Coulter-Nile, KKR eliminate Sunrisers

The result: Sunrisers Hyderabad 7-128 (Warner 37, Coulter-Nile 3-20) defeated by Kolkata Knight Riders 3-48 (Gambhir 32, Jordan 1-9) by seven wickets (D/L Method)

The match in a tweet: Kolkata reign – and rain – supreme, chasing down a small target after restricting Sunrisers with the ball as the rain poured for hours!

The rain: Rain was the constant throughout the eliminator in the neutral Bengalaru with Sunrisers Hyderabad just reaching their allotted overs before the heaviest downpour halted play. It rained for more than two hours with the second innings starting at 12:55am, a revised target of just 48 runs from six overs heavily favouring Kolkata. Although the Knight Riders went in as heavy favourites mid-match for their superb bowling effort, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method boosted their chances, Kolkata chasing down the target with four balls to spare. Had it rained for another half-hour, the match would have been abandoned and David Warner’s men would have advanced.

The collapse: Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled to gain any momentum in the first ten overs despite glimpses of power from Warner and Kane Williamson. With Shikhar Dhawan already in the sheds, the two trans-Tasman batsmen combined for 50 runs and steadily increased their meagre total, but Williamson picked out cover before David Warner was bowled two balls later. Adding salt to the wound, veteran slogger Yuvraj Singh was dismissed capping a slow four overs resulting in the loss of three wickets. Nathan Coulter-Nile then charged home and finished with 3-20 to restrict the defending champions, a spell that earned him player of the match.

The glimmer of hope: Completely up against it, the Sunrisers threw caution to the wind and went all out attack against the fancied Kolkata side. Signs weren’t good when Chris Lynn dispatched Purple Cap owner Bhuvneshwar Kumar for six from his first delivery, but a wicket to follow and then a run out the next ball spelled trouble for the Knight Riders. Chris Jordan then removed Robin Uthappa to have Kolkata reeling at 3-12 before Gautam Gambhir stepped in and quashed any hope David Warner’s men may have held.

The Aussie Pack: Warner top scored in the match with 37 at the top of the Sunrisers order, but he wasn’t at his usual damaging best, taking up 35 balls before he was undone by Piyush Chawla. Coulter-Nile was sublime with ball-in-hand, claiming 3-20 and proving difficult for the Hyderabad squad to get away while Lynn’s six from two balls kick-started his side’s route to victory.

The Wash-Up: It’s lights out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as their title defence is prematurely ended, while the Kolkata Knight Riders live on, playing the Mumbai Indians tomorrow for a chance to face Steve Smith’s Supergiant in the IPL final on Sunday Night.