Table of Contents
Tilak Varma gets a lifeline. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) missed a sure-shot opportunity to get rid of the in-form batter of the Mumbai Indians. Varun Chakravarthy grabbed the catch well with both hands, but the keeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi spoiled the moment.
Angkrish threw his body in front to take a catch, while Varun already got the ball in his palm. Because of the sudden collision, Varun lost his balance as well as the ball.
Tilak Varma survived as KKR lost an easy chance.
Tilak Varma survived, MI, who lost multiple star batters inside the power play, got a moment to take a breath of relief as well. Varun Chakravarthy was visibly not happy with Angkrish Raghuvanshi as he called for the catch, and positioned himself well underneath the ball.
A rare setback for Tilak Varma in IPL
Despite the extra lifeline, the MI batter did not prolong his stay in the middle for a significant amount of time. The middle-order batter, who is in good form and has an IPL 2026 century under his belt, was dismissed for only 20 runs. More than his individual runs, it was his strike rate that was surprising. Tilak Varma needed 32 balls to score 20 runs.
When he was leaving the crease, the display showed 62.5 strike rate alongside his name. Which is rare in the T20 league. According to Cricbuzz, the last time in IPL a batter faced 30+ balls and scored at a lower SR was in May 2012, Michael Hussey (19 off 32 balls, SR 59.37) CSK vs RR in Jaipur.
A top-notch bowling exhibition by KKR in a must-win match
Ajinkya Rahane did it right to take the ball first after winning the toss. The bowlers in Purple have been on point since the beginning of the innings. Even rain in the middle of the first innings did not spoil the party of the Kolkata Knight Riders' bowlers.
The pitch might not be suitable for the batters at the Eden Gardens tonight. But there is no denying that the home team is phenomenal in the match so far. To keep in the play-offs contention, they will have to capture both points from this match. As of now, KKR is thriving on the ground.
"I think the wicket's super dry, to be honest. Again, when you go down and have a look, you can see there's a little bit of grass coverage, but it's got that white colour as well, which tells me that's nice and dry. It's the surface underneath that I think might be a little bit too paced," Michael Clarke explained the nature of the pitch before the toss.
And I honestly think we're going to see spin play a big part tonight. Even if it doesn't turn big, I think that change of pace, that natural variation, is going to be significant tonight," he added further in his observation.
Read More: Who is Saurabh Dubey? KKR pacer who stunned MI by dismissing Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav
