KKR vs SRH Highlights, IPL 2023: 3 moments that generated a buzz among fans in Match 19
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) hosted the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens on Friday, April 14 in their fourth contest of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Home captain Nitish Rana won the toss and elected to bowl first. KKR were blown away by a rapid start from SRH, but managed to fight back with two wickets towards the end of the powerplay, courtesy of Andre Russell.
Spin bowling did not prove to be as potent for KKR as Harry Brook and Aiden Markram shared a vital partnership in the middle overs. Brook even went to convert his knock into a hundred in the process. The visitors ended with an imposing total of 228-4 in their 20 overs.
KKR, in pursuit of the most successful run chase in IPL history, had a horrid start. They lost three wickets in the powerplay, before Rana came into the middle.
The left-handed batter was the lone ranger as wickets tumbled around him. Andre Russell's poor form continued while Rinku Singh scored a fifty much like the skipper. However, those knocks did not prove to be enough as SRH ended up with two points after winning by 23 runs.
#1 Andre Russell celebrates his wicket before the catch is even taken
KKR skipper Nitish Rana sprung up a surprise in the powerplay by handing the ball to Andre Russell. The Caribbean all-rounder was operating only as a pure batter in IPL 2023 so far.
He struck gold on his first delivery in the tournament by claiming the wicket of Mayank Agarwal. The right-arm pacer was given his second over inside the powerplay and finished it with the wicket of Rahul Tripathi.
Tripathi was not prepared for the bouncer and did not get a decent connection to his pull shot. The delivery went straight into the air and wicket-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz was ready with the gloves to claim the catch.
Russell, however, began celebrating his wicket even before the ball made its way down. Thankfully, Gurbaz was able to seize the catch with no problem, thereby allowing the bowler to continue his triumph.
The all-rounder was given the ball yet again in the death overs and once again, he was successful in claiming a wicket off Abhishek Sharma. The dismissal came at a cost since Russell had to be carried off the field after sustaining an injury.
#2 Harry Brook becomes IPL 2023's first centurion
The ongoing IPL 2023 had witnessed several top knocks, but no hundreds so far. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a sublime 92 in the season opener, while Shikhar Dhawan recently scored an unbeaten 99, and those mark the closest thingts the tournament had in terms of a century.
Harry Brook, who was roped in by SRH for a staggering sum of ₹13.5 crore at the 2023 mini-auction, endured a poor start to IPL 2023. Even a promotion to the top of the order had not initially panned out for the youngster.
Brook brought his A-game at the Eden Gardens, enjoying a true surface in IPL 2023 for the first time. He took full advantage of it and slammed a sublime hundred. He reached the three-figure mark in the final over off Umesh Yadav in 55 deliveries. His innings comprised of 12 fours and three sixes and helped SRH amass the highest score of the tournament so far.
#3 Nitish Rana takes on Umran Malik to finish the powerplay
KKR were in a tricky position in the run chase after losing three quick wickets in the powerplay. The hosts were placed at 20-3 in the fourth over when skipper Nitish Rana came into bat.
The left-handed batter managed to get the run chase back on track and caused a drastic momentum shift by taking on Umran Malik in the sixth over of the innings. The skipper hit four fours and two sixes off the speedster to gather 28 runs from the over and end the powerplay with 62 runs.
Will SRH make it to the IPL 2023 playoffs after gathering some momentum? Let us know what you think.