Drama is the second nature of cricket matches at the Eden Gardens. On Thursday, it was the turn of Kolkata Knight Riders to add another chapter to that one heck of a codex, while etching an 81-run victory.
After reducing the Knight Riders to 89 for 5 in 11.3 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bowled by choice, seemed to have gained an irrevocable upper hand in their IPL 2023 match.
Even that 89 was the result of a cavalier fifty (57 off 44 balls, 6x4, 3x6) by young Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who gave KKR some early momentum before RCB bowlers turned things around with regular wickets.
Sensational Shardul slays RCB
But there was a huge surprise in store for the Bangalore brigade! KKR found a very unlikely hero in Shardul Thakur who produced a sensational 29-ball 68 (9x4, 3x6) that worked as the cornerstone of their eventual 204 for 7.
It was a brutal attack and even the fortune smiled upon Thakur as mishits eluded the fielders on a couple of occasions. Thakur found his Jean Passepartout in Rinku Singh, who played a very valuable 46 off 33 balls. But together, Thakur and Rinku transformed into a gale-force wind, as the sixth wicket alliance muscled 103 runs in just 7 overs.
Once they reached that position of command from nothingness, the KKR might have felt confidence coursing through their veins.
But a rather smooth pitch and small boundaries were certain to aid the powerful Royal Challengers batting line-up. The beginning of RCB innings underlined that thought.
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis launched a blistering counter attack on KKR bowlers, and the latter was extremely severe on pacer Tom Southee, whom he smoked for 6, 4, 6 in the 4th over that yielded a total of 23 runs.
RCB fail trial by spin at Eden
Sensing the RCB openers’ comfort against the quicks, KKR skipper Nitish Rana did not hesitate much to introduce Sunil Narine into attack and the West Indian spinner fetched the desired result in his first over itself.
Kohli missed the ball while trying to play across the line and his timber got rearranged.
Soon, Varun Chakravarthy castled Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell to reduce RCB to 54 for 3 in the 8th over.
The Bangalore side just couldn’t break the hold of KKR spinners as 6 batters returned to the dugout with single digits against their names thereafter.
