IPL 2019, Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Riders: As It Happened...

Everybody waited for Andre Russell storm to hit Jaipur, but Kolkata Knight Riders' openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn stole the show with some devastatingly clean hittings against hapless Rajasthan Royals bowlers in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.

Put into bat, hosts Rajasthan just about managed to post a fighting total of 139/3 with former captain Steve Smith top-scoring with an unbeaten 73 off 59 balls on a seemingly tough batting track. But when Narine and Lynn started hitting boundaries at will, it looked a different pitch altogether.

In the process, Narine and Lynn hit the fastest team fifty, in 25 balls, of the season, then the team itself registered the biggest win by balls to spare in IPL 2019.

But the man of the match was debutant Harry Gurney. The medium pacer from England took two wickets for 25 runs.

The win helped KKR reclaim the top spot in the table with four wins from five outings. And they have an enviable +1.058 net run rate.

RR are seventh in the table, just above winless RCB.

Brief Scores:

RR: 139/3 (Steve Smith - 73 off 59, Jos Buttler - 37 off 34; Harry Gurney - 2/25)
KKR: 140/2 in 13.5 overs ( Chris Lynn - 50 off 32, Sunil Narine - 47 off 25; Shreyas Gopal - 2/35)

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Openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn set the tone to KKR's easy run chase against RR with a 91-run stand in 8.3 overs. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

10:52 PM IST: Not the best time to get the ball. Ben Stokes on and four leg byes off the first ball after it hit Shubman Gill's pad. A dot and two singles followed. One needed from 38 balls. Fielders closing in. Another dot. And with a wide down the leg, KKR register the biggest win of the season for any team this season by balls remaining. 37 to spare to be precise. An eight-wicket win for KKR.

10:48 PM IST: Two sixes and 15 runs from the over as Robin Uthappa toyed with Shreyas Gopal. Sixes off the second and fifth balls. KKR-133/2 after 13 overs. Seven needed.

10:43 PM IST: Tidy over from Jofra Archer. Just three singles. KKR-118/2 after 12 overs. They need another 22 runs from 48 balls. In the carnage, Archer has given only 14 runs from his three overs.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Chris Lynn bats against Rajasthan Royals. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

10:39 PM IST: Fifty for Chris Lynn, in 31 balls. He hits the second ball of the 11th over for a big six which crashes into the demonstration car. But he holed out at deep backward square, catch taken by Sudhesan Midhun. And second wicket to Shreyas Gopal. FoW-114/2 (10.5 Over). 10 run and a wicket from over. KKR need another 25 runs from 54 balls. Lynn made 50 off 32 with the help of six fours and three sixes.

10:35 PM IST: It seems KKR batsmen are batting on a different top. Chris Lynn hits Sudhesan Midhun for two fours, off the first and thrd balls. 13 runs from the 10th over. KKR-105/1. They need 35 from 60 balls.

10:29 PM IST: Shreyas Gopal on with his second over. Chriss Lynn hits the first ball for a six, over deep square leg. A single, then the first wicket of the innings. Brilliant take at first slip by Steve Smith. FoW-91/1 (8.3 Over). Sunil Narine made 47 off 25 with the help of six fours and three sixes. He's done his job.

10:26 PM IST: Debutant Sudhesan Midhun, another leg-spinner in RR ranks, into the attack. Sunil Narine's going after the young bowler, and after a couple of misses, connects the fourth ball. And a six over deep square leg. And time for a new ball. A huge shout for LBW, then another six. This time over deep mid-wicket. 16 runs from the over. KKR-84/0 after eight overs. 56 from 72.

10:21 PM IST: Shreyas Gopal, leg spinner, gets his first over. RR will hope a repeat of his bowling performance against RCB. One leg bye to Chris Lynn to start his spell. Two dot balls to Sunil Narine, then a single. Three runs from the over. KKR-68/0 after seven overs. They need 72 from 78.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine bats against Rajasthan Royals. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

10:16 PM IST: Another good over for KKR. 11 runs from Dhawal Kulkarni's third over, with Sunil Narine hitting second and fourth balls for fours. KKR-65/0 after six overs. They need 75 more runs from 84 balls. Narine is already on 34 off 16. Time out.

10:10 PM IST: Chris Lynn hits Jofra Archer for a six, off the first ball of the 5th over, over long-on boundary. And fifty for KKR in 25 balls, which is fastest team fifty this season. A good bouncer to end the over. Eight runs from the over. KKR-54/0 after five overs. They need 86 runs.

10:06 PM IST: Dhawal Kulkarni continues with his second over, and Rahul Tripathi dropped Sunil Narine. A single. Next ball, more drama. Inside edge and ball crashes into the leg stump, but bails stayed put even as the ball went for a four. Two such instances in two days. Chris Lynn then hit the next ball for another four, to deep mid-wicket. Ten runs from the over. KKR-46/0 after four overs. They need 94 runs.

10:01 PM IST: Just four from Jofra Archer's first over, courtesy a boundary off the third ball, hit by Chris Lynn. KKR-36/0 after three overs.

9:57 PM IST: Krishnappa Gowtham, off-spinner, on with the second over of the innings. A four to start. Easy for Sunil Narine, beating the fine leg fielder for a four. A dot ball, then the left-handed opener lofts the third ball for a six over long on. A sweep shot and another four. Followed by another, same area, to backward square leg. And another, inside out, over extra cover. 22 runs from the over. KKR-32/0 after second over. They need 108 runs.

9:53 PM IST: Fortuitous start for Chris Lynn and KKR. Dhawal Kulkarni gets the ball moving from the beginning. Inside edge and hit on the pad for a dot, then Lynn got a thick inside edge for a four, behind the wicket. Lynn hits the fifth ball for a four, though cover. 10 runs from the first over.

Rajasthan Royals batsmen Jos Butler and Steve Smith against Kolkata Knight Riders. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

9:35 PM IST: Debutant Harry Gurney with the last over of the match. A single to Ben Stokes. Steve Smith fails to made contact with the ball. Smith plays the next ball to mid-wicket and a double. Another dot ball. Smith finds the gap, four to the third man. A similar cut, opening the bat. But this time found the short third man. And that's it. Eight runs from the over. RR-139/3. Gurney's figures: 4-0-25-2. Smith remained unbeaten on 73 off 59.

9:30 PM IST: Prasidh Krishna on with his last over. A dot ball to Ben Stokes, then a no-ball for height. A leg bye from the free hit. Very slow delivery and wild swing from Stokes. But the ball arrived very late. Thick edge off the next delivery, beating Dinesh Karthik for a four. Two wides – down the leg and a single. Another no-ball for height. Almost a hit wicket as Ben Stokes falls while playing a pull shot. A double from the free-hit. 12 runs from the over. Prasidh's figures: 4-0-35-1. RR-131/4 after 19 overs.

9:23 PM IST: Sunil Narine on with his last over. Review for an LBW against Steve Smith off the first ball. Just clipping the leg stump, and umpire's call. Another dot ball and Smith hit his first six, a biggie, over deep mid-wicket. A single to rotate the strike. Another single and eight runs from the over. Narine's figures: 4-0-22-0. RR-119/3 after 18 overs.

9:19 PM IST: Kuldeep Yadav completes his spell. Five runs from his last over. Wicketless tonight, for figures of 4-0-33-0. RR-111/3 after 17 overs. Steve Smith is unbeaten on 55 off 49, while Ben Stokes' on two off four.

9:13 PM IST: Harry Gurney gets his second wicket. Pace taken off and Rahul Tripathi, expecting a quicker one, lofted high. But it only gains height. Catch taken by Piyush Chawla at extra cover. FoW-105/3 (15.4 Over). Ben Stokes is the new man. Three runs and a wicket from the over. RR-106/3 after 16 overs.

Kolkata Knight Rider bowler Prasidh Krishna delivers a ball against Rajasthan Royals. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

9:07 PM IST: Prasidh Krishna returns for his third over. Fifty for Steve Smith, in 44 balls, with a four off the last ball of the over. 12 runs from the over, including two fours. RR-103/2 after 15 overs. Time out.

9:00 PM IST: Runs coming in singles. Nothing's happening for the batting side. Sunil Narine leaks seven runs from his third over, including a wide. RR-91/2 after 14 overs.

8:57 PM IST: Piyush Chawla on with his last over. Six runs and his figures: 4-0-19-0. RR-84/2 after 13 runs. Steve Smith is unbeaten on 38 off 36 balls, and Rahul Tripathi on 1 off 1.

8:53 PM IST: Harry Gurney on with his second over. Steve Smith plays a pull shot but finds a fielder for a single. Wasted. A single and wide. Then Jos Buttler hit the fourth ball for a six over deep square leg. But He goes for another, only to end up offering a catch at long-off. Catch taken by Shubman Gill. 77/2 (11.5 Over). Buttler made 37 off 34 balls. A single to end the over. 11 runs and a wicket from it. Rahul Tripathi is the new man.

8:47 PM IST: A streaky four to start the 11th over, wrong'un and Steve Smith gets a thick edge. A single to rotate the strike. Jos Buttler plays a reverse sweep for another four. 11 runs from the over. RR-67/1 after 11 overs. Kuldeep Yadav's figures so far: 3-0-28-0.

8:43 PM IST: Debutant Harry Gurney gets his first over of the match. The Nottingham-born starts with a very slow delivery to Steve Smith . Two singles and a 50-run stand between Smith and Jos Buttler in 50 balls. Three runs from the over. RR-56/1 after 10 overs.

Rajasthan Royals Jos Butler plays a shot against Kolkata Knight Riders. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

8:38 PM IST: KKR captain Dinesh Karthik continues to employ spinners from both the ends. Kuldeep Yadav on with his second over. The chinaman bowler leaks 10 runs, including two fours, off the first ball hit by Jos Buttler and off the fourth, hit by Steve Smith. RR-53/1 after nine overs.

8:35 PM IST: Sunil Narine continues with his second over. Eight runs, including a four off the fourth ball, hit by Steve Smith. Jos Buttler survived a huge LBW shout. RR-43/1 after eight overs.

8:30 PM IST: Another spinner into the attack. Kuldeep Yadav concedes seven runs from his first over. Somewhat a better over for RR though. RR-35/1 after seven overs.

8:27 PM IST: First bowling change for KKR. Just three runs from Sunil Narine's first over. 28 for 1 in after six overs for RR, which is their lowest score in the power play this season.

8:24 PM IST: Piyush Chawla rushes in with third over. Two singles. His figures so far: 3-0-13-0. RR-25/1 after five overs. Jos Buttler is doing the bulk of the scoring. He's on 16 off 17. Steve Smith on four off six.

8:20 PM IST: Prasidh Krishna on with his second over. 11 runs from it, including two fours off the second and third balls, both hit by Jos Buttler. RR-23/1 after four overs.

8:16 PM IST: Piyush Chawla continues with his second over. A single to start with as Steve Smith plays it towards mid-wicket. It was followed by a four, hit by Jos Buttler, behind square. Six runs from the over. RR-12/1 after three overs.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane walks back to pavilion after getting out against Kolkata Knight Riders. (AP Photo/Vishal Bhatnagar)

8:10 PM IST: Ajinkya Rahane, however, fails to make a lasting impression, gets trapped in front by Prasidh Krishna. That happened off the very first ball of the second over. That brought former captain Steve Smith in the centre. One run and a wicket from the over. RR-6/1 after two overs.

8:05 PM IST: Piyush Chawla starts the proceedings in Jaipur. Three dot balls to Ajinkya Rahane. But the RR captain Ajinkya Rahane responded with a four off the fourth ball, playing over mid-wicket. A single off the last ball. Five runs from the over.

7:50 PM IST: So, who's Sudhesan Midhun? He is a 24-year-old rookie leg-spinner from Kerala. He was roped by Rajasthan Royals during the 2018 IPL auctions.

7:45 PM IST: Meanwhile, RCB have lost their sixth successive match this season. DC beat them by four wickets.

7:37 PM IST: Teams -

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith, Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Prashant Chopra, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sudhesan Midhun

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna

7:33 PM IST: Dinesh Karthik wins the toss and Kolkata Knight Riders will bowl first.

6:35 PM IST: What happened so far?

RR have won only one win from four outings and are seventh in the table. But playing four of their next six matches at home, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side can hope for better performance. They lost to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the match which will be remembered for the mankading episode. It was followed by defeats against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Their win came against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the last match. Since then they have enjoyed a four-day break.

In contrast, KKR have started their IPL 2019 campaign with back-to-back wins, against SRH and KXIP, but lost to Delhi Capitals (DC) in a Super Over thriller. In the last outing, they defeated RCB.

HERE's how you can watch the match live.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, Oshane Thomas, Liam Livingstone, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Shubham Ranjane, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun, Jaydev Unadkat, Prashant Chopra, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Riyan Parag, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (capt), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Nikhil Naik, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Harry Gurney, KC Cariappa and Yarra Prithviraj.