IPL 2021: Twitter Reacts As Kolkata Knight Riders Beat Delhi Capitals In A Last-Over Thriller And Book A Place In The Final

Updated - 14 Oct 2021, 11:57 AM

IPL 2021: Twitter Reacts As Kolkata Knight Riders Beat Delhi Capitals In A Last-Over Thriller And Book A Place In The Final
IPL 2021: Twitter Reacts As Kolkata Knight Riders Beat Delhi Capitals In A Last-Over Thriller And Book A Place In The Final

Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets in a last-over thriller on Wednesday in Sharjah to knock out Rishabh Pant’s team and book a date with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021 final.

Chasing 136, Shubman Gill started off with a cover drive boundary on the first ball of the innings by Anrich Nortje before Venkatesh Iyer swept Ashwin for a boundary as the openers got KKR’s chase up and running.

Venkatesh Iyer further freed his arms, thumping Axar Patel and Kagiso Rabada for a maximum each. The left-hander took another boundary in the sixth over, by Avesh Khan, to cap off KKR’s powerplay at 51/0.

Runs kept flowing for KKR: Iyer launched Patel for another maximum before Nortje conceded 12 runs in the 11th over as KKR reached 88/0. The left-hander brought up his fifty off 38 balls, as the required rate came down to less than six-run-per-over. He’d soon fall to Rabada, caught at deep square leg.

Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer (Image: Twitter)

Nitish Rana tonked Patel down the ground, before holing out in the deep off Nortje after he was given a life by Ashwin, who dropped a catch at third-man. Gill, who had been batting quietly at the other hand, handsomely pulled Nortje for a six over long-on.

The opener, though, got out for 46 edging Avesh Khan to Pant. Rabada castled Dinesh Karthik for a duck to keep DC alive in the game. An excellent 19th over from Anrich Nortje, where he conceded just 3 runs and bowled Eoin Morgan, left KKR needing 7 runs in the last over.

Tripathi took a single on the first ball of the last over, bowled by Ashwin. Shakib played a dot ball on the second before getting lbw out on the third. Narine was caught on the fourth ball at long-off. Tripathi, however, plundered Ashwin for a six down the ground on the fifth ball to take KKR in the final.

Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bowl first, KKR started off with a couple of tidy overs. The DC  openers, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, then broke their shackles: the right-hander stroked Shakib for a six and four before the left-hander launched Sunil Narine for two sixes.

Chakaravarthy gave KKR their first breakthrough, trapping Shaw lbw for 18 off 12 balls. Marcus Stoinis came out to bat at number 3. KKR bowlers didn’t concede any more boundaries in the powerplay, which DC ended at 38/1.

KKR bowlers further kept things tighter, conceding 32 runs in the next 5 overs, before Shivam Mavi, in the 12th over, castled Marcus Stoinis (18 off 23). The run rate dipped below 6 despite both Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer trying to play the big shots before Dhawan (36 off 39) fell to the mystery of Chakaravarthy. DC were 90/3 at the 15-over mark.

Varun Chakravarthy and Eoin Morgan
Varun Chakravarthy and Eoin Morgan (Image Credit: Twitter)

Rishabh Pant fell soon after, falling to the extra pace of Lockie Ferguson. DC crossed the 100-run mark on the first ball of the 18th overs, before Shimron Hetmyer, who was given a life after being caught on a no-ball off Chakaravarthy, smoked Ferguson for a couple of sixes.

Hetmyer, however, got run out in the 19th over. Iyer’s 30 off 27 balls, which included one four and one maximum, helped DC over 130.

Twitter was buzzing with this last over thriller.

IPL 2021: Twitter reacts as Kolkata Knight Riders enter the final with victory over Delhi Capitals

 

 

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2021: India Probably Will Be Favourites – David Gower

 

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IPL 2021 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)