RR scale mammoth 224-run target against KKR to record highest chase in IPL history
Rajasthan Royals (RR) scripted history by scoring 224 in the second innings against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16. This now marks the highest successful run-chase in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
The inaugural winners appeared down and out at one stage, but Jos Buttler remained unbeaten till the end with his hundred to see RR through. With this Herculean effort, RR equaled their own record from the 2020 edition, when they chased down the same target against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Sharjah.
RR were reduced to 121-6 in the 13th over, and avoiding a hit on the net run rate seemed to be the most realistic option. However, impact sub Jos Buttler, who was not fully fit kept going from one end and was aided by a cameo from Rovman Powell.
KKR cemented their status as favorites following Powell's dismissal in the 17th over, with RR still 46 runs behind the target. Buttler took on Starc in the 18th over, while a midfield from Phil Salt gave the opposition four extra runs as well. To make matters worse, Harshit Rana conceded 19 runs off the penultimate over, and KKR were found guilty of slow over rate.
Chakravarthy was tasked with defending nine runs in the final over, with only four fielders in the deep. The spinner conceded a six off the very first ball. Although he managed to yield three consecutive dot balls, Buttler managed to wrap things up in the penultimate over of the innings. The wicket-keeper batter recorded his eighth T20 hundred, ending up with an unbeaten 109 runs off 56 deliveries.
RR now have three of the five highest run chases in IPL history
The Sanju Samson-led side defied the odds to walk out of Eden Gardens with all the points, and are now holders of the two biggest chases in IPL history. Their mammoth 215-run chase against the Deccan Chargers also ranks fourth on the list of the highest run chases ever witnessed in the competition.
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer remarked that the defeat was certainly a bitter pill to swallow.
"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," Iyer said following the two-wicket defeat for KKR.
"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," he added.
The last-over defeat marks KKR's first defeat at Eden Gardens this season. It was their first since the narrow one-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season.