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Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 12th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary
Series: Indian Premier League 2020 Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Date & Time: Sep 30, 06:00 PM LOCAL
KKR beat RR by 37 runs to move up to second spot in the standings. © BCCI
What they said:
Karthik: Wouldn't call it a perfect game. Lot of areas we need to improve. The way Gill batted, Mavi bowled, Russell batted. Also the youngsters going after the high catches. Archer bowled really well. Wasn't that easy a wicket to bat on. Couple of guys made it look better than it was. These boys, the journey they've been through when they're not playing, is a hard one. Putting runs on the board is what we thought was the best way to go forward on this ground
Smith: Didn't quite go to plan. That happens in T20 cricket sometimes, we have a few areas to improve on, and keep moving forward. You could go one way or another, KKR like to chase. We planned to put their death bowling under pressure but obviously couldn't do that as we lost wickets upfront. Few of us still thought we are playing in Sharjah. It did (feel a lot different), the far side is a very big side and we didn't see too many balls going there and the other side is shorter. We probably didn't adapt to the dimensions and the wicket, also dropped a few catches which cost us.
KKR win by 37 runs
A big win for KKR. They go 2 from 3 and also ensure there are is no unbeaten team in this competition now.
@JofraArcher
Could well be... KKR got their first and only centurion on Day 1 of IPL
Powerplay: KKR 42/1
Nitish Rana is the new man in, cuts a Tom Curran delivery to the fence to get his innings going. On that topic, congratulations to Tom Curran - for his ECB central white-ball contract!
6, 4 and bowled: Unadkat removes Narine
Looked like the West Indian would make RR pay for that drop. Slogs a six over mid-wicket, then makes room to thrash one through the off side. A slower ball then slips under his slog to disturb the timber. Has upped the run-rate somewhat. Gone for 15. KKR 36/1 in the fifth over.
Debate: Has the Narine novelty worn off?
There are obvious weaknesses to his game now - the short ball into his body. Has that novelty factor worn off? He's 5 off 11 here and KKR hare 25 after 4 overs. Not what he is sent out there right... Or is it just a matter of form?
Narine get a reprieve
The southpaw was softened up by a couple of deliveries from Archer and didn't get any off Rajpoot either. Then Jaydev Unadkat bowls the perfect sucker slowball to draw the miscue. Uthappa, at mid-on, settles under it but shells the reverse cup.
Is that the break he needed?
Gill & Narine walk out to bat...
And Jofra Archer is given the first over this time. For obvious reasons. Don't expect him to pitch it up to Narine.
147, 151, 150, 147, 148, 151 -Archer's bowling speeds (in kph) in that first over. Proper heat.
Ankit Rajpoot from the other end and Gill hits him over his head for a delightful six.
Toss & Teams: Unchanged RR elect to field
Teams are clearly not being influenced by the stats. Steve Smith's decision means, one IPL 2020 streak will end tonight. Either RR will cease to remain the only unbeaten side in the competition or Dubai will no longer be a bat-first-and-win stadium. By the way, KKR are unchanged as well.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Jos Buttler(w), Steven Smith(c), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat
Pitch and conditions in Dubai
They're using the same pitch as they did for the RCB-MI game two nights ago. That means skewed boundary lengths once again. RR come from a venue that has had 68 metre boundaries. Some of the sixes they hit there would be caught in the deep here in Dubai, because one square boundary is 82 metres away.
To give you a better understanding, see how RCB exploited the ground's dimensions against Mumbai Indians.
All 5 games in Dubai so far have been won by the team batting first.
The Tewatia story
On Sunday night, Rahul Tewatia's life changed forever. A few hours later, in a village in Haryana, his father Krishan Pal was up to fetch milk for the family. This is The Tewatia story, captured excellently by Cricbuzz's very own - Kritika Naidu!
Prelude - RR vs KKR
Rahul Tewatia is back! Yes, I'm sure you've wanted to see more of him since that incredible night in Sharjah. The games are coming thick and fast now in IPL 2020, we're well into the second week of the competition but this is the first time the Royals will be dragged out of Sharjah, where they've notched up 200 totals for fun.
Thankfully for them, though, they're playing another team that hasn't played in Dubai as yet. It must be said, however, that KKR's experience in Abu Dhabi will be more closer to what they'll experience in Dubai here.
RR are unbeaten. KKR are coming off a win too. Strap yourself in!
© Cricbuzz
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