Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson on Sunday was the star as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a Super Over at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. This was the third time this season that a match had to be decided with a Super Over but Ferguson ended up making it a farce as he took both of SRH’s wickets for just two runs in three balls.
KKR captain Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik, who combined to score 58 runs in the last five overs to take their team to 163/5 earlier in the day, knocked off the required three runs in four balls. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik combined to score 58 runs in the last five overs to take their team to 163/5 in 20 overs. Morgan was dismissed off the last ball of the innings for 34 off 23 balls while Karthik was unbeaten on 29 off 14.
Shubman Gill was the highest run scorer for the two-time IPL champions with 36 but he took 37 balls to get to that mark before falling to Rashid Khan.
KKR’s top order struggled to get their shots away and by the time Andre Russell was dismissed off the last ball of the 15th over, the score was 105/4.
Morgan and Karthik, however, shifted gears in the death overs. Morgan hit three fours and one six while Karthik hit two fours and as many sixes.
Ferguson earlier brought KKR back into the game after the powerplay with figures of 3/15 in four overs. He broke the opening partnership of 68 runs between his New Zealand team mate Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow by dismissing the former while he was on 29. He then bowled out Priyam Garg and Manish Pandey, the latter with an inch perfect yorker aimed at ther base of the off stump.
SRH captain David Warner, who came at no.4 instead of his usual opening position, struggled to get going for most of the innings but smashed three consecutive fours in the last over to swing the momentum SRH’s way. A single off the last, which was called leg bye, ensured that SRH reach 163/6 and the game thus went into a Super Over. Warner was unbeaten on 47 off 33 balls.
Brief scores: KKR 163/5 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 36, Eoin Morgan 34; Thangarasu Natarajan 2/40) vs SRH 163/6 in 20 overs (David Warner 47 not out, Jonny Bairstow 36; Lockie Ferguson 3/15)
