BOWLERS HOLD NERVES IN DEATH OVERS AS KKR CLINCH FIVE-RUN WIN OVER SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowled held their nerves to deliver skilful bowling spells in death overs to clinch a five-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Hyderabad on Thursday.

Now, KKR is at eighth position with four wins and six losses. They have a total of eight points. SRH is at ninth position with three wins and six losses. They have a total of six points. In the chase of 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. At the end of the powerplay in six overs, SRH was at 53/3, with skipper Aiden Markram and Harry Brook unbeaten at zero.

Anukul Roy trapped Harry Brook lbw for a four-ball duck, continuing his disappointing run in IPL. SRH sunk to 54/4 in 6.2 overs. Skipper Markram and Heinrich Klaasen started to build a partnership, taking the side halfway through the innings without any loss of wicket. At the end of 10 overs, SRH was at 75/4, with Klaasen (11*) and Markram (10*) unbeaten. Anukul Roy was smashed for 15 runs in the 11th over, including two sixes by Klaasen.