Highlights, PBKS vs KKR, IPL 2021, Match 21, Full Cricket Score: Morgan's unbeaten 47 guides Kolkata to five-wicket win

Just to take you back to the crazy start to the Kolkata chase today

We've had a catch off a full toss, the catch of the tournament, a run-out where the batsman starts walking only to discover he was in.....all in 4 overs!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 26, 2021

After 17 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 126/5 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 47 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 12)

DONE AND DUSTED! Current skipper Morgan and former skipper Dinesh Karthik seal the deal for KKR with a comfortable victory for KKR. Yes, they did suffer initial blows in the chase but contributions from Tripathi (41) and Morgan (47), apart from a small cameo from Russell (10) did it for Kolkata.

A quality knock from the skipper when it mattered

Captain’s knock by Morgan. Came in a crisis, held innings together. Dare say though Punjab could have won match had they scored 145-150. Ifs and buts have no place in sport alas

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 26, 2021

MILESTONE ALERT:

 Eoin Morgan has completed 7,000 T20 runs.

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 115/5 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 46 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 2)

Deepak Hooda comes in just for his second over. The game has been stolen away from Punjab, with 13 runs coming off it. Morgan has been on fire after a while in this match. He’s into his 40s. KKR need 9 off 24 balls.

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 102/5 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 34 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 1)

Bishnoi returns for his last over. KKR suffer another blow in the chase as Dre Russ falls short of the crease having been run-out by Rahul. Arshdeep initiated a throw from short third man to Rahul, who finished the West Indian off. No boundaries in this with just four off it. KKR need 22 runs off 30 balls.

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 98/4 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 31 , Andre Russell 10)

Chris Jordan returns. Andre Russell punishes him for a boundary ass he gets a thick edge with the ball racing past fine leg. Seven runs off it as Morgan retains strike with a single. KKR need 26 off 36 balls. They’re nearly there.

After 13 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 91/4 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 29 , Andre Russell 5)

Bishnoi returns for his third. It’s a silent but tidy over. Morgan goes for the sweep but falls just short of deep midwicket. Final timeout called with KKR needing 33 runs off 42 balls. Three off it.

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 88/4 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 27 , Andre Russell 4)

Mohammed Shami is back. Mid off and mid on in place for him, knowing that Russell has the tendency to go big.  Anyway, Russell is off the mark with a boundary past fine leg fence. Five off it.

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 83/4 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 26 , )

Deepak Hooda is introduced. Tripathi enters the 40s with a fine four towards deep square leg, but is later dismissed for 41 as he finds Shahrukh at long-on. He went for another biggie but finding the fielder cost him. Seven runs and a wicket as Andre Russell comes into bat.

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 76/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 36 , Eoin Morgan (C) 24)

Chris Jordan is back. Tripathi goes down past extra cover for a boundary but finds Gayle in the deep. Tripathi then makes use a back of a length ball to guide it past third man for a four. Eight runs in the first over after timeout.

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 68/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 28 , Eoin Morgan (C) 24)

Bishnoi is back for his second after a good first over. We’re not even halfway through the innings but KKR are past halfway in the run-chase. Tripathi with another boundary past the long-leg fence. A sliding Arshdeep’s efforts go in vain to stop that ball. Nine runs off it as timeout has been called.

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 59/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 21 , Eoin Morgan (C) 22)

Chris Jordan is into the attack for his first over. Two fours from Rahul Tripathi and one four from Morgan to put Kolkata right back in the chase. Costly one with 13 runs coming off it.

After 7 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 46/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 16 , Eoin Morgan (C) 18)

Ravi Bishnoi, who endured a couple of misfields this innings, is into the attack. He replaces Arshdeep Singh. Morgan looks to cut the ball first up but misses it. He continues to bowl a few around off and outside off. Just four singles off it.

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 42/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 15 , Eoin Morgan (C) 16)

Shami continues. Bishnoi misfields once again as Morgan brings up another much-needed boundary. KKR will be cautious as to they don’t lose more wickets in the chase. End of the powerplay with four dots off the over. Just five runs from the over.

After 5 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 37/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 15 , Eoin Morgan (C) 11)

Arshdeep is back to bowl the penultimate over of the powerplay. Tripathi opens the face of the bat to find the vacant boundary at point. He brings up another boundary with Bishnoi misfielding at third man, which led to that boundary. 10 off it.

After 4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 27/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 6 , Eoin Morgan (C) 10)

Mohammed Shami is back. Eoin Morgan punishes him for a six towards deep square leg. Tripathi survives a direct hit from Chris Gayle who fired one towards the bowler’s end. Tripathi initially walks back, but replays suggest he’s made his ground. So, he returns to bat. 10 runs off it.

After 3 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 17/3 ( Rahul Tripathi 6 , )

Arshdeep Singh is introduced. Tripathi uses advantage of his short ball over off-stump to send the ball flying over short third man for a boundary. However, it’s a wicket in each over so far for PKBS with Narine being dismissed. Morgan joins Tripathi.  Seven runs and a wicket.

After 2 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 10/2 ( Rahul Tripathi 0 , Sunil Narine 0)

Mohammed Shami is given the new ball. Shubman Gill finds the deep square leg fence for his second boundary. However, balls later he is struck leg before by Shami. Shubman had played across the line and missed it. Sunil Narine joins Rahul Tripathi. Five runs and a wicket.

After 1 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 5/1 ( Shubman Gill 5 , Rahul Tripathi 0)

Moises Henriques is introduced first up. He concedes a boundary with Shubman Gill finding the fine leg fence for a four. Just balls later, he gives KKR an early blow with the dismissal of Nitish Rana, who’s caught by Shahrukh Khan at cover.  Five runs and a wicket.

After 20 overs,Punjab Kings 123/9 ( Mohammed Shami 1 , Arshdeep Singh 1)

Prasidh Krishna bowls the final over. Jordan slashes the ball high over point for a six first ball. Jordan then turns down a single off the second despite a misfield by Rana at third man, and for good reason as he smacks a short, wide ball over long off for a maximum off the third. Krishna brings his cameo to an end with a slower delivery that knocks his off pole over off the fourth. Single off each of the last two balls as Punjab finish on 123/9 after being asked to bat by Morgan.

BOWLED! Krishna brings Jordan’s entertaining cameo to an end with a slower delivery that goes under his bat as Jordan was attempting to heave the ball towards midwicket, resulting in the off stump getting uprooted. PBKS 121/9

Jordan b Krishna 30(18)

After 19 overs,Punjab Kings 109/8 ( Chris Jordan 18 , Mohammed Shami 0)

Another catch for Morgan today, this time off Cummins’ bowling as the Aussie pacer removes Bishoi off the first delivery of his third over. Jordan however, keeps Punjab’s fight going with a four and a six off the second and fourth deliveries. 11 runs and a wicket from this over.

OUT! Easy pickings for Morgan at cover point after Bishnoi gets a leading edge off a 140-kmph delivery from Cummins angling into leg. PBKS 98/8
 

Bishnoi c Morgan b Cummins 1(4)

After 18 overs,Punjab Kings 98/7 ( Chris Jordan 7 , Ravi Bishnoi 1)

Done with his frontline spinners, Morgan brings Prasidh back into the attack, with the Karnataka seamer striking off his second delivery of the over as he gets rid of the hard-hitting Khan, making good use of bounce and pace. Strays down the leg side three balls later, signalled a wide by the umpire. Bishnoi gets off the mark with a single off the last delivery. Three runs and a wicket from this over. Another two overs to go, and Punjab are yet to cross the 100-mark.

OUT! Short and outside off, Shahrukh gets a thick edge while hoping to collect a maximum with a pull, resulting in an easy catch for Morgan at extra cover. PBKS 95/7

Shahrukh c Morgan b Krishna 13(14)

After 17 overs,Punjab Kings 95/6 ( Shahrukh Khan 13 , Chris Jordan 6)

Plenty of dew at Motera this evening, which could play a major factor later this evening, as the groundstaff bring out the rope during the second timeout. Meanwhile, Chakravarthy bowls out his final over, giving away four including a brace to Jordan off the last ball. He finishes with 1/24 from four.

After 16 overs,Punjab Kings 91/6 ( Shahrukh Khan 12 , Chris Jordan 3)

Shahrukh, who has shown plenty of promise as a middle-order bat this season for the Punjab Kings, somewhat ruins Narine’s figures with a well-timed crunch over deep midwicket for his first six. Narine signs off with 2/22, the pick of the KKR bowlers so far this evening. Timeout signalled for a second time this innings.

After 15 overs,Punjab Kings 82/6 ( Shahrukh Khan 5 , Chris Jordan 1)

Now Chakravarthy finds himself among the wickets as he gets rid of Pooran, who departs for a run-a-ball 19 after missing the ball completely while playing across the line from off. Two fresh faces in Shahruk and Jordan at the centre, and Kolkata will be hopeful of keeping them quiet in the remainder of the innings, with another five overs to go after this.

OUT! Pressure gets the better of Pooran as he misses the ball completely while looking to pull it for an almighty hit towards the square-leg region, getting his off pole rattled in the process. Punjab in serious trouble now, as the West Indian was starting to look good. PBKS 79/6

Pooran b Chakravarthy 19(19)

After 14 overs,Punjab Kings 78/5 ( Nicholas Pooran 19 , Shahrukh Khan 2)

Narine does get rid of Henriques after all, breaching the gap between bat and pad to get the Aussie all-rounder bowled for two. The hard-hitting Shahrukh Khan walks out to bat next, getting off the mark with a single right away. Three runs and a wicket from the other. Punjab have had one good over followed by several slow ones. They will have to get the big hits going at this stage if they are to score in the range of 140-150.

OUT! Henriques doesn’t last long after the dropped chance, as Narine breaches through the gap between bat and pad to rattle the furniture. Just the stock delivery from the offie that does the job, aided by the Australian’s shot selection as he looked to play away from the body and created the gap. PBKS 75/5

Henriques b Narine 2(3)

After 13 overs,Punjab Kings 75/4 ( Nicholas Pooran 18 , Moises Henriques 2)

At last, a good over for the Punjab Kings as Pooran finally discovers the confidence that had been missing in his stay at the crease so far this season. Smacks a six and a four off consecutive deliveries as Chakravarthy goes for 12 in this over.

After 12 overs,Punjab Kings 63/4 ( Nicholas Pooran 7 , Moises Henriques 1)

Spin from both ends now, as Narine replaces Krishna from the other end. The West Indian veteran gets rid of the set batsman in Agarwal, with Tripathi pulling off a fine catch at deep midwicket. Narine nearly dismisses new batsman Moises Henriques three balls later, as the ball travels between Karthik’s legs after an under-edge. Three runs and a wicket from this over.

OUT! Superb catch by Rahul Tripathi at deep midwicket as Narine strikes, getting rid of the dangerman Mayank. The right-handed opener looked to pull this, but never quite got the distance. Wasn’t the easiest of chances, as Tripathi fumbled while collecting the low catch, and nearly grassed it. PBKS 60/4

Agarwal c Tripathi b Narine 31(34)

After 11 overs,Punjab Kings 60/3 ( Mayank Agarwal 31 , Nicholas Pooran 5)

Varun Chakravarthy brought into the attack in the 11th over. Tough catching chance for DK off the second ball after Pooran gets a bit of glove while attempting to sweep a delivery bowled full outside leg, the ball arriving low and in a flash, allowing the batsman a single. Agarwal and Pooran keep the singles coming in this over, with four being added to the total.

After 10 overs,Punjab Kings 56/3 ( Mayank Agarwal 29 , Nicholas Pooran 3)

Prasidh continues. Runs are becoming a rare commodity for Punjab at this stage, with just two runs added in the first four deliveries, including a wide called for height. Agarwal gives the innings a much-needed boost with a confident pull in front of square, ensuring the ball lands in the covered stands beyond deep midwicket. Punjab cross the fifty mark in this over. At the halfway stage, the run rate is a little over five-an-over, and a lot depends on the set Agarwal and whether Pooran rediscover his form tonight.

After 9 overs,Punjab Kings 46/3 ( Mayank Agarwal 21 , Nicholas Pooran 2)

Medium pacer Andre Russell brought into the attack in the ninth. Starts off on a tidy note, giving away just two off it, as the players take a break in the first strategic timeout at the end of this over. KKR have seized control after the flurry of wickets, and will hope to maintain the stranglehold to keep the target as chaseable as possible.

After 8 overs,Punjab Kings 44/3 ( Mayank Agarwal 20 , Nicholas Pooran 1)

Prasidh brought in place of Cummins. Excellent stop by Morgan at backward point in the first delivery after a cut by Agarwal off the first ball. Miscued pull down the ground by the opener for a single off the second. Morgan’s fielding skills come in handy for the team once again as he grabs on to a low catch after a cut by Hooda, who departs for 1. Single off each of the last two balls, with new batsman Pooran getting off the mark in the process.

Golden ducks for Gayle in IPL:

v KKR, 2017 (Bangalore)
v KKR, 2021* (Ahmedabad)

OUT! Prasidh takes four deliveries to make an impact today, dismissing Hooda for 1 after the Baroda batsman steers the ball straight into Morgan’s hands at backward point. PBKS 42/3

Hooda c Morgan b Krishna 1(4)

After 7 overs,Punjab Kings 41/2 ( Mayank Agarwal 18 , Deepak Hooda 1)

Chris Gayle, with 4,891 runs to his credit in the league, walks to the crease at one-down, hoping to carry the destructive hitting form in the successful chase against Mumbai over to this game. What happens, however, is he gets a faint under-edge in the first delivery that he faces, resulting in a catch for keeper Karthik that is initially played down by the umpire, but eventually overturned after it is reviewed. Deepak Hooda walks in next. Four runs and a wicket in his final over as Mavi signs off with excellent figures of 1/13.

OUT! Huge wicket for the Knight Riders, as Mavi gets the dangerous Gayle caught-behind for a golden duck in his final over of the evening! Punjab lose their second wicket not long after Rahul’s departure! Good review by KKR after the decision was originally turned down by the umpire. PBKS 38/2

Gayle c Karthik b Mavi 0(1)

After 6 overs,Punjab Kings 37/1 ( Mayank Agarwal 16 , Chris Gayle 0)

Cummins returns. Agarwal sets off for a single after steering the ball towards deep point off the second delivery. Rahul gets a thick bottom edge off a full delivery measuring 141 clicks that carries the ball all the way over the third man fence, but is dismissed off the very next ball as he looks to go downtown over long off, getting caught by Narine inside the circle instead. Eight runs and a wicket off the over, as Punjab collect 37 in the powerplay while losing the wicket of their in-form skipper.

OUT! Cummins with the breakthrough. Rahul tries going big downtown, but ends up getting a thick leading edge that results in a simple catch for Narine at mid off. Only the fifth time the star Aussie pacer has struck in this edition. PBKS 36/1

Rahul c Narine b Cummins 19(20)

After 5 overs,Punjab Kings 29/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 13 , Mayank Agarwal 14)

Mavi into his third over in the powerplay. A single off each of the first two deliveries are the only runs added to the Punjab total in this over as the seamer keeps it tight in the remainder of the over.

After 4 overs,Punjab Kings 27/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 12 , Mayank Agarwal 13)

Spin introduced in the fourth over, as Morgan brings Trinidadian offie Sunil Narine in place of Cummins, who leaked quite a bit of runs in his first over. Rahul greets the spinner with a well-timed cut through cover for a boundary, which is followed by three singles as the pair keep the scoreboard ticking.

After 3 overs,Punjab Kings 20/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 6 , Mayank Agarwal 12)

Mavi continues, and is off to an expensive start as Mayank drives the ball impeccably through extra cover first up to collect his first four. Leg bye two balls later, as Mayank sets off for a run after getting hit at the base of his front pad. Rahul keeps the scoreboard ticking with a single off the fourth delivery. Six off the over. So far so good for the Kings.

After 2 overs,Punjab Kings 14/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 5 , Mayank Agarwal 8)

Pat Cummins, the man who so generously chose to donate $50,000 to the PM Cares Fund for the country’s battle against the COVID crisis, bowls from the other end. The Aussie strays down the leg side for a wide at the start of the over, before a thick edge off Mayank’s bat helps the ball clear the third man boundary for the first six. Brings the skipper on strike with a single off the third. Rahul ends the over with a well-timed behind point for a four off the last ball.

Lowest SR for players in this IPL in PP overs : (Min. 30 balls)

89.04 : R Gaikwad
96.00 : KL Rahul*
100.00 : Chris Gayle

After 1 over,Punjab Kings 2/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 1 , Mayank Agarwal 1)

Rahul drives the ball towards cover at the start of the innings, for a dot. Guides the ball in the opposite direction next delivery, this time getting the team off the mark with a single. Mayank follows suit two balls later, opening the face of his bat and working the ball towards third man. Just two off the first over.

Eoin Morgan, KKR captain: Wicket looks really good. We are actually going with the same XI. The guys are good enough. We haven’t displayed it in a game with bat, ball and field. This is a very short, sharp tournament where if you get on a losing streak, it can hurt you. You get the opportunity to turn it around.

KL Rahul, PBKS captain: It’s a new venue and new pitch, will be interesting. It’s important that our country fights back from this (COVID-19 crisis). Importantly, get off to a good start. (Win over Mumbai) Games like that are important as well. Brings the group together and gives us a lot of confidence. The boys are positive and looking forward to this game. He (Gayle) keeps things light in the dressing room, was telling to back up the good performance in Chennai (during a team huddle earlier).

Simon Doull and Kevin Pietersen with the pitch report:

SD: (On India-England T20Is) Batting first was a struggle in the first three games. But India put good scores in the fourth and fifth games and won. So it doesn’t matter.

KP: When you get out here and see a surface like this, you lick your lips. The covering of grass here is something beautiful. If you win the toss, you chase.

Hit hard by foreign pull-outs, RR seek to loan players

With a number of players having left camp due to a variety of reasons, from injury to bio-bubble fatigue, 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals are considering loaning players from other franchises to plug the gaps. Among the players who have pulled out this season are the star English duo of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.

Read the full story here

A list of players from various teams, including Delhi Capitals’ Ravichandran Ashwin, have opted out of the IPL. And on Monday, RCB announced that the Australian duo of Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have withdrawn from the tournament. The franchise in its statement said that the players “are returning to Australia for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of IPL 2021”.

Here’s more on that.

Adam Gilchrist tweeted it. Ravichandran Ashwin led it, and a bunch of Australian cricketers followed it. Before you decide to call it yet another piece trashing the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL), here’s the explanation. It’s not the IPL, it is the spectacle. It is the cringe-inducing commerce, the perfunctory mask-wearing reminders, the inexorable march of capitalism, the orchestrated optimism, the bubble within the bio-secure bubble, the tone-deaf lot gesticulating wildly in virtual guest box, the dancing commentators, the pervading callousness, the lazy logic of it being a delightful distraction. 

Here’s Shantanu Srivastava’s column on IPL being conducted amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in India.

Their three-match losing streak finally over, Punjab Kings would seek to build a winning momentum when they face the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match here on Monday.

Punjab made a winning start but then slumped to three straight losses before producing a clinical show to beat defending champions Mumbai by nine wickets on Friday, and they would look to notch up another triumph against KKR which have suffered four defeats on the trot.

Click here to read the match preview