Highlights, KKR vs CSK, IPL 2021, Match 15: Pat Cummins' blistering innings in vain as Chennai win by 18 runs

Man of the Match, Faf du Plessis: This is probably the most fluent I’ve felt so far. I felt in the previous game, things began to tick a little better, and this is just another step forward in the right direction. I’m feeling more rhythm, I’m feeling more technically correct so it was good to get some runs when you’re feeling like that.

We discussed before the game that the spinners were the real threat, because the ball was just stopping a bit. If you look at this game and a couple of earlier matches, the spinners have been the best bowlers. Even tonight, Jadeja was one of our better bowls. The ball just grips well on the surface. 

Ruturaj is a fantastic young talent, and it’s great to see him. Those first couple of balls, you feel a bit on edge and you feel like you have to score. Sometimes you can go a bit too hard. It was beautiful to see him trust his timing and technique though, he’s such a sweet timer of the ball. He’s really hard to bowl to.

I’m very lucky to have been playing under MS Dhoni for a long time. It’s always really good to see him at work, he’s cool, calm and collected. 

I felt like it was a good game for the bowlers for a while, you saw that with the new ball Deepak Chahar bowled well. But then there was a bit of dew, and it became a proper batter’s game. You see Andre Russell, when he comes into a situation like that, I looked up at the scoreboard and knew that this was made for him. That’s when he’s the most dangerous, when he’s got little to lose. Brilliant batting from him and Cummins!

Most expensive bowling figures for CSK in IPL:

0/58 : Mohit Sharma v SRH, Hyderabad, 2015
1/58 : Sam Curran v KKR, Mumbai, 2021*

Eoin Morgan: Hell of a match huh? From the position we were in after the powerplay, we really didn’t think we’d get as close as we did. Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik really helped get things back under control, and once you get the hang of conditions here, it’s really hard to break up a partnership. And Pat Cummins, the way he played, really gave us every chance towards the end. Tremendous fight from the middle and lower order, which is all you can ask for when you lose wickets early.

The emotions throughout the day were overwhelming. The first five overs didn’t go our way. We didn’t play as well as we liked. If we had built a partnership and taken advantage of those early over, we would have been in a strong position going into the middle. We can be happy with the the fact that we did well on a new ground, with new challenges.

I don’t think there was a big margin for error for the bowlers, so we have to be a bit kinder to them. Being hit for 220, and then getting so close despite losing early wickets is still something to be proud of.

I tend to stay away from Andre Russell when he’s got out! He’s one of the best players in the tournament when he’s on form, so it’s great that he’s been playing so well recently. It’s disappointing that the rest of us couldn’t help him out.

KKR today: Top-5 combined : 28 runs

No. 6 : 40 runs

No. 7 : 54 runs

No. 8 : 66* runs

Last three combined : 0 runs

Extras : 14 runs

Most runs scored by a batsman off a bowler in an over in IPL:

36 – Gayle off Parameswaran, 2011 32 – Raina off Awana, Mumbai, 2014 30 – Sehwag off Symonds, 2008 30 – S Marsh off van der Wath, 2011 30 – Gayle off Rahul Sharma, 2012 30 – Kohli off S Kaushik, 2016 30 – Tewatia off Cottrell, 2020 30 – Cummins off Curran, 2021*

CSK beat KKR by 18 runs!

That was tense in the end but combination of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur gets Prasidh Krishna run out to start the final over. Pat Cummins kept the match alive and he remains unbeaten on 66 runs from 34 balls at the end. After five down, it looked like KKR were down and out quickly. Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins kept chipping away but not enough in the end. The damage, with wickets, was already done!

RUN OUT!

Prasidh Krishna is short at the non-striker’s end and Shardul Thakur celebrates. KKR needed a second run but Krishna is unable to get back in time

Krishna run out 0

After 19 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 201/9 ( Pat Cummins 65 , Prasidh Krishna 0)

Sam Curran into the attack once again. Has he recovered from the beating he got in the last over. He’s already gone for 51 runs, how many more this time? Starts well to get a dot. On the second, he gets a SIX! Whips it off his pads and it goes past the boundary rope. Desperate times and Chakaravarthy has to sacrifice his wicket in attempt of a second run. He is short, well short, to depart for a duck. Tough position for Cummins who gets a single on the fifth ball. A dot on the last ball. KKR need 20 runs from 6 balls

GONE!

Cummins sends it down the ground and he forces a second. Chakaravarthy was never on for it. He tried to send Cummins back but given the situation, that had to be a double. Easy run out

Chakaravarthy run out 0

After 18 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 193/8 ( Pat Cummins 58 , Varun Chakaravarthy 0)

Smart captaincy and bowling from Shardul Thakur. MS Dhoni notices Pat Cummins testing K Gowtham in the field. Two doubles on back-to-back balls. On the third, similar ball and Jadeja is the fielder in that position now. A dot ball now. Make that another dot. Uh-oh! Three straight wides now to hand gifts to KKR. Clearly a sign of pressure. Cummins follows it up by sending a full delivery for a boundary. A single to close the over out. 12 from it and KKR now need 28 runs from 12 balls.

After 17 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 181/8 ( Pat Cummins 49 , Varun Chakaravarthy 0)

MS Dhoni quickly walked across to Lungi Ngidi at the end of that Sam Curran over. And it does the job. New man in Kamlesh Nagarkoti survives just the one ball and is then caught by Faf du Plessis. After the carnage in the previous over that tipped the scale in KKR’s favour just a touch, Ngidi goes for just 5 runs and finishes his quota: 4-0-28-3. KKR need 40 from 18 balls with Chakaravarthy the new batter in

GONE!

Kamlesh Nagarkoti walks back for a duck. Sunil Gavaskar is not pleased with the strategy to play the big shot. Expected, rather hoped, Nagarkoti to give the strike back to Cummins. But Nagarkoti goes after the back of length delivery and it carries to Faf du Plessis.

Nagarkoti c Faf b Ngidi 0

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 176/7 ( Pat Cummins 48 , Kamlesh Nagarkoti 0)

Sam Curran has been pummeled, thrashed and brutally attacked to 30 runs. SIX, SIX, SIX, FOUR, SIX! Pat Cummins is quickly up to 48 runs from 19 balls. This match looked dead and buried when Andre Russell walked. And then DK. But not at all. KKR need 45 runs from 24 balls. KKR have scored 145 runs since the fifth wicket fell.

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 146/7 ( Pat Cummins 18 , Kamlesh Nagarkoti 0)

Lungi Ngidi into his third over. Second ball is clubbed over long-on. Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja try to take it, almost run into each other, but it goes well over. Ngidi finishes off by sending the well-set DK back into the dugout. Slower one and it catches the back leg. He goes for a review but no repreive. KKR are seven down

GONE!

DK is adjudged to be leg before. On-field umpire gives it out but DK decides to review it. A slower one from Ngidi, once again it is well disguise. UltraEdge shows no bat involved. Three reds on the ball tracking and DK has to walk back. That was going on to hit the leg stump.

Karthik lbw Ngidi 40

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 138/6 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 39 , Pat Cummins 11)

Shardul Thakur is into the attack once again. He had gone for 24 runs from the first over. Different circumstances now with Andre Russell back in the… steps of the pavillion. He continues to stay there, in that very position. Probably trying to figure how he got out. Was in great touch and it is a real shame that it ended that way. Not that CSK would mind. Pat Cummins finishes the over off with back-to-back boundaries. 11 runs from the over

After 13 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 127/6 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 37 , Pat Cummins 2)

Ravindra Jadeja finishes his quota of overs by going for just 3 runs. His figures read 4-0-33-0. No wicket but he’s been able to put the brakes on the scoring when needed. KKR need 94 from 42 balls

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 123/6 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 34 , Pat Cummins 1)

Who gets the ball after Shardul Thakur was thrashed the last over? Sam Curran it is. Second ball and Andre Russell leaves his leg stump exposed to be bowled. He expected it to go on for a wide but didn’t get the positioning right. But what a knock. Russell departs for 54 runs from 22 balls. Is that it for KKR? Russell, a dejected figure, sits down on the steps ont he way to the pavillion. DK with a six and a four to close the over out. He’s not done. Certainly not.

GONE!

Russell Show is over! What just happened there? Sam Curran comes screaming in and it is into the leg stump. Andre Russell reckons it is going wide but it clatters into the stump. Curran celebrates and he has every reason to!

Russell b Curran 54

Fastest fifties for Russell in IPL – by balls:

19 v PBKS, Kolkata, 2015
21 v RCB, Kolkata, 2019
21 v CSK, Mumbai, 2021*

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 111/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 23 , Andre Russell 54)

After that 24 run over, Ravindra Jadeja comes in and goes for just 7 runs. DK starts off with a boundary and that is very well played. After conceding just 3 runs on the next five, play moves on. But wait, there is an overstepping on the last ball and Jadeja has to bowl the last ball again. Russell takes his place as the striker and this time he thrashes it into the second row of the stand. It brings up Russell’s fifty. He gets to 54 from 21 balls.

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 97/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 17 , Andre Russell 47)

Shardul Thakur is into the attack to replace Deepak Chahar. An expensive over for CSK – 24 from it. Thakur starts by being hit for a six. Full, wide of off stump, well wide rather, and Russell muscles it for a six. Flat batted on the third ball and evades Moeen Ali who almost got to it. Third six from the last ball of the over and that is very, very well hit. A four in between too and KKR are suddenly back in it.