Finn Allen of the Kolkata Knight Riders lit up Eden Gardens like a fireworks show, smashing 93 off just 35 balls – with 10 sixes and four boundaries – to power his side to a mammoth 247 for 2 and a 29-run win over the Gujarat Titans in their must-win IPL clash in Kolkata.
The Kiwi opener took the Titans’ vaunted attack apart after a quiet start, launching Kagiso Rabada for back-to-back sixes and cashing in on a dropped catch to set a target that always looked beyond Gujurat, even on a belter, after being sent in to bat first. Allen’s blitz gave KKR a fighting chance in the playoff race, and they defended it with guts and guile, restricting the Titans to 218 for four.
The context was simple: lose and KKR were basically done, win and the Titans became the first side into the playoffs. Instead, Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (82 not out, 4×4, 7×6) and Cameron Green (52 not out, 3×4, 4×6) turned it into a six-fest – KKR smashing 22 maximums to GT’s 12.
Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with 2 for 29, including the key scalp of Shubman Gill for 85, who tried valiantly to keep his side in the mix, smashing five boundaries and seven sixes from 49 deliveries while the Titans’ fielding leaked like a sieve dropping four catches when they could ill-afford to.
South Africa’s Rabada, brought in for some serious pace, went wicketless for 40 runs in four overs – expensive stuff on a pitch that offered him nothing as the home batters teed off. KKR stay alive by the skin of their teeth, while GT’s five-game winning streak is snapped in brutal fashion.
As published on Supersport.com