Highlights:
- CSK vs KKR turned out to be a rollercoaster ride which kept fans on the edge of their seat
- Despite losing wickets during powerplay, KKR managed to bounce back earning the praise of owner Shah Rukh Khan
- This game was IPL 2021’s match with the most sixes (26)
In the 15th match of IPL 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders almost pulled off a remarkable comeback to chase down the goliath of a target of 221 set by the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings even though they had lost five wickets in the Powerplay.
Pat Cummins – playing an absolute star inning – ran out of batting partners when KKR fell just 18 runs short in the end with 5 balls to spare.
After fiery fifties from Andre Russell and Pat Cummins and a handy knock from the former captain of KKR, Dinesh Karthik, nearly rescued the team from being 31/5 at one point, it was just a question of what could have been for KKR.
The co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders and one of the biggest Bollywood star, Shah Rukh Khan, chose to leave these questions aside and praised his team for their performance and fighting spirit.
He tweeted, “Coulda…woulda…shoulda can take a backseat tonight… @KKRiders was quite awesome I feel. ( oops if we can forget the batting power play!!) well done boys… @Russell12A @patcummins30 @DineshKarthik, try and make this a habit…we will be back!!”
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Coulda…woulda…shoulda can take a backseat tonight…@KKRiders was quite awesome I feel. ( oops if we can forget the batting power play!!) well done boys…@Russell12A @patcummins30 @DineshKarthik try and make this a habit…we will be back!! pic.twitter.com/B1wGBe14n3
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 21, 2021
After an explosive, unbeaten, inning from Faf du Plessis of 95 runs and a half-century from fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad helped CSK post 220 after a loss of 3 wickets, KKR got their chase off to the worst possible start.
CSK’s bowling attack led by Deepak Chahar took his second four-wicket haul in IPL 2021 as the KKR top order was blown out of the waters.
However, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik brought the team back from the dead, as Russell smashed a half-century before being bowled by Sam Curran with a great swing ball leaving Russell baffled.
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Struggling for form since the beginning of the season, Russell was able to find his rhythm and smashed three boundaries and six maximums as he finished with 54 runs off just 22 deliveries.
Dinesh Karthik, who scored 40 from 24 deliveries, also played a huge role in the comeback, however, when he fell to Lungi Ngidi, it felt like the chase was done for KKR.
But then was the time when Cummins stepped up with his bat, and yet again brought KKR back in the game when he scored 30 runs off Sam Curran in just 1 over.
However, he ran out of partners by the end of the inning, and remained unbeaten on 66 off 34 deliveries.
Cummins hit four fours and six maximums as he registered his highest ever IPL score.
The match also turned out to be the IPL 2021 match with the most number of sixes (26) so far.
Meanwhile, losing the game was not enough for KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan has been fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match against Chennai Super Kings.
IPL, in a statement, said, “Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on April 21”.
It added, “As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr Morgan was fined Rs 12 lakh”.