Jos Buttler’s Electrifying Century Crushes KKR’s Home Streak: Sunil Narine’s Heroics Not Enough !

**31st Match of IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals**

The Match took place at the legendary Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 16, 2024, the cricket match saw Rajasthan Royals winning the coin toss and opting to bowl first.

**Kolkata Knight Riders (Team Lineup):**

Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana

**Rajasthan Royals (Team Lineup):**

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (wk/captain), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal

**Impact Substitutes for the Teams:**

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs:

Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vaibhav Arora

Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs:

Jos Buttler, Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger

**FIRST INNING:**

Philip Salt narrowly escaped an early exit thanks to Parag’s missed catch. However, Avesh Khan later brilliantly caught his own delivery to dismiss Salt. In response, Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi pushed the game away from Rajasthan, with Raghuvanshi contributing 30 runs off 18 balls, including 5 boundaries. After Raghuvanshi’s dismissal, Narine aggressively continued, though he found little support from other teammates. Seemingly losing himself in his aggressive stance, Narine put up an impressive 109 runs from 56 balls, hitting 13 fours and 6 sixes before being bowled out by Boult. This innings was crucial for Kolkata. Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen claimed 2 wickets each, but with Narine’s explosive batting, Kolkata Knight Riders reached a total of 223-6.

**SECOND INNING:**

For Rajasthan Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler opened. Jaiswal attempted a few shots but was taken out by a remarkable delivery from Vaibhav Arora. Despite the falling wickets, Buttler kept the hopes alive and vigorously attacked the bowlers. Riyan Parag also showed prowess by frequently hitting the boundary, supporting Buttler with 34 runs from 14 balls, which included 4 fours and 2 sixes. Parag and Powell’s innings proved vital for Rajasthan. Buttler, on the other hand, scored a heroic 107 runs off 60 balls, with 9 fours and 6 sixes, leading Rajasthan to a successful chase. Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Sunil Narine each took 2 wickets.

 

**Player of the Match:**Jos Buttler was named player of the match for his stunning performance. The challenge seemed daunting for Rajasthan following Parag’s dismissal, but Buttler stood strong. This victory propelled Rajasthan to the top of the point table.

Despite the loss, Kolkata Knight Riders have little to regret. Sunil Narine’s performance was a spectacle, showing his prowess in both batting and bowling. Following this defeat, the Knight Riders now stand second in the point table.