Match Details

KKR vs RCB Eliminator 1, IPL 2021

KKR

139-619.4

Kolkata Knight Riders won by 4 wickets

RCB

20.0138-7

Match info

Live

Scorecard

Player of the Match

Sunil Narine

Kolkata Knight Riders

4/21

26(15)

KKR - 2nd Innings

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	45	48
10 Over	75	74
15 Over	110	112

RCB - 1st Innings

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	47	53
10 Over	82	70
15 Over	107	108
20 Over	155	138

Commentary

So that's it from our end! All done and dusted with the Eliminator! Here's me Ninaad signing off along with Anurag Dasgupta, Anurag Singh, Arjun Bhalla and Akshay Bhide. Stay tuned to OneCricket and Cricket exchange for more cricket coverage!

Sunil Narine | Man of the Match: "When you perform well and the team wins, it always feels well. I try to bowl according to what my team requires, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I enjoy all the wickets I take, I am happy that I contributed but everyone contributed and helped the team win.

I am not that comfortable as yet with my bowling action as I was before but I will continue to work on it.

Yes, there are some nerves when you step on the cricket field but I am calm and cool when it comes to bowling."

Eoin Morgan: "Narine makes it look very easy. He bowled outstandingly well. Throughout the innings, we continued to take wickets. Good start from the bowlers, and we were in control in the chase.

I quite like captaining a side that has 12 overs of spinners, I don't have to do much of moving. It's a huge privilege when there are world-class spinners around. Shakib is just come in for his third and he has bowled beautifully. He has taken his chances, and then those two mystery spinners. They are just getting better and better.

When it comes off (with our batting order), it looks quite deep. Onwards and upwards for us. (Advantage to play in Sharjah again) For us, it is a matter of coming back and adjusting and seeing what the wicket does and playing accordingly. We have played some really good cricket and have got a lot of positives to take. We are looking forward to it.

I thought we had a chance (when we landed in the UAE), but the cricket we have played with the consistency has surprised everybody. With results not going our way in the first leg, everyone came with a different motivation and a drive to perform. The guys have done their bit and they have another opportunity in a couple of days' time.

Narine is a cool customer and is very level-headed. He is a true legend of T20 cricket and we are delighted to have him."`

Arjun: End of an era, as Sunil Gavaskar says on air. Truly, it's the end of an era for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Was not a fairytale end for Virat Kohli - as a skipper of the Bangalore based franchise.

A boy named Chiku joined the team back in 2008, and took over the leadership duty in 2013. Chiku grew older with RCB and became the Indian flag bearer in this tenure. He took them to IPL final twice, also scored truckload of runs for them, and once thumped close to 1000 IPL runs in a season.

But that boy, that flag bearer would not have an IPL silverware in his captaincy cabinet. Alas, this eventful story would not be called a fairytale. Despite all of that, I would love to say - Thank You, Skipper! Trophy doesn't matter, legacy does...

Shubman Gill: "Big win for us. When we started, not many people believed that we will make it so far but we performed well as a team and here we are. I didn't have the best time in the first leg but it was about spending some time in the middle. DC are a really balanced team and we are hoping to have a cracker of a game.

This was our third match here and we know what to expect from the pitch and are accustomed better than DC playing here.

First powerplay was against us but the way Varun and Sunny (Narine) bowled was tremendous. We kept picking wickets and that was the turning point of the match."

Virat Kohli: "Those middle overs when the spinners operated made things difficult for us. It was more about the quality bowling that made the difference tonight. We have never given up and that has been the hallmark of our team. We fought till the very last over and made an amazing game out of it.

We were certainly 15 runs short and that made the difference in the end. Yes, he is a champion bowler (Narine). Not only him, but Varun, Shakib they were also terrific and squeezed us during the middle overs. I have given my 100% to this franchise and will continue to do so as a player. To me, loyalty matters and I will continue to play for this franchise. This franchise has believed in me and I will continue to repay their faith."

Ninnad: So it's curtains for Virat Kohli's leadership at Royal Challengers. Not the way he or his teammates would have liked it to end but KKR were on the top from the beginning of the match. Morgan used his bowlers well, used his spinners especially Sunil Narine at key junctures and executed exactly the plan the leadership had made before the match.

It was a harsh decision of winning the toss and electing to bat first from Virat Kohli and that could be a reason for the team's downfall tonight. The RCB openers Devdutt Padikkal and Kohli started well but fell short of just one run to add 50 runs for the first wicket.

But the KKR bowlers, especially Sunil Narine kept chipping in with wickets and made sure RCB were restricted to a below par total of 138-7. The spinners were into play from the beginning as Shakib Al Hasan (0-24), Varun Chakravarthy (0-20) and Sunil Narine (4-21) were all economical.

KKR had a brilliant start with the bat as their opening pair of Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer added 41 in just 5.2 overs. Harshal Patel chipped in with 2 wickets and got good support from Yuzvendra Chahal (2-16) from the other end. Siraj was brilliant towards the end as he finished with figures of 2-19 in his four overs.

But the tides turned into KKR's favour when Sunil Narine hit 3 consecutive sixes to Daniel Christian, whose solitary over cost RCB 22 runs. George Garton and Glenn Maxwell were expensive as well. Shahbaz Ahmed wasn't used at all with the bat, as there were five left handers in the KKR batting line up. Late couple of wickets at the death from Siraj made sure the match went into the 40th over.

Alas, things didn't went RCB's way in the late. A disappointing end to a promising season for RCB. "Ee Sala Cup Namde" will be reverberating around the Chinnaswamy next year. Hopefully, next year the cup will be yours, RCB fans.

19.4 D Christian to Hasan

1 Executes the yorker outside off, Shakib digs it onto the pitch and completes the single to book a place in the second qualifier. RCB's fantastic journey in this IPL comes to an end.

DG: See you next year, RCB.

19.3 D Christian to E Morgan

1 SCORES LEVEL!! Angles the length delivery across Morgan who miscues the cut shot towards point and takes a single to level out the scores.

DG: Tactical blunder here from VK! As simple as that..

19.2 D Christian to Hasan

1 Short of a length onto Shakib who dances down the track and gets an under edge on the pull to the wide of Bharat for a single.

19.1 D Christian to Hasan

4 FOURR!!! Brilliant improvisation from the seasoned campaigner. Slow and full in the channel. Shakib premeditates the paddle scoop and executes it to perfection.

Arjun: Kill me already!

DG: Say hello to Dan Christian!!! Sorry Arjun :(

Arjun: 7 off the last over. #ThankYouSiraj!! Who would be bowling the last over. My bet is on Shahbaz.

DG: Anyone calling for Super Over?

OVER 19

Kolkata Knight Riders

132/6

Eoin Morgan

4(6)

Shakib Al Hasan

3(3)

George Garton

0-29(3.0)

18.6 G Garton to E Morgan

0 Another swing and a miss!! The pressure is getting onto the English skipper. Back of a length on the line of the stumps, Morgan looks to pull this one as the ball fizzes past his under edge.