IPL 2023: KKR pull off last-gasp win to keep playoff hopes alive, beat SRH by five runs in thriller

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pulled off a stunning five-run win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) against host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as they kept their playoff hopes alive. Asked to chase 172, SRH were firmly in the game before they faced a collapse in the dying moments of the contest to hand two valuable points to KKR while denting their own hopes of making the last four.

Chasing 172, Sunrisers Hyderabad was off to a solid start. But Harshit Rana disrupted the chase by dismissing Mayank Agarwal for 18 off 11 balls. SRH was at 29/1 in 2.5 overs.

Abhishek Sharma was also dismissed for nine runs by Shardul Thakur after he was caught by Andre Russell at deep backward square. SRH was at 37/2 in 3.5 overs.

SRH reached the 50-run mark in 5.2 overs.

Rahul Tripathi played some aggressive shots but his short stay at the crease ended in nine balls after he was dismissed by Russell, with help from Vaibhav Arora at fine-leg. SRH was at 53/3 in 5.3 overs.

While SRH needed 26 off 18 balls, Vaibhav dismissed Marco Jansen for just 1. SRH was reduced to 152/7 in 18.2 overs. Gurbaz took a brilliant catch to dismiss Jansen.

A no-ball from Vaibhav and a total of 12 runs conceded in the 19th over left SRH with nine runs in the final over to win.

After a single and a bye, Samad was caught near the boundary for 21 off 18 balls. SRH was at 165/8 in 19.3 overs, needing seven in three balls.

SRH failed to complete the chase, finishing at 166/8 in 20 overs. KKR won the match by five runs.

Shardul Thakur (2/23) and Vaibhav (2/32) impressed KKR with their bowling. Andre, Anukul, Varun and Harshit got a wicket each.

What happened in KKR innings?

Earlier, Nitish Rana’s 42 and Rinku Singh’s 46 helped Kolkata Knight Riders reach a respectable total of 171/9 while Nitish Rana scored 42 of 31 balls while Rinku Singh smashed 46 in 35 balls.

KKR are in eighth position with four wins and six losses. They have a total of eight points while SRH remain in ninth position with three wins and six losses and have a total of six points from a disappointing season.

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