IPL 2024 - Harshit Rana's final over changes tides as KKR win by 4 runs in last-ball thriller

This game encapsulated everything a T20 match should be: drama, high-scoring, wickets-tumbling, and a last-ball thriller. In Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the iconic Eden Gardens, the home team maintained their composure as pacer Harshit Rana shifted the momentum in their favour, securing a nail-biting victory by 4 runs on the final delivery.

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Despite chasing a formidable total of 208 runs, the strong start provided by Mayank Agarwal (32) and Abhishek Sharma (32), along with the explosive batting of Heinrich Klaasen (63 off 29 balls) and Shahbaz Ahmed (16 off 5 balls), brought SRH within striking distance of victory. 

However, Rana's crucial wickets of Shahbaz and Klaasen in the final over sealed the win for KKR. Rana claimed 3 wickets, while Andre Russell took two, and Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine each secured one.

This innings also witnessed the stare game between Mayank Agarwal and Harshit Rana which derived mixed reactions from commentators and fans alike. Even the umpire ended up getting hurt in the second innings, which saw the match come to a halt for a while.

Earlier, KKR's top-order batsmen Sunil Narine (2), Venkatesh Iyer (7), Shreyas Iyer (0), and Nitish Rana (9) fell quickly. Ramandeep Singh contributed with a brisk cameo of 35 off 17 balls, while Rinku Singh added 23 runs. 

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However, it was Russell's dominant performance with the bat, scoring 64 runs off 25 balls, that propelled KKR to a competitive total. For SRH, T Natarajan picked up three wickets, Mayank Markande claimed two, and skipper Pat Cummins took one.

Teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.