During Monday's eliminator match, the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets. This win saw RCB eliminated from the 2021 IPL, while KKR advanced to Qualifier 2. The match was tight, with KKR's pursuit of 139 runs lasting until the very last over.
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal challengers Bangalore by four wickets in the eliminator match on Monday. KAR Knocked out RCB to reach the qualifier 2 of the 2021 IPL. KKR’s chase of 139 runs went till the final.
Needing 7 runs to win in the final over, Shakib Al Hasan settled the nerves by hitting a boundary off the first delivery, comfortably guiding KKR to the target.
Choosing to bat first, RCB started aggressively, reaching 49 runs in 5 overs. KKR finally got their first breakthrough in the 6th over when Lungi Ngidi (Ferguson) bowled out Padikkal.
The game then turned into a Sunil Narine masterclass as he dismantled RCB's batting lineup, taking out their biggest threats. He started by dismissing Bharat for 9, followed by clean bowling Virat Kohli (39) and AB de Villiers (11), eventually finishing his spell by dismissing Glenn Maxwell.
Constant wicket losses limited RCB to a total of 138 runs after 20 overs. While KKR started the chase strongly, they stumbled in the middle overs, allowing RCB to fight back by taking three wickets for 79 runs within 11 overs.
The momentum shifted once again thanks to Sunil Narine, who smashed three sixes in a single over against Dan Christian. Meanwhile, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal were highly effective with the ball, each claiming two wickets.
Mohammed Siraj tried to turn the tide by dismissing both Narine and Dinesh Karthik in one over, but captain Meryan and Hasan remained composed to secure the win. On a personal note, Harshal Patel matched Dwayne Bravo's record for the most wickets in an IPL season with 32. Additionally, it was announced that Virat Kohli is stepping down as RCB captain, though he emphasized his desire to remain with the franchise until the end of his career.