Andre Russell was the difference in the Eliminator, his masterclass enough to see Kolkata advance to the Qualifier
Match Report:
ScorecardDre Russ masterclass eliminates Rajasthan
The result: Kolkata Knight Riders 7-169 (Karthik 52, Gowtham 2-15) defeated Rajasthan Royals 4-144 (Samson 50, Chawla 2-24) by 25 runs.
The match in a tweet: Dre Russ the difference on a slow Kolkata wicket, his blitzkrieg the difference in the match as Kolkata advance to qualifier #KKRvRR
The Dre Russ Show: On a pitch suited to spin bowling, Kolkata struggled to gather any momentum at the top of the order, and when Chris Lynn departed the score was a dire 4-51. But despite the two-paced nature of the wicket, Andre Russell found his groove using sheer strength to muscle three boundaries and five sixes in his 25-ball knock. The man with the highest strike rate in the Indian Premier League showed his might, combining with Dinesh Karthik (52) and finishing with an unbeaten-49 that would eventually prove the difference in the Eliminator.
The Kolkata pitch: The Knight Riders faltered in the first innings after a clever use of spin and pace changes from the seam bowlers saw the top order obliterated. The wicket was conducive to variation and a tough one to get in on, but not even that could stop the carnage that would come from Andre Russell. Though 170 was a reachable target according to commentators, and despite losing only four wickets and having five of the top six batsmen having strike-rates of above 100, the Royals were knocked out of the competition. What shone through was Rajasthan’s inability to score quickly at the back end, Ajinkye Rahane (46) using up 41 balls in his innings and Sanju Samson (50) having no help from the middle order. The Royals sit in just a group of six per cent of teams that lose after only losing four or less wickets.
— Chris Lynn (@lynny50) May 23, 2018
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) May 23, 2018
The next stop: It’s the end of the line for the Shane Warne-mentored Rajasthan Royals, who bow out after falling foul in the Eliminator. As for the Knight Riders, they’ll host the second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, the winner to take on Chennai in Sunday’s final in Mumbai.
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