IPL 2024: Russell & Rana Rule the Roost as Kolkata Beat Hyderabad by 4 Runs

IPL 2024: Andre Russell scored a 25-ball 64, while Harshit Rana successfully defended 13 runs in the last over.

IPL 2024: Andre Russell's knock helped Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs.

(Photo: BCCI)

Courtesy of an Andre Russell blitzkrieg and an excellent Harshit Rana last over at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders had a winning start to their 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs. Accumulating a score of 208/7 whilst batting first, Kolkata restricted Hyderabad to a total of 204/7.

Chasing the gigantic total, Hyderabad went toe to toe with the Knight Riders’ bowling unit in the initial overs, albeit they were aided by a subpar fielding display from the hosts. The first five overs produced 58 runs, before Harshit Rana dismissed Mayank Agarwal in the sixth over.

Only 11 deliveries later, Andre Russell got the better of Abhishek Sharma, helping Kolkata assert their dominance in the match. With both openers scoring 32 apiece, Aiden Markram contributed only 18 runs to the team’s cause before losing his wicket to Varun Chakaravarthy, whilst Sunil Narine dismissed Rahul Tripathi when the former Knight Rider was batting on 20.

At 111/4, with only 43 deliveries to spare, the game was all but inclined in Kolkata’s favour, but Heinrich Klaasen kept the visitors in the hunt till the last over. The South African wicketkeeper-batter scored 63 runs off 29 deliveries and nearly turned the match on its head, as at one stage, Hyderabad were only 7 runs away from victory with five deliveries to spare.

But those five deliveries saw young pacer Harshit Rana being at his absolute best, as he conceded only a single run and got the crucial wickets of both Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed, guiding his team to two points.

Vintage Andre Russell at Eden Gardens

Earlier, Andre Russell struck a blazing half-century after Phil Salt had set the foundation with a 40-ball 54 to help Kolkata Knight Riders reach 208/7 in 20 overs.

Phil Salt, who went unsold in the auction but came in as a replacement, struck three sixes off Marco Jansen in the third over but KKR lost three quick wickets to be 32/3 in the Power-play. Salt went on to complete a well-compiled 54 but Russell, who smashed seven maximums and three boundaries, changed the complexion of the match with brilliant power-hitting as he and Rinku Singh raised 77 runs off four overs as KKR scored the first double-century score of IPL 2024 to leave SRH a big chase on their hands.

After the seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave away only three runs in the opening over for SRH, Salt waded into Marco Jansen, smashing him for three sixes in the second over before some balance was restored as Sunil Narine ran himself out off the final delivery of the over, going for a non-existent single.

Pat Cummins pressed T Natarajan into the attack, and he added to KKR's woes by claiming two wickets in his first over. Venkatesh Iyer stepped down to flick him for a four and then tried to drive on the up on a wide one and Jansen picked a fine catch.

A delivery later, KKR were down to 32/3 in the fourth over when Shreyas Iyer tried to loft a fullish delivery over the off-side and Cummins pouched a smart catch above his head to send his opposite number back.

Nitish Rana did not last long but Ramandeep Singh hammered a 17-ball 35, hitting four sixes and one four in his brief cameo. Pat Cummins got SRH back into the match when he had Ramandeep Singh chipping to cover where Markande took a fine diving catch to make it 105/5 in the 13th over.

Salt continued to hold the other end up and raced to his third half-century in IPL and first for KKR, off 38 balls, hitting three boundaries and as many maximums. However, he could not stay longer at the wicket as he tried to hit Markande into the crowd, but the tall Marco Jansen plucked a superb catch near the boundary rope to end his innings for 54 off 40 balls. KKR were 119/6 in the 14th over and staring down the barrel.

But their brilliant finishers Rinku Singh and Andre Russell had other ideas as they raised a blazing half-century partnership to help them to a big total. They added 81 runs for the seventh wicket partnership with Rinku contributing 23 off 15 balls and Russel hammering the remaining. They raised 77 runs off four overs to pull KKR to safety.

(With inputs from IANS)