KOLKATA, APRIL 21
Virat Kohli reacted angrily to his controversial dismissal after a full toss and wicketkeeper Phil Salt made good work of a wayward throw for a last-ball runout as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by one run in the Indian Premier League.
Bengaluru was bowled out for 221 runs in reply to Kolkata's 222-6 on Sunday.
Kohli (18) was the first man out in Bengaluru's chase after playing a slower full toss back to bowler Harshit Rana with the toss deemed legal height-wise as the batter was standing far outside the crease. Kohli was incensed at the umpire's decision and made his feelings known, but had to walk off as the Hawk-Eye technology went in the bowler's favor.
Faf du Plessis (7) holed out off Varun Chakravarthy with Bengaluru down to 35-2.
Will Jacks scored his first half-century with five sixes in 55 off 32 balls. Rajat Patidar (52 in 23) also hit five sixes. The duo put on 102 off only 48 balls for the third wicket.
Andre Russell (3-25) and Sunil Narine (2-34) then brought Kolkata back into the game and Bengaluru lost four quick wickets for 18 runs. Russell dismissed both Jacks and Patidar in the 12th over. Narine sent back Cameron Green (6) and Mahipal Lomror (4) in the very next over.
Impact player Suyash Prabhudessai hit 24 and Dinesh Karthik got 25, both off 18 balls.
Another slower delivery from Rana (2-33) claimed Prabhudessai in the 18th over, while a turning point came when Karthik was caught behind off Russell in the 19th.
Bengaluru needed 21 off six balls in the final over bowled by Mitchell Starc (1-55). Karn Sharma smacked three massive sixes in four deliveries to almost snatch the game away from Kolkata before he lobbed a simple return catch to the pacer.
It resulted in the dramatic finish off the last ball, with Lockie Ferguson short of his crease despite a poor incoming throw.
Earlier, after Kolkata was put into bat, Salt scored 48 off 14 balls with seven fours and three sixes, even as Kolkata lost wickets cheaply at the other end.
Narine was out for 10 and Angkrish Raghuvanshi dismissed for three. Both fell in the sixth over to left-arm pacer Yash Dayal.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings with a mature 36-ball knock of 50 runs. He had key partnerships with Rinku Singh (24) and Russell (27 not out) before he was dismissed in the 18th over.
Kolkata was 179-6 at that stage and 200 looked some way off. But Ramandeep Singh provided the final flourish, smacking 24 not out off nine balls, including two fours and two sixes.
Kolkata climbed up to second in the table, equal on 10 points with Sunrisers Hyderabad but ahead on net run-rate.
Bengaluru are 10th, with a seventh defeat in eight games.
Punjab Kings hosts Gujarat Titans in the second game later Sunday.
