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IPL 2018 LIVE Cricket Score, KKR vs RR, Eliminator at Eden Gardens, latest update and cricket scores: Kolkata Knight Riders are through to the second qualifier. They win the match by 25 runs and will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad two days later. Rajasthan Royals’ season comes to an end. Preview: Resurgent Rajasthan Royals will look to defy odds and upset ‘home favourites’ Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. KKR are the only team among the four knockout entrants to have got their matches in their own backyard. If they win the Eliminator, their Qualifier 2 will also be at the same venue on 25 May. Besides having the home advantage, KKR will also start as favourites against depleted Royals who made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. [caption id=“attachment_4480083” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik and Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane. Sportzpics[/caption] Sans the services of in-form England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes, Rajasthan got past Royal Challengers Bangalore in a must-win last league engagement to make it to the knockouts. Chennai Super Kings’ five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab sealed Royals’ place in the playoffs while Mumbai Indians also lost to Delhi Daredevils. Both Punjab and Mumbai were in fray for the fourth playoff spot which went to Royals. For KKR, a five-wicket triumph over Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured they finished third in the table. KKR’s main weapons has been Karthik and Sunil Narine alongwith sizable contributions from the wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and dashing Australian opener Chris Lynn. Underlining that his match-winning innings in the Nidahas Trophy final was no flash in the pan, Karthik has led from the front. The 33-year old stumper-batsman has been a terrific finisher for the KKR this season. Of his 438 runs this season, 412 were made in 13 innings at No. 5 or lower; only Kieron Pollard’s 419 in 17 innings in 2013 is higher. Mystery spinner Narine has enhanced his credentials as an opener by becoming only the fourth player to score 300 plus runs and grab more than 15 wickets in an IPL season, after Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo and Jacques Kallis. Apart from the pair, Lynn has struck form at the right time after enduring a subdued season by his standards. Andre Russell is always a threat with bat and ball and in M. Prasidh Krishna – who returned career best figures of 4/30 against Hyderabad – KKR have found a tall pacer who hits the deck hard and bowls good length stuff. Royals will once again miss Buttler who is on national duty after getting a Test call-up. Buttler has been their batting mainstay piling up 548 runs in 13 matches at 54.80. Big-hitting South African wicketkeeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen showed his class in the last game, his 32 off 21 studded with some stunning shots. The Karnataka pair of Gowtham and Gopal impressed too. While Gowtham smacked 14 off five balls in the last over and conceded just six runs in two overs of offspin, besides also dismissing Virat Kohli for 4 in the third over, Gopal finished with career-best figures of 4 for 16. Just over a week back, the two sides met at the same venue with KKR getting the better of Royals by six wickets. The Eden pitch, this time, would not be prepared the way KKR want it to as the Eliminator won’t be treated as a home game. BCCI East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick has been tasked to prepare the track and it is expected to have a fair bit of grass on it. Just two out of seven games – vs RCB on 8 April and CSK on 3 May – have been played on this pitch this IPL. Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik (Captain/Wicket-keeper), Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Nitish Rana, Vinay Kumar, Apoorv Wankhade, Rinku Singh, Shivam Mavi, Cameron Delport, Javon Searles, Tom Curran, Prasidh Krishna. RR: Heinrich Klassen, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ajinkya Rahane, Darcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny, Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit Sharma, Mahipal Lomror. With inputs from IANS
Highlights, IPL 2018, KKR vs RR, Eliminator at Eden Gardens, Full Cricket Score: Kolkata win by 25 runs, advance to 2nd qualifier
Kolkata Knight Riders are through to the second qualifier. They win the match by 25 runs and will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad two days later. Rajasthan Royals’ season comes to an end.
 "Highlights, IPL 2018, KKR vs RR, Eliminator at Eden Gardens, Full Cricket Score: Kolkata win by 25 runs, advance to 2nd qualifier")
Q-1: CSK needed 43 runs from the last 3 overs with 3 wickets in hand.
Result: CSK won by 2 wickets.
Eliminator: RR needed 43 runs from the last 3 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
Result: RR lost by 25 runs.
Difference: (The lack of) Experience
Q-1: CSK needed 43 runs from the last 3 overs with 3 wickets in hand.
Result: CSK won by 2 wickets.
Eliminator: RR needed 43 runs from the last 3 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
Result: RR lost by 25 runs.
Difference: (The lack of) Experience
RR today:
1-10 overs: 87/1 (RR – 8.70)
11-15 overs: 24/1 (RR – 4.80)
16-20 overs: 33/2 (RR – 6.60)
Another very good over to finish by Prasidh Krishna, but the match was all but done in the 17th over itself. Krishna has been highly impressive especially in the death overs.
Rajasthan Royals finish with 144/4 off their 20 overs. With six wickets left and still losing by 25 runs short just goes onto show their lack of batting muscle. Buttler and Stokes’ absence was felt today more than they did in their game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After 19 overs,Rajasthan Royals 136/4 ( Heinrich Klaasen (W) 17 , Krishnappa Gowtham 2)
Six runs off the penultimate over. No boundaries. Forget Faf, RR don’t even have a Shardul. Russell too mixes it up well too. KKR are all but into the second qualifier.
After 18 overs,Rajasthan Royals 130/4 ( Heinrich Klaasen (W) 13 , Krishnappa Gowtham 0)
Prasidh Krishna with a superb 18th over. Bowls the wide yorker, goes short to surprise the new batsman Stuart Binny. Finishes with a wicket off the final ball. Only 3 runs off the over. 40 runs needed off the last two overs. This seems beyond RR now. If they do, this will be a bigger heist than what Du Plessis and Thakur pulled off yesterday.
OUT! Gone! Wonderful over from Krishna. Caps the over with slower ball outside off, Binny was beaten neck and crop, can only sweep it to square leg fielder. Lynn pouches it and celebrates, they think they have got it.
S Binny c Chris Lynn b Prasidh 0(3)
After 17 overs,Rajasthan Royals 127/3 ( Heinrich Klaasen (W) 10 , Stuart Binny 0)
Chawla gets the prized wicket of Samson off his final over. He finises with excellent figures off 2/24. KKR might not have the game in their grasp as yet but the they do have the upper hand in the contest. 43 off 18 required. CSK chased down the same equation yesterday with 3 wickets left in the end, can the batting side do it again?
RR’s scores while chasing in the last five overs this IPL:
25/3 (21 balls) v CSK
50/4 (28 balls) v MI
38/2 (30 balls) v SRH
55/2 (29 balls) v CSK
39/1 (18 balls) v MI
After 16 overs,Rajasthan Royals 119/2 ( Sanju Samson 45 , Heinrich Klaasen (W) 7)
Not the best of the days from Narine. Eight runs off his final over as he goes wicket-less in his spell giving away 39 runs adding to his 2-ball innings with the bat. 51 needed off 24.
After 15 overs,Rajasthan Royals 111/2 ( Sanju Samson 43 , Heinrich Klaasen (W) 1)
Kuldeep – the master of deception – first gets Rahane and then beats new batsman Henrich Klaasen on the outside edge with the googly. Just the over KKR wanted, can they wage a late comeback here? 59 off 30. Game on!
OUT! First ball after the time out and Ajinkya Rahane is gone! Kuldeep’s googly, which Rahane has failed to pick all evening has fallen to it. Was tossed up and Rahane went for the sweep. Gets to toe-end off the bat with the ball popping back to the bowler for a simple catch.
A Rahane c and b Kuldeep Yadav 46 (41)
After 14 overs,Rajasthan Royals 109/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane (C) 46 , Sanju Samson 42)
Samson continues to struggle against Narine. Played and miss and he wasn’t able to breakfree until he got one that was pitched short and belts it over midwicket for six. Samson tentative pushes the last ball but falls just short of the cover fielder.
After 13 overs,Rajasthan Royals 103/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane (C) 46 , Sanju Samson 36)
The running between the wickets has been very good between these two. Couple of braces in the over, so the scoreboard keeps ticking despite the boundaries having dried up. 67 off 42 required. Required run rate creeping towards 10.
After 12 overs,Rajasthan Royals 96/1 ( Ajinkya Rahane (C) 41 , Sanju Samson 34)
The partnership is worth now 49 runs and it has taken 41 balls for it. Couple of good overs from KKR spinners, but dots won’t do it for them, they need to break this stand and getting into their middle order. 78 needed with 48 balls left in the innings. Five off Chawla’s third over.
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