IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 31st Match - Who Said What?

For the majority part of the game, Kolkata Knight Riders had the upper hand and were on the verge of getting it done but that’s when Jos Buttler changed the course of the match. The England skipper smashed 107* runs off 60 deliveries and hit the winning runs when he could barely run singles or doubles. KKR threw everything they had got at Buttler but when it’s his day, no bowler seems to be good enough.

It wasn’t just Buttler who had an incredible day. Veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine had a spectacular night as he smashed his maiden T20 century. Courtesy of his 109 runs off 56 deliveries, KKR finished 223/6 in the first innings and it was visibly clear that they were 10 runs short in the end. The other batters had to step in but the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer failed, which might have cost them the match.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals 2nd innings highlights against KKR in Match 31

When it came to the chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a flying start to Rajasthan, and it was followed by Riyan Parag, who smacked 34 runs off 14 deliveries. However, RR lost their way in the middle as Varun Chakravarthy picked up back-to-back wickets of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shimron Hetmyer. After which, Rovman Powell took control of the situation and played a cameo of 26 runs off 13 deliveries, which brought the momentum back to RR.

After he got out, the Jos Buttler show began. He was relatively quiet for the rest of the night, but when the game was hanging in balance, he let the inner beast take control as he hit boundaries for fun. Mitchell Starc once again had a terrible night on the field, as the Australia international leaked 50 runs in four overs, while Narine and Harshit proved costly in their final overs. In the end, with 1 needed off one, Buttler just flicked and helped RR win their sixth game of the season.

1. Where it went wrong for KKR?

It’s hard to pinpoint where Shreyas Iyer & Co actually went wrong. They had the game in their bag and with Narine, Starc, Rana and Chakravarthy’s over left, one should be hopeful. However, cricket is all about what happens on the pitch. Jos Buttler played some unbelievable cricket and hit boundaries for fun as the opposition bowlers looked clueless. Their pacers didn’t attempt slower bouncers or wide yorkers, which is surprising given the quality they possess.

2. Sunil Narine - the fallen hero

Sunil Narine was the one-man army for KKR with the bat. If he had some support from the other end, KKR could have a bit more to their tally in the first innings, which could have been a safe total for them. Nevertheless, his 107-run knock was impressive, to say the least, especially when he averaged just 3.00 with the bat during the 2023 edition.

Also Read - Sunil Narine makes IPL history: Century, Wicket, and Catch in a single game

3. Jos the Boss rewinds 2022 self

Jos Buttler hit his second century of IPL 2024 and most importantly, secured two points for RR against Kolkata to maintain their dominance on the table. He could barely move at one point, but nothing stopped the stumper-batter from achieving the target. What was phenomenal in the process was his 38-run partnership with Avesh Khan in the end, in which, the pacer didn’t face a ball. That sums up how brilliant Buttler was. Overall, it was a brilliant game of cricket as Eden Gardens witnessed another epic classic.

Losing skipper Shreyas Iyer said:

(Was this game a bitter pill to swallow?) I would second that actually, emotions were a roller coaster, certainly didn’t think we will get into this situation. It’s a funny game at the end of the day, he was striking the ball cleanly and timing them so well, have to take it on the chin and move on. I mean at this point of time you see that you bowl your best deliveries, a little bit hit or miss and you are sent out of the ground, it’s good that it happened now rather than it happening in the later stages of the tournament, good learning for us. (On Sunil Narine) He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game, he is that kind of player who capitalizes on each and every moment. I'm glad that he is a part of our team. Since he was striking it so well, I thought let’s take pace off the ball and gave it to Chakaravarthy and it’s high pressure when you have five fielders inside the circle, you basically don’t have idea where to bowl. It’s just about relaxing and rejuvenating, it was very humid as well today. It's important to learn from our mistakes and bounce back. We have a few days break. At the end of the day, it was a great game, a few overs here and there but I’m really proud of the boys.

Winning skipper Sanju Samson said:

Very happy with the win. We were wondering like the wickets we lost. Rovman hit a couple of sixes and that's when we felt like we were in the game. Some luck also, they also played really well. The quality of spin they had, they bowled really well. This ground suited them. Jos did what he does for us in the last 6-7 years, so happy for him. It (Jos's knock) should go right on top. Being an opener, if he gets in, no runs are unchaseable. He does something special.

POTM Jos Buttler said:

Keep believing, that was the real key today. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. At times you feel frustrated or you are questioning yourself. I tell myself it's okay, keep going, you'll get your rhythm back and try to stay calm. There's been plenty of times throughout the IPL, you've seen crazy things happen. Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they still the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same. That's something Sanagakkara has told me a lot - there's always a breaking point. The worse thing you can do is to not fight and give your wicket away. He just tells me to stay there and at some point, the momentum will change. That's been a big part of my play over the last few years. (Greatest IPL innings?) I would think so. Very satisfying.