at this time. It turns out, though, that Dube has crossed the boundary rope and the umpires have noticed it. They tell RR Dube has to continue on. Why so? Here is MCC's Law 25.2

          Commencement of a batter's innings

          The innings of the first two batters, and that of any new batter on the resumption of play after a call of Time, shall commence at the call of Play. At any other time, a batter's innings shall be considered to have commenced when that batter first steps onto the field of play.

          Rawat, though, didn't have to wait for too long to get his shot. Liam Livingstone top-edged a pull off Lockie Ferguson. Rawat's stay himself was a brief one as Fergsuon trapped him plumb lbw, beating him for pace, in the same over. RR 13 for 4 in four overs.

          KKR one step closer to playoffs

          With his first ball, Shivam Mavi has taken out Sanju Samson with a typical slow-pitch dismissal, a catch at short midwicket. RR 1 for 2. End of a highly impressive IPL for Sanju Samson the batter, who ends with 484 runs at a strike-rate of 136.72, his most prolific IPL.

          RR 1 for 2.

          Wicket to wicket

          KKR give the new ball to Shakib Al Hasan and he is immediately exploiting the low bounce. Yashasvi Jaiswal has tried two big shots in three balls. The second, a reverse sweep, produces the wicket as his off stump is uprooted. RR 0 for 1.

          Highest score in Sharjah this IPL

          It wasn't easy on a slow, low surface but KKR have managed to post the highest total in Sharjah this IPL, 171. Almost every batter played a part. Iyer and Gill struggled early but they kept trying to hit out. Iyer broke free first but he got out. Gill then dropped anchor, and Rana and Tripathi hit around him. Karthik and Morgan then provided the finish. They scored 102 runs in the last 10. Iyer says if you hit the good-length area and keep changing your pace, it is going to be difficult here.

          Rana. Spin. Why?

          It is no secret now that Nitish Rana has one of the more skewed records in T20 cricket when it comes to facing pace and spin. He struggles against pace, and he devours spin. You don't need numbers for that. And RR choose Rana's arrival to have spin at both ends. Rana welcomes Glenn Phillips with a four and a six, but to the fifth ball, an arm ball, he gets the toe end and is caught at wide long-off. Phillips might have got his wicket, but he has bowled the most expensive over of the innings at 17 runs.

          RR have four frontline quicks and a medium-pace allrounder and a legspin allrounder. While Phillips might have got a bonus wicket, that bowling change didn't make much sense. KKR 97 for 2 in 12 overs.

          Iyer gets going

          It has taken KKR less than four overs to double their Powerplay score of 34 for 0, and it has happened through Venkatesh Iyer finally finding his timing. It has taken a lot of forceful shots to get going, but in the 10th over, he has hit Jaydev Unadkat for two sixes. The second of those is a backfoot punch to a short-of-a-length ball back over Unadkat's head. This is high-quality hitting on a difficult pitch to score quickly on. KKR 69 for 0 after 10 overs.

          Step out to step it up

          At 34 for 0, this has been the second-slowest Powerplay batting first in Sharjah in this year's IPL, and it is not for the want of trying. One apparent measure of their intent is how their openers gave charge nine times inside the Poweprlay, the joint-highest for a team inside the PP, levelling their own effort against SRH in Dubai. They are well on track to go past their own effort of stepping out to fast bowlers 14 times when they played SRH in Dubai.

          The reason behind it appears to be a slow surface on which you have to create your own momentum if you have to clear the ring fielders who are waiting at the edge for a catch.

          RR choose to bowl, Ferguson back for KKR

          Rajasthan Royals have done the first bit Mumbai would have wanted them to do, and that is to deny KKR what they would have wanted: chase. Sanju Samson has won the toss and asked KKR to bat first. However, KKR had something to be happy about at the toss: Eoin Morgan announced that Lockie Ferguson was fit and replacing Tim Southee. That was their only change.

          Royals made four changes, only one of them forced. Evin Lewis sat out with a niggle, making way for Liam Livingstone. Jaydev Unadkat, Chris Morris and Anuj Rawat came in for Shreyas Gopal, David Miller and Kuldip Yadav.

          Your move, KKR

          So PBKS have had their say on what looks like their final day of the tournament. They have beaten CSK in 13 overs, taking their net run rate ahead of Mumbai Indian, which, in theory, gives them a chance, but still they will need both KKR and MI to lose. And this is how bad they want KKR to lose: chasing 180, if KKR lose by 71, their net run rate will still be ahead of PBKS.

          So KKR are not worried about PBKS when they go out tonight. They will be worried about MI. They don't want to be in a situation that they are hoping for MI to lose tomorrow. They want to win against RR tonight, and all but ensure their progress. Toss in a bit.