KKR vs SRH, IPL2022: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 54 points, keeping IPL 2022 playoffs bid alive
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continued their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with a convincing win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday night.
Riding Andre Russell’s late charge after a 63-time association with Sam Billings, the Knight Riders – in a must-win game to give themselves a chance of reaching the knockout stages – posted a total challenge number is 177 to six.
On a surface where the last six games have been in favor of batting first and against a team of the fewest, that total has turned out to be more than enough. The Sunrisers chase never really worked out as the Knight Riders archers made sure the fighters’ good success didn’t go to waste and won the 54 runs.
AS IT HAPPENED | KKR vs SRH, IPL 2022 HIGHLIGHTS: Russell’s hero helps Kolkata survive playoffs, beat Hyderabad 54 runs
KKR captain Shreyas Iyer used Russell in the PowerPlay with the all-round ball and player that ended Kane Williamson’s misery. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy’s spinning twins started midfield and Tim Southee eliminated Rahul Tripathi with an incredible catch.
Russell later went back to death to increase his tally. But it was his effort with the willow that really turned the game in favor of KKR. When he joined Billings in the early stages, KKR struggled in 94th place for 5 innings of 12.
Speed merchant Umran Malik – having conceded 125 times without a shot in 10 passes in the last three games – has regained his catchy-style avatar, hitting a speed of 150 km/h continuously. While T. Natarajan – who suffered the wrath of Nitish Rana in the first meeting – eliminated Rinku Singh in his return.
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Sensing Russell’s love affair with outsiders, SRH was forced to delay the final outcome of the Washington Sundar. Russell and Billings waited patiently for it, adjusting speed through gaps while playing percentile cricket.
While Billings waved good-bye to Umran with a four-legged back-to-back in the final round of round 16, Russell opened his shoulders wide with two strikes against a precise Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the next match.
Billings then lost his life in an attempt to take the lead in penultimate place. Russell patiently awaits Washington’s end without taking undue risks. And burly Caribbean made optimal use of the three full throws Washington provided him with under pressure in those last 20+ runs.
Those runs are pivotal for Knight Riders to improve their Net Running Ratio (NRR). The Sunrisers, on the other hand, are still technically undisputed but the NRR damage in their fifth straight loss could be a fatal blow to their campaign with two games left.
