That's all folks
A final look at the points table. KKR become part of that mid-table muddle but with a game in hand. They will now fancy themselves. PBKS, who could have gone on to No. 3 had they won, are now at 10 points from 11 games. They will have to win everything from here to make it. Mathematical miracles notwithstanding.
The difference between these two sides tonight was that KKR had 13 overs of spin, and PBKS just seven. Out of those Liam Livingstone went for 27 in his two. Perplexingly they bowled Harpreet Brar for just one over for four runs and a wicket.
Thanks for joining us.
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Rinku with a win off the last ball
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Arshdeep Singh bowls a sensational final over and also fields well to run Andre Russell out to leave KKR two to get off the last ball. And finally Arshdeep errs, giving Rinku a full toss when trying to follow him as he backed away. Rinku flicks it hard, and beats fine leg. Yet another IPL classic.
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Could PBKS have bowled Harpreet Brar?
Harpreet Brar's figures read 1-0-4-1 on a spinners' pitch, and PBKS have gone to all pace for the four death overs. And the runs have flown relatively speaking. Now it has to be Curran and Arshdeep finishing. The question is, could they have got Harpreet to bowl the 19th? Especially when they are staring at an over-rate penalty if they don't finish the 19th in four minutes. It is 26 off 12.
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Chahar 4-0-23-2
Rahul Chahar started this match with questions around him, but has turned in stellar figures. His wickets are Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer. KKR need 56 off 4. Nathan Ellis has only one over left. The two Arshdeep Singh overs become key.
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Fifty for Rana
Nitish Rana is the one keeping KKR alive in the game, but he is out just after getting to 50. He pitcks the wrong'un, plays the reverse hit, clears the midwicket, but the ball stays in the air long enough for Livingstone to come around from long-on. It is two a ball for the last 28 balls on a slow pitch. Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur and Sunil Narine are the ones who can hit sixes.
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Rana resurrects chase
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Nitish Rana gets stuck into Liam Livingstone after 12 runs came in 16 balls following Roy's wicket. Spin is not looking easy to face so Rana had to take risks. However, the risks have come off, and now it is 88 required off 54.
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Brar gets Roy
KKR seem set on their way especially with dew making an appearance but then again the match remains in balance. Jason Roy gets a gift down the leg side from Harpreet Brar, which he fitting tries to sweep square on the leg side for a six. However, the slow pitch means he ends up getting the toe end to deep midwicket. KKR 64 for 2 in 7.2.
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Back of the hand
Nathan Ellis, who has raised a few eyebrows as he plays ahead of Kagiso Rabada, produces a back-of-the-hand slower ball to get rid of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. And it happens one minute before 10.04pm, which means Nitish Rana, and not Venkatesh Iyer, walks out at No. 3.
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KKR up and running
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The shackles are broken as both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy get stuck into Arshdeep Singh's second over. It's 36 for 2 in four overs. Game on.
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Arshdeep on money
Arshdeep Singh swung the new ball both ways in the second over. Not wobble seam, not seam movement, but slanting the seam on the release the other way. KKR have scored 10 for 0 in the first two overs. Venkatesh Iyer, who was off the field for a bit, can't bat before 10.04pm
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Big finish for PBKS
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Pace comes back on for the last two overs, and M Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar have managed 36 off those two overs. In the end, 87 runs came during seven overs pace, and 92 in 13 overs of spin. That takes PBKS to 179.
CV Varun says that the pitch got better during the innings. After the end of the 12th over, he says, the pitch quickened up and turned less. So probably dew? And if that is the case, KKR might have done enough.
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Spin to win
92 Number of runs the spinners have conceded in 13 consecutive overs between them. They have also taken four wickets. PBKS 143 for 7 in 18 overs.
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To everything, turn, turn, turn
0 Number of overs of pace used since the fifth over. The 10 overs of spin have brought 73 for 3, and they have three more left from their frontline spinners.
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Captain gets captain
Also Delhi boy against Delhi boy. Nitish Rana is the fourth spinner on display, and he starts with his usual strategy: over the wicket to left-hand batters, around the wicket to left-hand batters. He bowls a little lowarm, and doesn't give them pace to work with. Shikhar Dhawan, who needs to correct his strike-rate, goes after him after three balls for just two runs, and he holes out to long-on. PBKS 119 for 5 in 14.4.
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Fifty for Dhawan
23 Number of runs Shikhar Dhawan has scored through sweeps and reverse-sweeps, incouding the flat swept six off Sunil Narine to bring up his fifty, in 41 balls. PBKS 117 for 4 in 14 overs.
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Dhawan's reverse-sweeps
The KKR spinners have managed to tie Shikhar Dhawan down but he has found a way through reverse-sweeps. He has played four of them for nine runs. It has also made the orthodox sweep effective.
However, CV Varun has got rid of Jitesh Sharma with a carrom ball. The edge settles with Gurbaz. PBKS 106 for 4 in 12.3 overs.
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Jitesh vs legspin
105 Number of runs Jitesh Sharma has scored off just 54 balls from legspinners. It includes a six off Suyash Sharma to give PBKS momentum after some rebuilding. They are 79 for 3 after nine overs.
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Varun's tricks
CV Varun makes it a topsy-turvy powerplay with one of his tricks. It looks like it should come in - like a wrong'un - but it turns out to be a legbreak that goes past Liam Livingstone's outside edge to trap him lbw. PBKS end the powerplay at 58 for 3.
Now we enter an interesting phase for Jitesh Sharma, who doesn't usually get to bat this early.
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A long Russell over
This is the fifth over after which PBKS are 51 for 2.
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Eventful three-ball stay
Bhanuka Rajapaksa didn't quite get going, but provided a Bhanuka moment when KKR thought they had him run-out as he nonchalantly ran an easy single. Replays showed he might have been ambling, but he was in. To the third ball he tries a big swing, and Harshit Rana takes the outside edge. He is a good bowler. He is big, he has pace, and he hits hard lengths. Next man in: Liam Livingstone. PBKS 29 for 2 in 3.4.
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Harsht Rana strikes
PBKS' quick start has been interrupted by Harshit Rana, who has been impressive with his pace and hard lengths. Prabhsimran looks to charge him, but gets an edge that settles with Gurbaz. PBKS 21 for 1 in two overs. And now time for some Bhanuka Rajapaksa.
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Prabhsimran up and running
Vaibhav Arora starts with big inswingers that first surprise Prabhsimran Singh but then free him up to loft him into the leg side. And to the last ball of the over, which is an outswinger, Prabhsimran just opens the face and places it between point and cover-point. That's 12 runs in the first over.
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Dhawan wins toss, PBKS bat
Firstly the pitch. It looks dry, which is why Shikhar Dhawan has decided to bat first. Now the dimensions. This is the last pitch on the square, which means one square boundary is 58m and the other is 73m. So you want to maintain right-left combinations.
Finally Bhanuka Rajapaksa is back in the PBKS side. Kagiso Rabada continues to stay out. Natahn Ellis is the likeliest Impact Player for them.
KKR have retained the same team. Jason Roy should replace Suyash Sharma once the KKR bowling is done.
Kolkata Knight Riders Team VR Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz†, Suyash Sharma, N Rana*, RK Singh, AD Russell, SP Narine, SN Thakur, Harshit Rana, VG Arora, CV Varun
Subs Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan, Lockie Ferguson, Kulwant Khejroliya
Punjab Kings Team Prabhsimran Singh, S Dhawan*, PBB Rajapaksa, LS Livingstone, JM Sharma†, SM Curran, M Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, R Dhawan, RD Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Subs Nathan Ellis, Matthew Short, Atharva Taide, Sikandar Raza, Mohit Rathee
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Room for error minuscule
Match 53, IPL 2023. As they say, business end. No room for errors if you want to keep your fate in your own hands. Although bothy KKR and PBKS will be happy with the defeats for RCB and RR over the weekend. It means the middling teams are within touching distance.
PBKS - 10 points from 10 matches - can jump to the third spot if they win. KKR - 8 points from 10 matches - can put their hat in the mid-table muddle if they win. If they lose, not the end of the world for PBKS but KKR can't really afford to lose. Because then only some mathematical miracle can only take them through.
The match is in Kolkata. There might be a stray thunderstorm around but there is no forecast for rain.
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