KKR defeat Delhi in a thriller to reach IPL 2021 final
Kolkata Knight Riders had every cricket fan on the edge of their seats tonight before Rahul Tripathi finished the game with a six to seal a final berth in the IPL 2021.
KKR managed to chase down the 136-run target with three wickets and a ball to spare. They will play Chennai Super Kings in the final on Friday night.
Four ducks bring DC back into the game
Shubman Gill (48) and Venkatesh Iyer (55) gave the perfect start to the Knight Riders. They played the powerplay overs to perfection, but things were not smooth after their departure.
Nitish Rana departed after only 13 as well. Tripathi then had to see his partners change in a jiffy. Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine returned to the hut without troubling the scorers.
The Riders lost 6 for 7 in 3.5 overs to almost lose an un-losable game tonight.
Ashwin took the last two wickets in the penultimate over when seven runs were needed. It came down to the last two deliveries with a six needed. Tripathi swatted his bat with full force to won KKR the game.
Morgan lauds Iyer
Skipper Morgan rejoiced as his team set up a thrilling final with the Chennai Super Kings. He admitted that Iyer, who bagged the Man of the Match award for his fiery fifty, has been a positive addition to the team.
Iyer has also been asked by the BCCI to stay in the UAE once the league is over. He will work as a net bowler in the UAE for the Indian team before the ICC T20 World Cup starts.
He is likely to replace Hardik Pandya in case the Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder is deemed unfit for the mega tournament.
“Venky Iyer idea [his elevation] came from the coach, my god, he’s a terrific player. Made the chase easy, looks like he was batting on a different wicket,” Morgan said.
Regardless of how dramatic the game turned out to be, the KKR skipper was happy to take home the W.
“Should’ve been a lot easier after the start we got, Venky and Gill set us the platform. Dew came in and all, but hey, we’re in the final and we’re delighted to get over the line. Would’ve loved to win convincingly but the Capitals are a very good side,” he continued.
As for Iyer, he is stoked to help the Indian team after the IPL is over, but his focus is still on the next clash against MS Dhoni’s men.
“I’m not thinking about the Indian team, have one more game and want to stay fully focused on that,” the KKR all-rounder said. The 26-year-old has taken three wickets and scored 390 runs in only nine games this season.
