KKR win by 86 runs

RR all-out for 85 runs – the lowest total by any team this season. Shivam Mavi finishes with his best IPL figures – 4/21 (3.1 overs). Rahul Tewatia (44 off 36) is the last batter dismissed as he chops one on. A big statement from Eoin Morgan and Co in Sharjah!

RR 84/9 after 15.3 overs: WICKET! Sakariya is run-out after a mix-up with Tewatia. KKR are just one wicket away from a big win in Sharjah.

RR 83/8 after 15 overs: Tewatia picks up two, two and four from that Ferguson over. He has given a good account of himself tonight. RR need 89 off 30.

RR 74/8 after 13 overs: SIX! Tewatia continues to fight a lone battle, this time the left-hander cracks a six off Narine’s bowling. He is batting on 34 off 22.

RR 62/8 after 11.2 overs: WICKET! Lockie Ferguson gets his third as Jaydev Unadkat finds the fielder in the deep. The New Zealand pacer has excellent figures of 3/6 from 2.2 overs. Chetan Sakariya is the new batter.

RR 58/7 after 11 overs: SIX! Tewatia gets on his knee and sweeps one out of the ground. Varun concedes nine runs in his third over. RR need 114 off 54.

RR 49/7 after 10 overs: Big over for RR! Tewatia hits Mavi for three fours – two on the off side and one to the fine-leg fence thanks to some sloppy work from Narine. The other batter at the crease now is Unadkat.

RR 35/7 after 9 overs: WICKET! RR lose their seventh. Chris Morris attempts a sweep and is trapped in front by Varun Chakravarthy.

RR 34/6 after 8 overs: WICKET! Shivam Mavi has two in the over! This time it’s Shivam Dube (18 off 20) who is clean bowled. The nightmare continues for RR.

RR 33/5 after 7.3 overs: WICKET! Shivam Mavi with a beaut of a delivery! It was quick and nipped away slightly to knock back Glenn Phillips’s off stump. RR have lost half their side, KKR are flying!

RR 30/4 after 7 overs: Two sixes! Finally an over that goes RR’s way. Dube steps out and hits Narine over long-on for a maximum, before Phillips stands in his crease and whacks one over long-off.

RR 17/4 after 6 overs: Ferguson bowls a fiery over and concedes just a single. KKR are making a statement in Sharjah.

RR 16/4 after 5 overs: Varun Chakravarthy joins the attack and concedes just three runs in his first over. Rajasthan Royals have Shivam Dube and Glenn Phillips at the crease now. The men in pink need 156 runs to win off 90 deliveries.

RR 13/4 after 3.4 overs: WICKET! Lockie Ferguson gets two in his first over as Anuj Rawat is gone for a first-ball duck. The left-hander was struck plumb in front but wasted the review.

RR 12/3 after 3.2 overs: WICKET! It’s all going KKR’s way at the moment! This time Ferguson gets Livingstone thanks to a superb catch by Tripathi. RR go further away from the win, MI go further away from the playoffs.

RR 1/2 after 1.1 overs: WICKET! Shivam Mavi gets Sanju Samson! This is a horror start with the bat for RR. The skipper flicked it straight to mid-wicket. Shivam Dube is the new batter.

RR 0/1 after 0.3 overs: WICKET! Shakib Al Hasan strikes in the first over as Yashasvi Jaiswal is clean bowled! Dream start with the ball for KKR. Sanju Samson joins Liam Livingstone at the crease.

9.29 pm: The target for RR is 172 as KKR keep their eyes on a playoffs spot. We’re ready for the chase in Sharjah!

KKR finish with 171/4

Samson concedes four byes in the last over by Morris, before Morgan flicks one for six. This is the highest total at Sharjah this season. Morgan remains unbeaten on 13 off 11, with DK on 14 off 11.

KKR 155/4 after 19 overs: Morgan finds the gap between short-third and backward point for four. Mustafizur finishes with figures of 0/31 from his four overs. With six balls remaining, KKR will aim to touch 170. Morris will bowl the last over.

KKR 145/4 after 17.1 overs: WICKET! Sakariya with a slower ball and Tripathi is clean bowled. He went for a slog and missed it completely. Tripathi walks back for 21 off 14 as captain Morgan comes to the crease. RR don’t have much room for error with the ball now.

KKR 145/3 after 17 overs: SIX! Mustafizur bowls a slower ball and Karthik pulls it a long way. The right-hander picked it early and got into a good position to play the shot. DK then survives getting run-out by putting in a superb full-length dive.

KKR 133/3 after 15.4 overs: WICKET! Chris Morris gets his first wicket of the UAE leg as Shubman Gill departs for 56 off 44. The right-hander tried to whack a full delivery but hit it straight up and got caught. KKR, however, have the foundation for a big finish. Dinesh Karthik is the new batter.

KKR 127/2 after 15 overs: Fifty for Shubman Gill! He gets there in 40 balls and with the help of an inside edge for four. The right-hander is playing a crucial knock for KKR.

KKR 119/2 after 14 overs: Back-to-back fours for Tripathi! He hits one straight over and follows that up with a cracking drive through extra cover. Expensive over from Dube.

KKR 106/2 after 13 overs: Shot! Mustafizur drops it short and Gill pulls it in the gap for four. KKR have the foundation for a strong finish. They have Gill and Rahul Tripathi.

KKR 92/2 after 11.5 overs: WICKET! Nitish Rana hits Glenn Phillips for a four and a six but then finds the fielder in the deep. Quick strikes by RR!

KKR 79/1 after 10.5 overs: WICKET! RR finally break the opening stand as Rahul Tewatia cleans up Venkatesh Iyer. The left-hander attempted a reverse-sweep but missed it completely, he departs for 38 off 35. Nitish Rana is the new batter.

KKR 79/0 after 10.4 overs: SIX! Samson introduces spin with half the innings done, Tewatia tosses up his first ball and Gill steps out and plays a stunning one-handed shot for six over long-on.

KKR 69/0 after 10 overs: Two sixes! KKR finally get the big over they were looking for! Iyer hits one over mid-wicket for six and follows that up with a stunning strike straight over for another maximum. Unadkat then pulled up with what seemed to be an ankle injury, and the physio came out to check on him. The left-arm pacer finishes with figures of 0/35 from his four overs.

KKR 55/0 after 9 overs: Shivam Dube comes on to bowl and RR get another good over, just five runs from it. Iyer and Gill are swinging hard but simply aren’t finding the middle of the bat.

KKR 50/0 after 8 overs: Mustafizur joins the attack and concedes just six runs in his first over. The pitch is sluggish and the KKR openers are struggling for timing.

KKR 44/0 after 7 overs: Shot! Unadkat bowls it slightly short and wide, Iyer opens the face of his bat late and guides the ball through short-third and backward point for four.

KKR 34/0 after 6 overs: Morris with a good over to end the powerplay. Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer are still at the crease but RR have done well to keep the run-flow in check.

KKR 31/0 after 5 overs: SIX! First maximum of the match and it comes from Gill’s bat. The right-hander steps put to Sakariya and lifts it straight over. Iyer then ends the over with a solid drive past mid-off for four.

KKR 20/0 after 4 overs: Another good over for RR, this time Unadkat concedes just a wide and two singles in his second over. The men in pink have been sharp in the field so far.

KKR 17/0 after 3 overs: Sakariya joins the attack and bowls a tidy over first up, just two runs come from it. KKR would want to up the ante soon.

KKR 15/0 after 2 overs: Iyer survives and picks up four! Morris, returning to the RR side, concedes seven runs in his first over as Iyer picks a boundary off the last ball with a drive just wide of mid-on.

KKR 8/0 after 1 over: Shot! Gill steps out to Unadkat and plays a wonderful straight drive for four. Not much movement for the left-arm pacer first up.

7.29 pm: KKR have Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill at the crease. RR are opening the bowling with Jaydev Unadkat. Here we go!

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: For those asking, the RCB defeat against SRH has damaged their case quite badly. For instance, they need to score 240 and bowl DC out for 76 to overhaul CSK’s net run rate and go into the 2n spot. Big chance missed, had they defeated SRH, just needed to win on last day.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (w/c), Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (w), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: PBKS net run-rate goes from -0.241 to -0.001. They finish the group stages with nearly exact same run-rate for and against. And while we are at it, RR can overhaul PBKS and KKR’s net run rate and go to 4th place if they score 240 and bowl KKR out for 59. But by option to bowl first, RR (if my calculations are right) have taken themselves out of the picture!

Toss:

Sanju Samson has won the toss and RR will bowl first.

IPL 2021 points table after CSK vs PBKS

Team Pld Won Lost Net RR Pts
Q Delhi Capitals 13 10 3 +0.526 20
Q Chennai Super Kings 14 9 5 +0.455 18
Q Royal Challengers Bangalore 13 8 5 -0.159 16
4 Kolkata Knight Riders 13 6 7 +0.294 12
5 Punjab Kings 14 6 8 -0.001 12
6 Mumbai Indians 13 6 7 -0.048 12
7 Rajasthan Royals 13 5 8 -0.737 10
8 Sunrisers Hyderabad 13 3 10 -0.422 6

6.50 pm: Hello and welcome to live coverage of match No 54 of Indian Premier League 2021. Tonight, Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.