END OF OVER:
20 | 10 Runs | RR: 194/7 (8 runs required, RR: 9.70)

  • Chris Morris34 (11b)
  • Stuart Binny3 (3b)
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar4-0-44-3
  • Praveen Kumar4-0-40-0

7.30 pm Sunrisers revamped their team for this game, leaving out overseas bowlers and bringing in overseas batsmen to strengthen the middle order. It paid off, the batting fired, the middle order capitalising on a superb start. The bowling had been weakened but not weakened enough to fail to defend 201. Royals stay on 14 points, and have only two more games to play. Tough games too. Sunrisers move up to ten points with four games to play.

D.S.A: "Can all of the Bopara-haters please stand up? Better to have him with bat and ball, and then Steyn going for nine an over in his four, and nothing with the bat."

Suyash: "Didnt't the same thing happen to RR last year as well?! Winning almost all the matches in the first half and losing almost all in the 2nd?"

Vishnu: "Sanju Samson was wasted today."

Presentation time. Huge number of people on the stage. Ridiculous.

Warner: "We knew a total around 170-180 was going to be good on this pitch, 200 was a bonus. Just before I went out I seized up a little bit (back) I played a bad shot there. We needed to build momentum in the middle order, it paid off tonight, we haven't been clicking in the middle periods. Today was an experiment and we needed the win. We need to be better at bowling in the end."

The Man of the Match is Eoin Morgan for that firestarting 63 off 28 balls. Morgan: It felt good, I've sort of worked a little on a few things after a little review on how the World cup went personally. We expected it to be a great wicket to bat on, but it didn't play like that. It was better to play straight than square ..."

I'm calling it a night, now. But the Knight Riders are going to bat at Eden Gardens against Daredevils. Hop on over. Thank you for all your emails today. Have a good evening, cheers.

19.6
1
B Kumar to Morris, 1 run, the slower one outside off stump, Morris hits it towards point, Sunrisers win by seven runs.
19.5
4
B Kumar to Morris, FOUR, Morris hammers the full ball straight at hard, but Sunrisers will have watched in glee as it bounces once and then twice before going over the boundary

Two sixes needed to tie the game.

19.4
2
B Kumar to Morris, 2 runs, in the blockhole, Morris flicks but gets an inside edge towards short fine leg where Ishant dives to save the boundary
19.3
1
B Kumar to Binny, 1 run, a full toss, Binny is on the front foot again and hits the ball to long on, he needs to be waiting in his crease for these full toss balls, he's rushing at them instead
19.2
1
B Kumar to Morris, 1 run, that's really wide outside off and Morris reaches for it and hits it to deep cover, Bhuvneshwar is denying Morris the space to hit on the leg side
19.1
1
B Kumar to Binny, 1 run, a low full toss, Binny meets it on the front foot and drives hard down the ground, just the single

Ah'san: "All those efforts by PK in his first 3 overs (18 runs) has been all washed off by Morris in just 3 balls (18 runs)"

Royals need 18 off the last over. Bhuvneshwar to bowl ...

END OF OVER:
19 | 22 Runs | RR: 184/7 (18 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.68, RRR: 18.00)

  • Stuart Binny1 (1b)
  • Chris Morris26 (7b)
  • Praveen Kumar4-0-40-0
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar3-0-34-3
18.6
1
P Kumar to Binny, 1 run, full and straight again, Binny drives to long off, Morris won't have the strike for the start of the final over
18.5
1
P Kumar to Morris, 1 run, nearly in the blockhole again, Morris can only hit it out towards long on, where Warner keeps them to a single
18.4
2
P Kumar to Morris, 2 runs, in the blockhole, and a slower ball too, Morris plays it towards deep midwicket and they rush back for the second to keep strike

Royals need 22 off 9 now ... Praveen goes round the wicket.

18.3
6
P Kumar to Morris, SIX, three out of three! What is going on here! Praveen drops it short and Morris pulls fiercely, smashing it flat over deep square leg.
18.2
6
P Kumar to Morris, SIX, and again! This time it's far away from Morgan at deep midwicket. Morris gets under a full toss and hammers it with a tremendous heave across the line
18.1
6
P Kumar to Morris, SIX, what a shot that is from Morris! Picked up the length early and lofted it clean off his pads high and far over deep midwicket, Morgan dives superbly to try and catch it or parry it back into play but it evades him

END OF OVER:
18 | 17 Runs 2 Wkts | RR: 162/7 (40 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 20.00)

  • Chris Morris5 (2b)
  • Stuart Binny0 (0b)
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar3-0-34-3
  • Ravi Bopara3-0-22-1
17.6
1
B Kumar to Morris, 1 run, the slower ball and Morris plays a chippy swat over square leg, falls well short of the deep fielders
17.5
4
B Kumar to Morris, FOUR, Morris moves right across his stumps first ball and scoops over the head of the fielder at short fine leg
17.4
W
B Kumar to Samson, OUT, bowled him! Bhuvneshwar adjusts his line outside off stump, and the length isn't a full toss, it is good. Samson tries to drag it from outside off towards leg and gets an inside edge on to the stumps. Should Samson have batted high today? What's he doing at No. 8?

SV Samson b B Kumar 21 (16m 10b 0x4 3x6) SR: 210

17.3
6
B Kumar to Samson, SIX, that's flat, has it gone far enough? It has! Samson waited in his crease again for a low full toss on the pads and swung it clean over the fielder at deep square leg
17.2
6
B Kumar to Samson, SIX, Samson shows Faulkner how it's done! The length was similar to the previous one but Samson stayed in his crease, using the depth and hammering it straight over the bowler's head, that cleared the sightscreen
17.1
W
B Kumar to Faulkner, OUT, the finisher's gone! Bhuvneshwar bowls a low full toss, Faulkner can't get under it properly and ends up lofting it flat and straight to Bopara on the long-on boundary. It's all over.

JP Faulkner c Bopara b B Kumar 30 (32m 19b 2x4 2x6) SR: 157.89

Royals need 19 an over off the last three. A task that might even be beyond the finisher.

END OF OVER:
17 | 10 Runs | RR: 145/5 (57 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.52, RRR: 19.00)

  • James Faulkner30 (18b)
  • Sanju Samson9 (7b)
  • Ravi Bopara3-0-22-1
  • Moises Henriques3-0-29-1
16.6
1
Bopara to Faulkner, 1 run, good length outside off, Faulkner hits it off the back foot towards cover
16.5
0
Bopara to Faulkner, no run, super slow from Bopara outside off, Faulkner gets an inside edge as he tries to hit on the off side
16.4
1
Bopara to Samson, 1 run, Samson moves across his stumps to scoop but ends up hitting it towards short fine leg, Faulkner sprints through