KKR beat RR by 7 wickets in IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in a return leg IPL match here on Monday.
Invited to bat, skipper Sanju Samson smashed seven fours and a six in his 49-ball 54, while Shimron Hetmyer provided late charge with an unbeaten 13-ball 27 as RR scored 152 for five.
However, Jos Buttler (22), Riyan Parag (19) and Karun Nair (13) got starts but couldn’t capitalise.
Tim Southee (2/46) scalped two wickets, while Umesh Yadav (1/24), Anukul Roy (1/28) and Shivam Mavi (1/33) accounted for one each.
Nitish Rana (48 not out), Rinku Singh (42 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (34) then chipped in with useful contributions as KKR romped home, scoring 158 for three in 19.1 overs.
KKR batters found the going tough on a slow paced Wankhede pitch, where shot-making wasn’t easy at all.
Baba Indrajith (15) was bounced out by Prasidh Krishna soon but captain Shreyas Iyer (34 off 32) and Nitish Rana batted sensible to help KKR reach fifty in nine overs.
Just when it seemed Iyer was breaking loose, he edged a Trent Boult delivery to Samson behind the stumps in the next over.
New man Singh marked his arrival at the crease with a boundary of the first ball.
Needing 46 off 30 balls, Singh played the shot of the day, a paddle scoop to a 141 kmph Sen delivery on his legs high and mighty over the fine leg fence.
Singh continued his onslaught against Prasidh, who conceded 17 runs in the penultimate over as KKR wrapped up the match in style.
Earlier, KKR restricted RR to a modest 152 for five, despite rival skipper Samson’s half-century.
For RR, Samson’s 54 off 49 balls was the only saving grace, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals.
KKR bowlers justified skipper Iyer’s decision to ask the opposition to bat first with quick wickets.
A late onslaught by Shimron Hetymar (27 not out off 13 balls) took Rajasthan beyond the 150-run mark.
Brief Score:
Rajasthan Royals: 152 for 5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 54; Tim Southee 2/46).
Kolkata Knight Riders: 158 for 3 in 19.1 overs (Nitish Rana 48 not out, Rinku Singh 42 not out; Trent Boult 1/25).