New Delhi:
Kolkata Knight Riders chose to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2019 Indian Premier League encounter at the Eden Gardens. Sunrisers will be led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar after Kane Williamson was ruled out of the contest due to a shoulder injury. David Warner is back for Sunrisers Hyderabad and he started his tournament off to a grand start by smashing his 37th fifty and sharing a partnership of 118 with Jonny Bairstow. Warner was unlucky to miss out on his century but Vijay Shankar smashed a wonderful cameo of 40 off 24 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad reached 181/3. Kolkata Knight Riders started well with Nitish Rana slamming a fifty but a floodlight failure and consistent bowling from Sunrisers Hyderabad put them in the hunt for a win. However, Andre Russell's blitz towards the end changed the course of the match and Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by six wickets to start their campaign on a positive note. (SCORECARD)
Andre Russell, you legend. He smashes Sunrisers Hyderabad in the death overs, an area where they have excelled. Russell's unbeaten 49 helps Kolkata Knight Riders win by six wickets and get their campaign off to a great start.
Two sixes and two fours by Andre Russell and KKR need 13 off the last over. Shubman Gill blasts Shakib for a six and they need 5 off 4 to win.
Two sixes and a boundary by Andre Russell and Kolkata Knight Riders are in the hunt now for an improbable win. Siddarth Kaul, normally a safe death bowler, has leaked runs.
The break for the floodlight failure has hurt Kolkata Knight Riders as Nitish Rana is traped LBW for 68. That will surely hurt their chances. Can Andre Russell pull off a miracle?
It looks like the floodlight situation has been sorted and play might resume. The par score at this time, should the match be over is 126 and KKR are behind.
Oh dear, we have a slight hold-up in play as one of the floodlights fail in Eden Gardens. The final strategic time-out has been taken.
Nitish Rana blasts a six off Sandeep Sharma and KKR need 68 off 39 balls. He is the key for the hosts and he gets going with a reverse swept boundary off Rashid Khan.
Nitish Rana survives an LBW appeal as the ball was pitching outside the line of leg stump. Sunrisers lose a review and Nitish Rana cuts Rashid Khan to the deep point fence. The required rate is 13 runs per over and it is getting difficult for KKR.
KKR have lost DK and Robin Uthappa in quick succession but Nitish Rana holds firm with a brilliant fifty. He is the key for KKR
Sandeep Sharma gets the big wicket of Dinesh Karthik. Superb knuckle ball and DK chips it to Bhuvneshwar Kumar at cover and he departs for 2.
Brilliant stuff from Siddarth Kaul. Full and straight, right in the blockhole, Uthappa makes room and looks to cream it to the off side and the ball detonates the off stump out of the ground.
Uthappa and Rana hit a six each off Shakib Al Hasan as 15 runs are conceded in the 11th over.
Oh dear, things go from bad to worse for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Yusuf Pathan drops a sitter off Robin Uthappa. Kolkata Knight Riders are making good progress.
Kolkata Knight Riders are making good progress with Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana batting confidently.
14 runs in Sandeep Sharma's first over and Kolkata Knight Riders are making a good start.
Nitish Rana is in fine form. He gets going with a boundary and he blasts one boundary and a six off Sandeep Sharma as Kolkata Knight Riders look to bounce back.
After a quiet first over, Rana starts Bhuvneshwar Kumar's second over with a boundary. Off and running. After 2.1 overs, it's 11/1.
WICKET: Shakib slowed it in the air and Lynn just couldn't time the ball, went straight up - an easy catch for Rashid Khan. First wicket down for KKR. Lynn OUT for 7.
A superb cameo of 40 from 24 balls from Vijay Shankar has helped Sunrisers Hyderabad reach 181/3 against Kolkata Knight Riders. This will be an uphill task for the hosts on an Eden wicket that will get slower as the game progresses.
Vijay Shankar hits a six and a boundary and Sunrisers Hyderabad are reaching a good score. Kolkata Knight Riders will face a big task.
The off-cutter from Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan is way too early into the shot and the stumps are disturbed. Kolkata Knight Riders are mounting a comeback after the dismissal of David Warner.
Oh dear, no century for Warner as he clubs a full ball straight to cover but Robin Uthappa takes a brilliant catch. Warner falls for 85 off 53 balls but Sunrisers Hyderabad are in a great position against Kolkata Knight Riders as they are 144/2 after 16 overs.
Vijay Shankar gets going with a six and he is giving Warner good support. Warner is nearing a century and it will be a grand comeback.
Finally, KKR get a massive wicket. Piyush Chawla gets a short ball to skid through from the pitch and Bairstow is too early into the shot, he misses it and the off stump is knocked back. Sunrisers Hyderabad are 118/1 in the 13th over.
Dinesh Karthik drops yet another chance and Kolkata Knight Riders continue to struggle. This is the first time Bairstow and Warner have opened and they have done a great job for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Bairstow thumps Nitish Rana but Shubman Gill drops a tough catch as Sunrisers Hyderabad go past 100.
Warner blasts a six off Kuldeep Yadav and at the half-way stage, Sunrisers Hyderabad are in a great position and Kolkata Knight Riders are running out of options.
Two consecutive fours by David Warner and he notches up his 37th fifty. It is a grand comeback for David Warner and this is a wonderful moment.
In the previous over, Dinesh Karthik dropped Warner on 39 and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to make Kolkata Knight Riders pay.
Warner nears a fifty as he reverse sweeps Kuldeep Yadav to the third man fence. He is showing good form and this could be good news for not only Sunrisers Hyderabad but for the Australian cricket team.
That is the end of the powerplay and Sunrisers Hyderabad have gone past fifty. Sunil Narine concedes two boundaries and KKR continue to struggle. Kuldeep Yadav into the attack
Lockie Ferguson is into the attack and he is bowling at good pace. Sunrisers Hyderabad are making decent progress but Kolkata Knight Riders are still searching for a wicket.
Bairstow has been given out LBW and Sunrisers Hyderabad immediately opt for the review. Replays show an inside edge and the decision will be overturned.
David Warner slams a boundary and Kolkata Knight Riders lose a review as Piyush Chawla appeals for an LBW. The ball was pitching well outside the line of leg stump. Sunrisers Hyderabad are 16/0 after two overs.
Prasidh Krishna is opening the bowling and David Warner as well as Jonny Bairstow are opening the batting. Eight runs in the first over and Bairstow recovers from a painful blow in the box. Not a good start in the IPL for the England wicketkeeper.
Here are the playing XIs of both the sides
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): David Warner, Jonny Bairstow(w), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar(c), Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul
Kolkata Knight Riderds have chosen to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jonny Bairstow will make his IPL debut for Sunrisers while KKR will be eyeing their seventh straight win in an opening game.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, they will be determined to start their campaign off to a great start. They have traditionally been slow starters and they would be hoping they do not play catch-up in this season.
Hello and a warm welcome to the second game of IPL 2019 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In the first game between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, it was a low-scoring anti-climatic match and one would be hoping there would be more thrills in this game between two equally matched teams.
