05/04/25 10:50:00
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05/04 10:48 CDT Kolkata keeps its knockout hopes alive in IPL with 1-run
victory over Rajasthan
Kolkata keeps its knockout hopes alive in IPL with 1-run victory over Rajasthan
KOLKATA, India (AP) --- Riyan Parag smashed five sixes in one over but still
finished on the losing team as Rajasthan Royals' chase fell agonizingly short
Sunday in a 1-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kolkata's victory keeps its knockout hopes alive.
Parag hit eight sixes overall in his 45-ball 95. Rajasthan finished on 205-8 in
its 20 overs with Varun Chakravarthy (2-32), Harshit Rana (2-41) and Moeen Ali
(2-43) taking six wickets between them.
This was after Andre Russell's 57 not out off 25 balls propelled Kolkata to a
total of 206-4.
Kolkata is now sixth in the points' table, with five wins in 11 games, and can
still make the top four. Rajasthan is eighth with its ninth loss in 12 games,
and was already eliminated along with Chennai Super Kings.
Opting to bat first, Kolkata lost Sunil Narine for 11. Rahmanullah Gurbaz made
an early impact with 35 off 25, including four fours and a six.
He added 56 off 33 balls with Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 30 off 24 before he
was caught behind off Parag in the 13th over.
Kolkata was well placed at 111-3 in the 13th over. Russell added 61 off 33
balls with Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 off 31).
Their partnership allowed Kolkata to get within sniffing distance of 200.
Russell hit 50 off 22 balls with six sixes and four fours -- his first
half-century of the season. He also added 34 off 11 balls with Rinku Singh (19
not out), who hit two sixes.
In reply, Rajasthan lost teenage batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi (4) early. It
became a double blow as Kunal Rathore fell for a five-ball duck to leave the
team at 8-2 in the second over.
Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a calm 34 off 21 balls, with five fours and a six, to
revive the innings. He added 58 off 31 balls with stand-in skipper Parag, who
took charge after the opener fell in the seventh over to Moeen Ali.
While Parag went about his business, Kolkata's spinners put Rajasthan in a
bind. Chakravarthy led the way -- he struck twice in the eighth over -- bowling
Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasranga in the space of three balls, both batters out
for ducks.
Rajasthan had lost three wickets in six deliveries when Parag found Shimron
Hetmyer for company. They added 92 off 48 balls to resurrect the chase.
Parag scored his first half-century of the season off 27 balls and then went
into power-hitting mode. He hit five successive sixes off Ali in the 13th over,
and then made it six out of six, hitting his first ball of the next over from
Chakravarthy for six as well.
Impact sub Rana got the breakthrough, dismissing Hetmyer, but Parag's charge
had put Rajasthan back in the game.
Shubham Dubey, impact sub for Rajasthan, scored 25 not out off 14 balls to take
the chase into the final over after Rana also dismissed Parag in the 18th over.
Needing 22 off the last six balls, Dubey brought it down to three off three but
then was run out on the last ball trying to take the game to a Super Over.
In Sunday's second game, Punjab Kings hosts Lucknow SuperGiants in Mohali.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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