IPL 2021: Kolkata edge Sunrisers Hyderabad

Dubai - Shubman Gill hits his first half-century of this edition

Shubman Gill hit his first fifty in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

KKR needed 116 to win in the 20 overs but SRH bowlers made sure the Eoin Morgan-led side had to fight it out for the win. SRH battled hard to try and nick a win, but the target was a tad too small.

KKR chased down the target with two balls to spare. They now have 12 points from 13 games with this being their sixth win.

Chasing a below-par total of 116, KKR got off to a bad start as the side lost star batsman Venkatesh Iyer in the fifth over.

It was a slow start for KKR as the side only managed to score 38 runs in the first seven over with Rahul Tripathi also back in the hut.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill continued his risk-free batting and scored his half-century of this edition. At one stage, KKR needed 32 in 30 balls with eight wickets in hand.

However, Siddarth Kaul removed Gill in the 17th over and Jason Holder dismissed Nitish Rana in the 18th as KKR wobbled towards the end of the match.

In the end, skipper Morgan and Dinesh Karthik ensured KKR didn’t suffer any hiccups as the side chased down the target with two balls to spare.

Earlier, a spirited bowling performance by KKR restricted SRH to 115-8. Except for skipper Kane Williamson and Abdul Samad, no SRH batsmen looked comfortable at the crease as KKR seized control over a must-win game.

For KKR Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee and Varun Chakravarthy picked two wickets each.

Morgan lavished praise on batsman Shubman Gill and said the side has done well in adapting to the slow conditions here.

“The wicket played slower than we thought, than the wicket two nights ago. It swings early in the powerplay in these conditions, but it was sluggish. We needed to bowl and field well and we did,” said Morgan during the post-match presentation.

“Shubman played extremely well and led the chase. The depth of the squad to be able to call Shakib Al Hasan is a huge luxury, so he has had a huge impact. We didn’t know it wouldn’t be played in India, and we have done well in the conditions and adapted well,” he added.

“We are focussed on playing good cricket and we’ve done that in the last three weeks. The game plan has had a good impact in the dressing room and guys are putting their hands up. We have done well to adapt to the slow conditions and I’m happy with that,” said Morgan.

Meanwhile, Williamson feels the side were 10-15 runs short of what could have been a competitive score.

“I think if we got closer to the 150-mark, might have been par. We did have our chances to squeeze the scoring but it was always going to be tough with such a low score,” said Williamson.

“We haven’t been able to identify the right score all season. We need to go back to the drawing board and re-assess things. We could have built more partnerships. Unfortunately, we were 10-15 short of what would have been a competitive score,” he added.

Speaking about young bowler Umran Malik, Williamson said: “He (Malik) has been bowling really quick in the nets and it’s really nice for him to get an opportunity today. Obviously, we’re out of the competition, so it’s a chance for some other boys to also get on the park.” — ANI