IPL 2024: 3 players who starred and 2 who flopped in the KKR vs RR match ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal & Sunil Narine

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) edged out the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two wickets in Match 31 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Royals saw a stellar batting effort from the home side who put 223/6 on the board. There were major hiccups in the chase, but Rajasthan got over the line off the very last ball of the game to reaffirm their spot at the top of the standings.

On that note, here are three players who starred and two who flopped in the KKR vs RR IPL 2024 match.

#5 Star - Sunil Narine (KKR)

Narine [left] blasted a ton [Image Courtesy: iplt20.com]

Sunil Narine entered the top three in the IPL 2024 Orange Cap list with a sensational hundred against RR on Tuesday. Opening the batting has worked out extremely well for the explosive southpaw.

Narine got off the blocks slowly this time around, with Trent Boult bowling a teasing three overs in the powerplay. He came into his own soon, though, and cashed in on the spinners, R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, in the middle overs.

Narine has played more than 500 T20s but had never scored a ton before this game. He seems to be peaking as a batter.

#4 Flop - Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)

Jaiswal is having a rough season [Image Courtesy: iplt20.com]

IPL 2024 hasn't gone to plan for Yashasvi Jaiswal. In recent games, he has struck a couple of boundaries at the start of his innings but hasn't been able to carry that momentum forward.

The same was the case against KKR as Jaiswal hit three fours and a six before attempting a lofted hit off Vaibhav Arora, only for the ball to swing away late and find the first slip. The opener's weight didn't seem to go through the shot, and he appeared to be on the backfoot while trying to hit the ball down the ground.

Jaiswal needs to buck up and bat like he did last year for him to nail down a spot in India's T20 World Cup and help RR become an even bigger force in IPL 2024.

#3 Star - Rovman Powell (RR)

Rovman Powell didn't get a chance to bat in most of RR's first few games of the tournament, but he has come up with a couple of crucial contributions in his last two outings.

KKR had plenty of overs of spin up their sleeve by the time Powell came to the middle, and he was always going to have a massive challenge ahead of him. He tried negotiating them for a bit but found himself in a position where he needed to take on Sunil Narine.

Powell did just that, striking two sixes and a four, before being trapped in front by Narine. He didn't get the job done, but the big West Indian played a vital hand.

#2 Flop - Shreyas Iyer (KKR)

KKR's captain has looked out of sorts in IPL 2024. Shreyas Iyer played another unconvincing knock against RR as he failed to capitalize on friendly batting conditions at the Eden Gardens.

Shreyas, who had a good recent record against the Royals, struck a maximum off Yuzvendra Chahal but fell soon after, trapped in front while attempting a slog sweep off the leg-spinner. It isn't a shot that has produced great results for him over the years, and it was perhaps a reflection of the pressure he finds himself under.

As the tournament progresses, Shreyas will need to step up and score at a faster clip while remaining reliable.

#1 Star - Jos Buttler (RR)

Jos Buttler racked up his seventh IPL ton as he saw a tricky chase through at the Eden Gardens. Running out of partners at the other end, the Englishman overcame a mid-innings slump where he couldn't find the middle of the bat to come up with an excellent death-overs hitting display.

Buttler was visibly struggling with his fitness but still managed to hit nine fours and six sixes in his century. After Powell was dismissed, he needed to get the job done on his own, and he did that in the last three overs to build on the hundred he scored a few days ago.