KKR vs RR | Explosive Buttler outdoes Narine's ton to earn Rajasthan sensational last-ball triumph

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Rajasthan Royals achieved the highest ever chase in IPL history at the Eden Gardens on Monday to stay top of the table with a sixth win in the season. Sunil Narine's 49-ball ton drove KKR to a mammoth 223/6 but Jos Buttler's late carnage saw him end up unbeaten on 107 to secure a win for the ages.

‌Brief score: RR 224/8 (20) [Buttler 107*(60), Parag 34(14); Narine 2/30 (4)] defeat KKR 223/6 (20) [Narine 109(56), Rinku 20*(9); Avesh 2/35 (4)] by two wickets

Rajasthan Royals got off to the perfect start with the ball as Avesh Khan ended Phil Salt's 13-ball struggle with a sensational grab in the fourth over after the Englishman had been dropped on the second ball of the innings. Nevertheless, a flurry of boundaries from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Sunil Narine ensured the Knight Riders ended the powerplay on top at 56/1. Sanju Samson brought on Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal thereafter in search of wickets but the move backfired with the duo scoring 44 runs off the next four overs, as Narine brought up a 29-ball half-century. An intermittent over from Kuldeep Sen eventually led to Raghuvanshi's dismissal but there was no respite for the spinners with Narine slaughtering two maximums and as many boundaries off Chahals' final over to register a 49-ball ton. Boult eventually ended the Caribbean powerhouse's stay with a pinpoint yorker but Rinku Singh ensured the hosts got to a daunting total of 223 with an enthralling nine-ball cameo for 20.

In response, Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed to have finally found form as he raced to 19 off nine deliveries before a beautiful Vaibhav Arora outswinger had him caught at slip. Skipper Sanju Samson fell cheaply in the powerplay as well although some quick boundaries from Jos Buttler and Riyan Parag took the side to a dominant 76/2 at the end of the fielding restrictions. KKR further took the game by the jugular on the back of Harshit Rana ending Parag's rapid knock of 34 off 14, Narine scalping Dhruv Jurel five balls later, and Varun Chakravarthy sending Ashwin and Shimron Hetmyer packing on consecutive deliveries. However, just when the equation read a seemingly impossible 96 off the final six overs, Buttler and Rovman Powell combined for five boundaries and four maximums across the next 15 deliveries to keep the chase alive. Even after Narine came up clutch by dismissing his compatriot with his penultimate ball, Buttler's 60-ball century saw him hunt down 27 off the last two overs in a historic win.

Boss Buttler

Caughting big fishes

Good captaincy

Lol

Struggle is real

Typical

Two gems

Maiden century

Only three

Casually

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