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IPL 2021, Live Cricket Score, Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rajasthan Royals beat KKR by six wickets. Samson flicks Cummins for a single on leg side to hit the winning run. They collect two more important points and end their losing streak. Preview: Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on each other in Match 18 of IPL 2021. A tough start of sorts for RR to the current season of sees the team level on 2 points with three other teams after four matches played, one of them being their opponents on Saturday, in KKR. However, Royals’ Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara believes the team has the potential to bounce back and just needs to stitch a string of consistent performances. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s encounter at the Wankhede Stadium, the former Sri Lankan captain said, “We know we’ve had a tough start to the competition, but we could be in a completely different position had we won the opening encounter. The last two defeats have been a little hard to take, but we take the positives and keep the faith in ourselves. It’s a long tournament and we certainly have the ability and the chance to turn this around tomorrow.” “What is more important for us is to make sure we’ve learned our lessons, and can focus on the basics. In my opinion, we just need to start the games well, whether it is with the ball or the bat, we need to make sure we’re stamping our authority in the middle,” Sangakkara added. [caption id=“attachment_9561301” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]
RR captain Sanju Samson and KKR captain Eoin Morgan. Sportzpics[/caption] Like the Royals, their opponents on Saturday also enter the match having lost their last two encounters, against CSK and RCB, and Sangakkara believes his team will have to play out of their skin to get back to winning ways. “We know KKR is a strong team, and they’ve got a good balance. Just like us, I am sure they are also eager to bounce back, so it will be a tough challenge, and we will need to make sure we are executing all three facets of our game well in order to win,” expressed Sangakkara. Last season in the UAE, the team from Kolkata managed to register two wins against the Royals, defending their totals on both the occasions, which should serve as added motivation for the inaugural winners of the IPL. “We have had the chance to sit together and make plans for the match tomorrow. We know KKR handed us two losses last season, and I believe these are the kind of matches we need to win if we want to make it to the playoffs,” Sangakkara signed off. KKR won their their first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and from then they have lost three consecutive matches, the last one against CSK being the closest they got to the victory mark. Eoin Morgan and Co can take confidence from the fight that the middle-order showed in the chase against Super Kings and would be hoping that they turn things around for themselves against RR. Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna, Harbhajan Singh, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sheldon Jackson, Sandeep Warrier, Tim Seifert, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Shivam Mavi, Vaibhav Arora Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson(w/c), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, Andrew Tye, Liam Livingstone, KC Cariappa, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, Kuldip Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh With inputs from Rajasthan Royals media
Highlights, RR vs KKR, IPL 2021, Match 18, Full Cricket Score: Rajasthan break losing streak with six-wicket victory
IPL 2021, Live Cricket Score, Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Sanju Samson makes the right call at the toss and Rajasthan Royals opt to bowl first against KKR at Mumbai. RR bring Unadkat back into XI and replace Vohra at the top with Jaiswal. KKR replace Nagarkoti with Shivam Mavi.
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That’s it from us tonight. RR have finally broken their losing streak. Quite clearly, they looked the hungrier side among the two. With ball, they were disciplined and with the bat, they were very calm and composed. What stood out was captain Samson stepping up. He wanted to bat deep and take the side home, anchored the innings beautifully. KKR, on the other hand, have a lot of talking and thinking to do. They played poor cricket throughout and lacked intent clearly.
Tomorrow we have a double-header. CSK play RCB in the 3.30 pm game followed by DC taking on SRH.
See you tomorrow. Good night
Chris Morris is Player of the Match
Morris: Just a clear mind. The mind gets cluttered when you get hit. Today was not the easy wicket to bat on. The plan is to keep nice and simple. Those guys are massibe losses, not just in the field but outside the field as well, But we have the right personell. We have to find the ways to lift ourselves. There is a lot of suffering going on, we have to keep people happy with our cricket. Conditions always change and it always gets difficult. We do a lot of analysing and experience of playing against Russell has helped.
Return of the prodigal!
Well-deserved praise for Samson and Morris!
Big players missing for KKR!
After 18 overs,Rajasthan Royals 129/4 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 40 , David Miller 21)
Krishna continues. Miller collects a fine boundary on the third ball of the over. A couple of singles and a double in the over as well. Eight off the over. RR now a maximum away from their second win in IPL 2021. They have 12 balls remaining.
After 17 overs,Rajasthan Royals 121/4 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 39 , David Miller 14)
Cummins back on. Miller has miscued so many shots that we may run out of count. He has looked above average but that has done the job. RR inching towards win. RR need 13 from 18 balls.
After 16 overs,Rajasthan Royals 113/4 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 37 , David Miller 8)
Krishna continues. He bowls two wides at the start of the over. Rana errs in the field and then Narine misses to effect a run-out with a direct throw. Time out taken. RR on cusp on a win. They need 21 off 24 balls.
After 15 overs,Rajasthan Royals 104/4 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 36 , David Miller 2)
Mavi into the attack and a huge LBW appeal for Miller on just the first ball. Umpire takes a long time to decide it is out. Miller does not waste time to go upstairs and the third umpire finds that the ball was pitching outside leg stump. Decision overturned. He has been impressive tonight Mavi, bowling with good pace and discipline. KKR lose their second review as they get one wrong later in the over. Top over from Mavi. Just three off it. He finishes with 1/19 from his four. Rajasthan Royals need 30 runs in 30 balls.
After 14 overs,Rajasthan Royals 101/4 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 35 , David Miller 1)
Prasidh Krishna, right-arm medium, comes into the attack for the first time tonight in the 14th over and picks up a wicket, removes Tewatia. He was looking to play shot but was not getting the pace on the ball. David Miller has come in, and got off the mark as well. Rajasthan Royals need 33 runs in 36 balls.
After 13 overs,Rajasthan Royals 97/3 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 34 , Rahul Tewatia 4)
Chakravarthy completes his spell too. Gill slaps the ball inside at long on but fails to complete the catch on the move. Tewatia survives. Good effort but he could have done better. Samson is fine with consistent rotation of strike. Two wickets for Chakravarthy from his four after giving away 32 runs. Five off the over. Rajasthan Royals need 37 runs in 42 balls.
After 12 overs,Rajasthan Royals 92/3 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 32 , Rahul Tewatia 1)
Narine continues. KKR coach Brendon McCullum on TV says the game is inclined towards RR. He also admits that they should have not asked the KKR openers to go big from the word go and that sort of backfired for the team. Narine completed his spell, just 20 off his four but no wickets. Seven off the over. Rajasthan Royals need 42 runs in 48 balls.
After 11 overs,Rajasthan Royals 85/3 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 30 , Tewatia 0)
Another piece of bad fielding from KKR as Chakravarthy lets one go past him on his own bowling and Samson collects a single. The bowler produces an edge but the ball runs down to third man boundary through the vacant slip. Dube gets the boundary but two balls later, he falls trying to play a big shot. Was not needed. Tewatia has joined Sanju in the middle. Rajasthan Royals need 49 runs in 54 balls.
After 10 overs,Rajasthan Royals 80/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 29 , Shivam Dube 18)
Narine continues after the time out break. The time outs usually benefit the bowling teams as they break the momentum with the batsmen. Narine starts off with a dot and the Samson collects a single off the second ball. He follows it up with another dot before two more singles in the over. Dube almost hit it directly to man at short mid wicket on last ball of the over. Three off the over.
After 9 overs,Rajasthan Royals 77/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 27 , Shivam Dube 17)
Cummins comes back on. He is having an ordinary day. Samson hits him for a six on the first ball he faces in the over. A couple of singles and a double and a wide too. 13 off the over. Time out taken. RR need 57 off 66 balls.
After 8 overs,Rajasthan Royals 64/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 17 , Shivam Dube 15)
Narine continues. KKR need to be more disciplined in the field. They have already dropped a catch and made a silly error in the field. Narine bowled a front-foot no ball, giving a free hit which did not cause a lot of harm. Five off the over.
After 7 overs,Rajasthan Royals 59/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 15 , Shivam Dube 13)
Chakravarthy back on. Sanju is looking to play a long innings here. He has a check on his shots and is looking to rotate the strike. A poor effort from Nagarkoti gifts a boundary to RR on the last ball of the over. Nine off the over.
After 6 overs,Rajasthan Royals 50/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 12 , Shivam Dube 7)
Sunil Narine, right-arm off break, comes into the attack now. Big man Dube welcomes him into the attack with a mighty hit. The deep mid-wicket region is Dube’s favourite hitting area. With that six, RR have reached fifty inside the powerplay. Nine off the over.
After 5 overs,Rajasthan Royals 41/2 ( Sanju Samson (C) (W) 10 , Shivam Dube 0)
Good shot from Sanju on just the first ball to collect a boundary. Jaiswal too was looking in great touch before playing an expensive drive which has brought his end in this innings. Shivam Dube has joined Sanju in the middle. RR need to control the adrenaline rush. 11 off the over and a wicket.
After 4 overs,Rajasthan Royals 30/1 ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 18 , Sanju Samson (C) (W) 5)
Good move from Morgan. He brings on his wicket-taking bowler after pacers fail to pick up wickets upfront and the move works. Buttler is gone but Jaiswal at the other end is playing superbly. Sanju also off the mark with a four. A wicket came in this over but also 13 runs.
After 3 overs,Rajasthan Royals 17/0 ( Jos Buttler 1 , Yashasvi Jaiswal 14)
Mavi continues. Jaiswal with another fabulous shot to collect a boundary. He looks in touch and more importantly hungry. If he scores from one end, it will take pressure off Buttler who is not looking at his best. Five off the over.