KKR Vs RR: Jos Buttler's Ton Helps Rajasthan Royals Pull Off Joint-Highest Run Chase In IPL History - As It Happened

Here are the highlights of match 31 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. The battle of the table toppers proved to be a nail-biter as Rajasthan Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders on the last ball of the match to win the game by two wickets. The Royals, guided by the seventh IPL ton of Jos Buttler, also successfully chased down the joint-highest target in the IPL history at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Catch the highlights of the KKR Vs RR match of the IPL 2024, here. (Scorecard | Streaming)

The pitch looks rock hard and nice to bat on. The square boundaries are 59 metres and 71 metres respectively with the straight boundary at 75 metres. Humidity is there and dew might play a big role later, so captains will be looking to chase the target. The outfield is lightning-fast and bowlers might go to defend on the longer side of the boundary.

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to field

Playing XIs:

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

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal

Kolkata Knight Riders: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vaibhav Arora

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger

Phil Salt and Sunil Narine opened the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders and Trent Boult started with the first over for Rajasthan Royals. Riyan Parag dropped a simple catch on the second delivery. Just two runs came from the first over.

KKR - 2/0 (1)

Phil Salt was given a lifeline by Riyan Parag but he couldn't make good use of it and lost his wicket to Avesh Khan, who took a fine catch on his own bowling. Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the new batter and he has hit three boundaries to Trent Boult in a single over.

KKR - 56/1 (6)

Sunil Narine smashed a 29-ball fifty and the team's total reached 100 runs within the first 10 overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi is also giving good support and hitting continuous boundaries. The fifty-run stand between the two was also completed.

KKR - 100/1 (10)

Kuldeep Sen came to bowl his third over in front of the set batter Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. He got smashed for three boundaries in the over. With five overs remaining in the innings, KKR eyeing a big total from here.

KKR - 161/3 (15)

Sunil Narine targeted Yuzvendra Chahal and two sixes and as many fours in his over to reach his first IPL century. He smashed the century in just 49 balls. Andre Russell has lost his wickets and Rinku Singh is the new batter at the crease.

KKR - 191/4 (17)

Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer grabbed 16 runs from the 19th over including two fours and six. Kuldeep Sen came to bowl the final over and gave just 9 runs including a six by Rinku Singh on the fifth delivery. Before that, he dismissed Iyer on the second delivery. Now, Rajasthan Royals need 224 runs to win the match.

KKR - 223/6 (20)

Brief Score: KKR - 223/6 (20)

Sunil Narine - 109 (56), Angkrish Raghuvanshi - 30 (18) | Avesh Khan: (4-0-35-2)

The pair of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the batting for Rajasthan Royals and Mitchell Starc started with the first over. Jaiswal hit two boundaries and 11 runs in total came from the first over.

RR - 11/0 (1)

Harshit Rana removed Sanju Samson in his first over and Riyan Parag came to the crease. He along with Jos Buttler smashed Vaibhav Arora for 23 runs in the next over to finish the powerplay with 76 runs.

RR - 76/2 (6)

Rajasthan Royals are four wickets down and with the set batter Jos Buttler present in the middle along with Ravichandran Ashwin, still look very much into the game. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are the next batters. RR still need 115 runs in the next 10 overs.

RR - 109/4 (10)

Varun Chakaravarthy was brought back into the attack in the 13th over and he removed Ravichandran Ashwin on the first delivery. He also got rid of Shimron Hetmyer on the next delivery. Rovman Powell is present at the crease with Jos Buttler.

RR - 125/6 (13)

Rovman Powell was shifting gears but Sunil Narine dismissed him after he smacked him for a hat-trick of boundaries. Jos Buttler is the only batter left now and RR still need 46 runs in 18 balls.

RR - 178/7 (17)

Jos Buttler single-handedly took the game away from Kolkata Knight Riders. He smashed 19 runs from the 19th over including two sixes and a four off Harshit Rana. Varun Chakaravarthy came to bowl the last over with nine runs needed and Buttler welcomed him with a six. He tried to take a double but failed in the next three deliveries. He kept the strike to himself and took a double on the fifth delivery then hit for a single run to win the match by two wickets.

RR - 224/8 (20)

(Was this game a bitter pill to swallow?) I would second that actually, emotions were a roller coaster, certainly didn’t think we will be getting to this point. It’s a funny game at the end of the day, he was striking the ball cleanly and timing them so well, have to take it on the chin and move on. I mean at this point of time you see that you bowl your best deliveries, a little bit hit or miss and you are sent out of the ground, it’s good that it happened now rather than it happening in the later stages of the tournament, good learning for us. He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game, he is that kind of player who capitalizes on each and every moment. Since he was striking it so well, I thought let’s take pace off the ball and gave it to Chakaravarthy and it’s high pressure when you have 5 fielders insde the circle, you basically don’t have idea where to ball and that’s what basically what happened. It’s just about relaxing and rejuvenating, it was very humid as well today. It's important to learn from our mistakes and bounce back. We have a few days break. At the end of the day, it was a great game, a few overs here and there but I’m really proud of the boys.

Very happy with the win. We were wondering like the wickets we lost. Rovman hit a couple of sixes and that's when we felt like we were in the game. Some luck also, they also played really well. The quality of spin they had, they bowled really well. This ground suited them. Jos did what he does for us in the last 6-7 years, so happy for him. It (Jos's knock) should go right on top. Being an opener, if he gets in, no runs are unchaseable. He does something special.

Keep believing, that was the real key today. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. At times you feel frustrated or you are questioning yourself. I tell myself it's okay, keep going, you'll get your rhythm back and try to stay calm. There's been plenty of times throughout the IPL, you've seen crazy things happen. Guys like Dhoni and Kohli, the way they stay till the end and keep believing and I tried to do the same. That's something Sangakkara has told me a lot - there's always a breaking point. The worse thing you can do is to not fight and give your wicket away. He just tells me to stay there and at some point, the momentum will change. That's been a big part of my play over the last few years. (Greatest IPL innings?) I would think so. Very satisfying.

They are still the top two teams in the points table and their positions are also the same. Sunil Narine's first IPL century went in vain as Buttler's seventh IPL ton took his team past the line at Eden Gardens. We will also be taking your leave now. Goodnight!