IPL 2019: Andre Russell-Shubman Gill Blitz Blows SRH Away In Kolkata – HIGHLIGHTS

Andre Russell smashed 49 off 19 balls to undermine David Warner's brilliant IPL comeback as Kolkata Knight Riders chased down a 182-run target in the last over. Needing 53 runs from last three overs, the Jamaican changed the course of the match with some lusty hittings.

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KKR INNINGS; TARGET 182

7:56 PM IST: Then, Shubman Gill, one of the futures of Indian cricket, finished off the chase. Two sixes for the youngster against Shakib Al Hasan. KKR won by six wickets with two balls to spare.

7:52 PM IST: Needing 34 in 12 balls, Andre Russell hit Bhuvi for 4,6,4, dot,6,1 in the penultimate over to change the course of the match. 21 runs from that over. Some huge sixes there. KKR were 169/4 after 19 overs. Need 13 off 6 and Russell on strike.

7:48 PM IST: And that's what happened. Poor Siddarth Kaul, he was going for yorkers, but got two sixes in return off the first two balls as Andre Russell showed his brute force. Russell then muscled the fifth ball for a four, through cover. 19 runs from the over. Equation after 18 overs: Kolkata need 34 runs in 12 balls.

7:42 PM IST: Brilliant over from the stand-in skipper. A series of well-directed yorkers to keep KKR batsmen quiet. Both Shubman Gill, on 5 off 6, and Andre Russell, on 9 off 7, can do some series damage though. KKR were 129/4 after 17 overs.

7:38 PM IST: Rashid Khan got the wicket of in-form Nitish Rana (68 off 47;4sX8,6sX3)the very first ball after the resumption of the match. A wicket and nine runs from the over. KKR were 123/4 after 16 overs.

7:25 PM IST: Brief stoppage due to poor light. One of the towers gone off, and umpires have take time out. KKR were 118/3 after 15.2 overs. Nitish Rana, 68 off 46, has been batting brilliantly. With asking rate climbing above 13 runs per over, his knock will be crucial, even though there are some big hitters in the Kolkata team.

7:19 PM IST: Nitish Rana hit Sandeep Sharma for a big six, off the fourth ball. 10 runs from the over. KKR were 114/3 after 15 overs. In the previous over, Rashid Khan almost had Rana trapped in front. He leaked seven runs.

Courtesy: Twitter (@BCCI)

7:06 PM IST: Sandeep Sharma returned to remove KKR captain Dinesh Karthik (2 off 4). FoW - 95/3 (12.4 Over). Sandeep had Karthik caught by Bhuvi. New man Andre Russell took a single off the first ball he faced. But Nitish Rana got to his sixth IPL fifty with a single off the last ball of the over. He took 35 balls, with the help of six fours and two sixes. A wicket 10 runs from the over. and KKR were 97/3 after 13 overs.

6:56 PM IST: Siddarth Kaul got the wicket of Robin Uthappa (35 off 27; 4sX3; 6sX1). FoW - 87/2 (11.4 Over)

6:52 PM IST: Another big over for KKR. 15 runs as Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana hit a six each against Shakib Al Hasan. They were 85/1 after 11 overs.

6:45 PM IST: Sandeep Sharma did well to concede only eight runs from his second over, after that 14-run opening over. For KKR, Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa have added 61 runs 42 balls for the second wicket. They were 68/1 after nine overs.

6:40 PM IST: Unlucky Rashid Khan. Yusuf Pathan dropped Robin Uthappa, a sitter, at long-on off the third ball. Then the next ball went for a four, off the fourth ball. Nine runs from the over. KKR were 60/1 after eight overs.

6:34 PM IST: Tidy over from Siddarth Kaul. Four singles. KKR were 51/1 after seven overs. 44 runs stand from 30 between Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa. They need another 130 runs in 78 balls.

6:30 PM IST: Wicket-taker Shakib Al Hasan returned for his second over. Conceded seven runs. Robin Uthappa hit the fourth ball for a four. He's batting on 17 off 10 while his partner Nitish Rana's on 23 off 15.

6:25 PM IST: Another good over for KKR. 10 runs from Siddarth Kaul's first over. Robin Uthappa hit the fourth ball for a four. KKR were 40/1 after five overs.

6:19 PM IST: Big over for KKR. Nitish Rana punished Sandeep Sharma with two fours an a six. 14 runs from the over. They were 30/1 after four overs.

6: 14 PM IST: Nine runs from Bhuvi's second over, hit for a four each by Nitish Rana and RObn Uthappa. KKR were 16/1 after three overs. Still 166 runs away from the target.

6:10 PM IST: Shakib Al Hasan got the better of Chris Lynn (7 off 11). Had him caught by Rashid Khan. FoW - 7/1 (1.6 Over). Four balls earlier, the Aussie big hitter hit the Bangladeshi all-rounder for a six. Robin Uthappa joined Nitish Rana in the centre.

6:05 PM IST: Brilliant first over from stand-in skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar. A single. KKR openers Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana will need a good start to keep the hosts in the match.

5:51 PM IST: Put into bat first, visiting SunRisers Hyderabad set a good target of 182 runs for Kolkat Knight Riders. Comeback-man David Warner hit 85 off 53 balls and shared a 118-run stand for the first wicket with wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (39). Then, Vijay Shankar hit an unbeaten 40.

Brief Scores:

SRH: 181/3 (Warner 85, Shankar 40 not out, Bairstow 39; Russell 2/32, Chawla 1/23)

Photo Credit: BCCI

5:45 PM IST: SRH posted 181/3. Few more runs than the average score of 175 at Eden Gardens. Vijay Shankar did well to capitalise on David Warner's good start with a 24-ball 40-run knock.

5:41 PM IST: All happening now. Shankar hit Prasidh Krishna for a big six off the third ball, then the pacer got a favourable LBW verdict from the umpire. Review taken. Umpire's call. No edge from UltraEdge, and HawkEye read the ball missing the leg stump. Shankar survived. That happened off the fifth ball. A four to end the over. 12 runs from the over. 170/3 after 19 overs.

5:31 PM IST: Andre Russell (1 off 4) yorked Yusuf Pathan. FoW - 152/3 (17.3 Over). Manish Pandey joined Vijay Shankar in the centre.

5:29 PM IST: Another good over for KKR. Lockie Ferguson leaked just five runs from his third over. SRH's new man Yusuf Pathan's taking some time to adjust to the pace of the pitch. After 17 overs, the visitors were 149/2.

5:22 PM IST: Robin Uthappa took a stunning catch to end David Warner's knock. The Aussie made 85 off 53 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes. Warner creamed the last ball of the 16th over, bowled by Andre Russell, through cover, but a low diving Uthappa stuck his hand to the ball. FoW - 144/2 (15.6 Over). Break taken at Eden Gardens.

5:17 PM IST: Just five runs from Prasidh Krishna's thrd over. one leg bye and four singles. His figures so far: 3-0-20-0. SHR 134/1 after 15 overs. David and Vijay Shankar were unbeaten on Warner 77 off 49 and 12 off 7 respectively.

5:12 PM IST: Vijay Shankar has joined the fun. Hit Sunil Narine for a massive six, off the fourth ball of 14th over. 11 runs from the over. SRH 129/1.

5:06 PM IST: Googly from Piyush Chawla has done the job. Bowled Jonny Bairstow (39 off 35; 4sX3, 6sX1). FoW - 118/1 (12.5 Over). Vijay Shankar joined David Warner in the centre.

5:02 PM IST: Captain DK floored another chance, this time off David Warner. That happened off the fourth ball, and unlucky Lockie Ferguson saw the fifth ball beating DK again for a four. 11 runs from the over. SRH 112/0 after 12 overs. Warner and Jonny Bairstow unbeaten on 69 off 41 and 38 off 32 respectively.

4:57 PM IST: Nitish Rana got a rude welcome from Jonny Bairstow. Four off the first ball. Nine runs from the over. Shubman Gill, at cover, almost pulled off a stunner. Bairstow lucky. SRH 101/0 after 11.

4:53 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav returned for his second over as Shah Rukh Khan obliged his fans. Ten runs from it, including four singles and a six, hit by David Warner off the last ball. SRH 92/0 after 10 overs. 

4:48 PM IST: Brute force to the fore as David Warner creamed the fourth ball of ninth over through cover. Sunil Narine was in the line of fire and got off the field. Then, a six off the fifth ball over the third man to reach his fifty on the comeback. He took 31 balls. Eight fours and a six. Warner (40) already has the most fifties in IPL. Virat Kohli is second with 38. Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina are joint-third with 36 fifties each. Andre Russell conceded 13 runs from his first over. SRH 82/0 after nine overs.

4:43 PM IST: SRH 69 for no loss after 8 overs. Tidy over from Sunil Narine. Seven runs from it. Jonny Bairstow hit the second ball with a delicate scoop over the wicketkeeper's head.

4:38 PM IST: First over for Kuldeep Yadav, and eight runs from it. David Warner hit the second ball with a delightful reverse sweep. The very next ball, he offered a hard chance to Dinesh Karthik. SRH 62/0 after seven overs.

4:33 PM IST: End of power play. 11 runs from Sunil Narine's first over. Three singles, then back-to-back fours as David Warner dominated the Windies spinner. A dot to end the over though. SRH 54/0 after six overs.

4:30 PM IST: Big finish to the fifth over as David Warner hit it for a four. Nine runs from Lockie Ferguson's first over. SRH 43/0 with Warner on 25 off 17 and Jonny Bairstow on 14 off 14.

4:26 PM IST: First six of the day, from the blade of Jonny Bairstow, straight over the bowler's head. That happened off the third ball of Piyush Chawla's second over. Chawla started with a confident shout for LBW, and the umpire also agreed, but Bairstow took the review and the ball was caressing the bat. Nine runs from the over. RSH 34/0 after four overs.

4:21 PM IST: David Warner's batting as if he's never been away. Looked in control. And he played a rocking back-foot pull shot for a four, off the last ball of the over. Nine runs from Prasidh Krishna's second over. SRH were 25/0 after three.

4:17 PM IST: Dinesh Karthik just wasted a review upon Piyush Chawla's insistence. The fifth ball hit David Warner on the pads, and KKR thought they have got their man. But the ball clearly pitched outside the leg stump line. Eight runs from it, thanks to two fours from Warner. SRH were 16/0 after two overs.

4:11 PM IST: One eventful first over from Prasidh Krishna. Eight runs from it -- two wides and a beaming no-ball. Jonny Bairstow was lucky not to have hit by it.

4:00 PM IST: Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan rung the bell as the match starts at Eden Gardens. David Warner and Jonny Bairstow to open the batting. Shikhar Dhawan used to open for SRH,  now the Delhi boy will do it for Delhi Capitals.

3:48 PM IST: And there are two debutants. Lockie Ferguson for KKR and Jonny Bairstow for SRH. Exactly one year ago, David Warner found himself implicated in the ball-tampering scandal. Today is the day for him. 

3:45 PM IST: Here are the playing XIs

SRH: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma.

KKR: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna

3:41 PM IST: Here's one quick fact on Bhuvi. This is only the second time that the pacer is leading a side in his professional career. The previous occasion was during the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy season, leading Uttar Pradesh against Mumbai.

3:35 PM IST: TOSS! So, Kane Williamson's not match fit, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is leading the side today.  And Dinesh Karthik won the toss, and KKR will bowl first.

3:30 PM IST: A while ago, this is what Michael Clarke said in his 'pitch report': This wicket is a bit two-paced and spin will play a big part. The average first innings average score at Eden Gardens is 175 and that would be a good score".

Yesterday, the pitch did play its part. Chennai Super Kings had initial troubles chasing a 71-run target against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Skipper MS Dhoni's not happy with the way pitch behaved.

3:26 PM IST: Continuing the focus on Warner, he is one of the most consistent batsmen in the history of IPL. He scored 528 in 2014, 562 in 2015, 848 in 2016 and 641 in 2017. And despite missing his services, SunRisers managed to qualify for the finals last year. And with Warner back, they are a different side altogether. But again, comebacks can be tough, even for champions.

3:20 PM IST: Here's a look at key numbers ahead of the match.

Matches played: 15
KKR wins: 9; SRH wins: 6
In Kolkata: 7 (KKR – 5, SRH – 2)
In Hyderabad: 5 (SRH – 2, KKR – 3)
On neutral venues: 3 (KKR – 1, SRH – 2)

Most matches: Shikhar Dhawan (SRH), Sunil Narine (KKR) – 14 each
Most wickets: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) – 17
Most runs: Robin Uthappa (KKR) – 391

Preview

This is one of the most keenly contested rivalries in the IPL. In the last eight matches, both the sides have won four times each with respective victories coming in alternate outings. But the KKR hold the edge thanks to their better head-to-head record, 9 to 6 in 15 meetings.

But the focus is clearly on a certain David Warner. Under his captaincy, SunRisers won their maiden IPL title in 2016 and he has been one of the most prolific run getters for the side.

Making his comeback to the league after missing the action last year thanks to his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering episode in Cape Town, the Aussie will hope to use the tournament to redeem himself.

There's uncertainty over Kane Williamson's availability, but the squad is very strong.

There is Warner of course, then Afghan sensation Rashid Khan, Kiwi Martin Guptill, Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar,

For the hosts, skipper Dinesh Karthik will hope to continue the franchise's rich legacy. HIn his first season as the captain, the wicketkeeper-batsman led the team to a third-place finish.

In the West Indian trio of Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, he has got a monster hitter, an astute allrounder and master spinner. Then there is Aussie Chris Lynn too.