IPL 2018, Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Highlights: Clinical KKR register crushing win over RR

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in an IPL 2018 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Wednesday. Asked to bat, the wily spin attack of KKR restricted the Royals 160/8. In reply, the visitors rode on Robin Uthappa’s 36-ball 48 and an unbeaten 61-run stand between skipper Dinesh Karthik (42) and Nitish Rana (35) to seal the deal with seven balls to spare. Follow highlights of Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs (KKR) Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2018 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur here (SCORECARD | STREAMING INFO)

23:45 hrs IST: That’s it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it’s goodbye. Cheers!

Nitish Rana (Man of the Match): “I bowl regularly in the nets, and also in domestic cricket,” he says. “Both games were very important for us, I backed myself both times, and luckily I won man of the match in both games. It’s such a big platform, you don’t get loose balls that often, so you have to convert all of them.”

Dinesh Karthik: “It feels good to get two wins on the trot. Slowly things are falling in a good direction. It feels that the wrist-spinners are a little harder to pick, and that the fast bowlers would come onto the bat. Which is why we bowled them at the start. The way Robin batted was fantastic, he set the tone for us, and it was good to see Nitish bat through for us.”

Ajinkya Rahane: “I thought we were 15-20 short. Game 1 there was pretty good bounce. This wicket was on the slower side, it was keeping a bit low. But no complaints. I was batting well, and it was my responsibility to carry on from there. As I said, 15-20 runs short. I felt our intensity was a little bit down today.”

23:24 hrs IST: SIX! That’s it. KKR crush RR by seven wickets, register their third win in IPL 2018.

23:20 hrs IST: One more boundary brings Kolkata Knight Riders closer to their third win. They need 10 off 12.

23:15 hrs IST: SIX! Fullish delivery from Unadkat and Rana lifts it over mid-off for a maximum. Kolkata Knight Riders need 19 off 18.

23:12 hrs IST: SIX! Short delivery from Unadkat and Karthik pulls it over backward square leg boundary for a maximum.

23:10 hrs IST: Jaydev Unadkat comes in. Big over this.

23:06 hrs IST: Another tidy over from Laughlin, just five runs off it. Kolkata Knight Riders are 126/3 after 16 overs, need 35 off 24. Strategic time-out.

23:02 hrs IST: No boundaries in the last 12 balls. Kolkata Knight Riders are 121/3 after 15 overs, need 40 off 30.

22:57 hrs IST: Just six runs off Gopal’s third. Kolkata Knight Riders are 116/3, need 45 off 36. Unadkat comes back into the attack.

22:53 hrs IST: FOUR! Delicate from Karthik. Waits till the end and then works a straight delivery to third man boundary. Kolkata Knight Riders are 110/3, need 51 off 42. Shreyas Gopal now.

22:50 hrs IST: OUT! Second wicket for Gowtham, Uthappa goes for 48(36). Ben Stokes takes a brilliant catch at long-on. Great judgement! Dinesh Karthik comes to the crease.

22:47 hrs IST: Good over from Laughlin, seven runs off it. Kolkata Knight Riders are 97/2, need 64 off 48. Gowtham to bowl his final over.

22:41 hrs IST: Half-way through Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings. The visitors need 74 off 60. Uthappa is nearing a fifty.

22:38 hrs IST: Poor fielding from Jaydev Unadkat as Uthappa carves a full ball to deep backward point, RR pacer fumbles and concedes a boundary.

22:35 hrs IST: Uthappa steadies the nerves with a massive six off Gopal over deep mid-wicket. Kolkata Knight Riders still in despite Narine’s wicket.

22:33 hrs IST: Poor running from Sunil Narine. There is a mix-up and he is sent back as he misses the reverse sweep, Unadkat fires the throw to Butter to catch him short. Sunil Narine run-out 35(25).

22:25 hrs IST: Uthappa launches Shreyas Gopal into the stands at deep mid-wicket. KKR need under 100 runs now and the asking rate is also under control.

22:20 hrs IST: KKR end the powerplay in style as Sunil Narine blasts a short ball from Ben Laughlin over deep mid- wicket for his first six. The 50-run stand is up between Narine and Uthappa.

22:16 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Uthappa, moves to 19. Kolkata Knight Riders are 40/1 after 5 overs.

22:14 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Unadkat and Uthappa hits it straight down the ground. Looks in top form!

22:13 hrs IST: Jaydev Unadkat comes into the attack. He hasn’t been that effective so far in the tournament.

22:10 hrs IST: Three boundaries in a row for Narine. Needs to keep going. Kolkata Knight Riders are 27/1 after 4 overs.

22:06 hrs IST: Another tidy over from Gowtham, six runs off it. Kolkata Knight Riders are 15/1 after 3 overs. Narine 9*, Uthappa 6*. Kulkarni again.

22:04 hrs IST: FOUR! Short delivery from Gowtham and Uthappa punches it in the gap between cover and mid-off for his first boundary.

22:03 hrs IST: Single for Uthappa, works a good length delivery towards mid-on. Kolkata Knight Riders are 9/1 after 2 overs. Gowtham to continue.

21:58 hrs IST: Magnificent start from Gowtham. Kolkata Knight Riders are 1/1 after the first over. Dhawal Kulkarni comes into the attack.

21:56 hrs IST: WICKET! Lynn departs for a second-ball duck. Misses a straight delivery from Gowtham and that crashes onto his stumps. Robin Uthappa comes to the crease.

21:53 hrs IST: Welcome back! Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine to open. K Gowtham to bowl the first over.

21:38 hrs IST: That’s it. Rajasthan Royals finish on 160/6. 14 overs from spinners and they have done a terrific job (except Narine). Shouldn’t be that tough a chase for the visitors. A good start will do it for them. We’ll be back in a few minutes time.

21:30 hrs IST: FOUR! Full-toss from Curran, Buttler goes back and hits it to the left of the fielder at long-on. Rajasthan Royals are 151/7 after 19 overs. Mavi to bowl the final six balls.

21:26 hrs IST: Two wickets in two balls for Tom Curran, but he misses a hat-trick. With nine balls remaining, what can Buttler do from here?

21:22 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Narine, Buttler makes space and clobbers it towards wide long-off boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 141/5 after 18 overs. Narine ends with 0/48.

21:19 hrs IST: And Chawla finishes with figures of 1/18. Has been an excellent day for him. Rajasthan Royals are 127/5 after 17 overs. Sunil Narine comes in for his final over.

21:17 hrs IST: K Gowtham comes to the crease. RR need to cross 150 to make this game interesting.

21:16 hrs IST: WICKET! And spinners continue to dominate. Once again, googly does the trick for Chawla. Stokes is gone (and so are RR’s hopes of posting a big total).

21:14 hrs IST: SIX! Flighted delivery from Kuldeep, Stokes goes down on one knee and hammers it into the long-on stands for a maximum. Rajasthan Royals are 122/4 after 16 overs.

21:11 hrs IST: Another good over for KKR, this time it’s Narine. Rajasthan Royals are 112/4 after 15 overs.

21:08 hrs IST: WICKET! Kuldeep Yadav strikes, gets Rahul Tripathi for 15(11). Rajasthan Royals are 106/4 after 14 overs.

21:06 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Kuldeep, Tripathi rocks back and hits it in the gap between long-on and deep mid-wicket boundary.

21:04 hrs IST: Kuldeep Yadav to resume the proceedings. Stokes on strike. This is going to be an interesting battle.

21:01 hrs IST: Strategic time-out. The Royals would hope Stokes and Tripathi stay till the end. With Buttler still to come, they should stay confident of reaching around 180.

20:59 hrs IST: WICKET! RR have failed to cash-in on crucial moments so far. Short departs for 44. First scalp for Rana. Ben Stokes comes to the crease.

20:57 hrs IST: Two runs off the last ball for Short. Rajasthan Royals are 95/2 after 12 overs. Rana comes back into the attack.

20:54 hrs IST: SIX! Back of a length delivery from Mavi and Short creams it into deep square leg stands for a maximum.

20:51 hrs IST: FOUR! First boundary for Tripathi. Rajasthan Royals in need of a big partnership here. They are 81/2 after 11 overs. Mavi again.

20:48 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Narine, Short picks the length early and hits it to deep square leg boundary.

20:46 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Curran and Short flicks it towards wide fine leg boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 71/2 after 10 overs. Short 25*, Tripathi 2*

20:43 hrs IST: Tom Curran comes into the attack. He will look to carry forward the good work done by spinners.

20:41 hrs IST: Stupendous over from Mavi, four runs and a wicket. Rajasthan Royals are 62/2 after 9 overs. Short 18*, Tripathi 0*

20:39 hrs IST: OUT! Short a length delivery from Mavi, Samson looks to clear the deep mid-wicket region but doesn’t get the timing and Kuldeep Yadav does the rest.

20:35 hrs IST: Another great over from Kuldeep, only three runs off it. Rajasthan Royals are 58/1 after 8 overs. Shivam Mavi comes back into the attack.

20:32 hrs IST: Sanju Samson gets off the mark with a single. Rajasthan Royals are 55/1 after 7 overs. Kuldeep is back into the attack.

20:30 hrs IST: WICKET! This is excellent stuff from Dinesh Karthik. Gets the Royals’ main man. When bowlers are n’t able to find breakthroughs, fielding -- more often than not -- does it. Rahane is run-out for 36(19).

20:28 hrs IST: FOUR! Straying down leg and Short eases it towards fine leg boundary. Moves to 16 with that.

20:27 hrs IST: Nitish Rana comes into the attack. He took two wickets in the game against RCB, which KKR won by four wickets.

20:24 hrs IST: Still a decent over from Chawla despite the boundary. Rajasthan Royals are 48/0 after 6 overs. Rahane 35*, Short 12*. Strategic time-out.

20:21 hrs IST: FOUR! Tossed up from Chawla, Rahane opens the full face of the bat and times it through cover. As good as it gets!

20:19 hrs IST: FOUR! Slower delivery from Mavi and Short lifts it over the fielder at mid-off. Rajasthan Royals are 40/0 after 5 overs. Chawla comes back into the attack.

20:17 hrs IST: SIX! Back of a length delivery from Mavi, Rahane charges down the track and smashes it straight down the ground for a maximum.

20:15 hrs IST: Pace for the first time. Shivam Mavi comes into the attack. He was a part of India’s U-19 World Cup (2018) winning squad.

20:14 hrs IST: Single off the last delivery from Short. Expensive over from Narine, 18 runs off it. Rajasthan Royals are 27/0 after 4 overs.

20:12 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Narine and Rahane hits it in the gap between backward point and cover point.

20:11 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball, Rahane comes down the track and smacks it past the fielder at mid-off for his first boundary.

20:09 hrs IST: Short has managed only three runs off 11 balls. Pressure piling on both batsmen. Someone needs to step up. Rajasthan Royals are 9/0 after 3 overs. Sunil Narine comes into the attack.

20:07 hrs IST: Magnificent start from Kuldeep. Gives away only four runs (one was a leg bye). Rajasthan Royals are 7/0 after 2 overs. Chawla to continue.

20:06 hrs IST: Short is unable to read the wrong ‘uns. Even Piyush troubled him a bit. Needs to have a chat with Rahane.

20:04 hrs IST: Spin from both ends. Kuldeep Yadav comes into the attack. This is going to be interesting. Dinesh Karthik - Thinking captain!

20:03 hrs IST: Another single for Rahane. Tidy start from Chawla. Rajasthan Royals are 3/0 after the first over.

20:02 hrs IST: Flat delivery and the Australian (Short) helps it to long-off for a single.

20:01 hrs IST: Full-toss from Chawla, Rahane gets forward and works it to long-on for his runs of the night.

20:00 hrs IST: Here we go. Rahane and Short to open. Leggie Chawla to begin the proceedings.

19:35 hrs IST: Both teams are unchanged -

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane(c), D’Arcy Short, Sanju Samson(wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(c/wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

19:30 hrs IST: Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and have opted to field.

19:15 hrs IST: Fifteen minutes to go for the toss. The last time Rajasthan Royals lost a match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium was on May 20, 2012.

19:05 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - Chris Lynn is three runs short of completing 3000 runs in the T20s. The Australian needs nine more runs to get past the 500-run mark in IPL.

18:57 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Virat Kohli smashed 92 off 62 balls to become the highest run-scorer in Indian Premier League (IPL) history but his efforts could not halt Royal Challengers Bangalore’s slump in this year’s tournament.

Kohli’s innings took his IPL total to 4,619 runs in 153 matches, putting him ahead of Suresh Raina of Chennai Super Kings on 4,558.

However, his knock went in vain however as Bangalore went down to defending champions the Mumbai Indians by 46 runs on Tuesday.

18:50 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - D’Arcy Short needs 13 more runs to complete 1000 runs in T20 cricket.

18:42 hrs IST: Good evening and welcome to HT’s live coverage of IPL 2018 match between the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rajasthan Royals will play their second home game of the season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium where last time, they edged out Delhi Daredevils (DD) by 10 runs (D/L method) in a rain-curtailed thriller.

One wicket Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to get early is Sanju Samson. With scores of 49, 37, 92 not out, the 23-year-old is currently the second highest run-scorer (178) in IPL 2018. Samson was his team’s top-scorer in two out of three games and has already won the Man-of-the-Match awards twice.

For KKR, Andre Russell is in prime form. The likes of Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana have stepped up in crunch situations.

The troika of Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav will look to cease the flow of runs.