Heinrich Klaasen’s efforts go in vain as Kolkata clinch thriller by 4 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were up against each other in match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The match took place at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (23rd March).

It was a nail-biter that saw the game down to the last ball. But it was Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who held their nerves and made sure they started their IPL 2024 campaign on high. They won the game by 4 runs to gain important two points.

KKR vs SRH, IPL 2024 Match 3- Kolkata Knight Riders innings: Andre Russell’s carnage powers home team to a total of 208 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were asked to bat first and they had a horrendous start to their innings. England batter Phil Salt (54) at the one end was going all guns blazing but at the other end, things didn’t look great for them. They kept losing wickets and were left tottering at 51/4.

Kolkata Knight Riders made a masterstroke as they promoted Ramandeep Singh up the order and he changed the course of the game. He came out all guns blazing and took an attack on the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers. He scored 37 runs off 41 balls that took KKR past 100 runs.

But his wicket put KKR under a lot of pressure. It was then Rinku Singh and Andre Russell joined hands. The duo lifted the Eden Gardens crowd up and displayed brutal batting. They made a mockery of the SRH bowling up and put them under immense pressure.

The duo added 81 runs off 33 balls and made sure that Kolkata Knight Riders ended with a gigantic total on the board. While Andre Russell scored an unbeaten 64 runs off 25 balls, Rinku managed 23 runs off 15 balls as KKR posted a gigantic total of 208 runs on the board.

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, T Natarajan was the pick of the bowlers with his figures of 3/32. Apart from him, Mayank Markande picked two wickets whereas Pat Cummins bagged one scalp in the match against KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

KKR vs SRH, IPL 2024 Match 3- Sunrisers Hyderabad innings: Heinrich Klaasen’s 63 takes game to the last ball

Sunrisers Hyderabad were off the flying start in the chase as Mayank Agarwal (32) and Abhishek Sharma (32) batted magnificently at the top. They took the attack to the opposition right from the start and made sure the team got off to a brutal start, adding 60 runs for the opening partnership.

Rahul Tripathi (20) and Aiden Markram (18) tried to get going but they couldn’t set the stage on fire and lost their wickets at crucial junctures. Their wickets left Sunrisers Hyderabad tottering at 111/4. That was then when Heinrich Klaasen (63 off 29 balls) took charge and attacked the Kolkata bowlers.

He took the game to the last over, which didn’t look possible at one stage. With five runs needed off the last ball, Harshit Rana held his nerves and defended the game for his team. Kolkata registered the game by just four runs.