Live blog - KKR vs SRH, Harshit steals game away from Sunrisers

Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad very nearly stole victory away from the home side at Eden Gardens on Saturday, but 22-year-old Harshit Rana successfully defended 12 off the final over to take Kolkata Knight Riders over the line in a last-ball thriller.

Needing 13 off the final over and with momentum on their side, Sunrisers had a dream start to the 20th over when Klaasen pulled Harshit for six over square leg. But he followed it up with two singles, two wickets and one dot in the next five balls to seal the deal.

Earlier, it was Sunil Narine's 1 for 19 in four overs on a batting-friendly surface - that included zero boundaries - which kept Sunrisers quiet through the middle overs. His economy of 4.75 was a complete outlier on a surface where bowlers, whether experienced or not, went for aplenty. That had given KKR the upper hand with three overs to go and Sunrisers needing 60 in 18 balls. But Klaasen's 29-ball 63, laced with eight sixes, dragged Sunrisers back into the contest.

KKR also had Andre Russell, Phil Salt and Ramandeep Singh to thank. From a position of 51 for 4 in the first innings, KKR rebuilt courtesy Salt's 40-ball 54 on KKR debut and a 17-ball 35 from Ramandeep Singh. Russell put the finishing touches to the KKR innings by smacking seven sixes in his 25-ball unbeaten 64.

Cummins cannot connect off the final ball and Harshit Rana, only 22, has pulled off one of the great final-over defenses. Went for six off the first ball but then came back strongly. Slowed his pace down and Kolkata Knight Riders win by four wickets!

A stunning encounter over here at the Eden. Time for a breather.

With five runs needed in two balls, Harshit bowls a slower ball on a good length, and Klaasen edged it towards short third. But Suyash has to run behind, tracking the ball from over his shoulder, and he completes a terrific tumbling catch. Gone 63 in 29 and that means Pat Cummins needs 5 in 1 ball to take SRH home.

Young Harshit Rana gets the responsibility of defending 12, and starts off by conceding a six off Klaasen. But a single next ball later, Shahbaz holes out at long on for his cameo of 16 in 5 balls. That means Klaasen is still off strike with Jansen taking guard.

If Russell can, so can Klaasen. Stunning 25-ball 55 from the batter has shifted the momentum in SRH's favour again.

Hits three sixes in the 19th over to make Starc bleed. And then Shahbaz pumps another six. Starc goes for bucketloads and Sunrisers need 13 to win

Here's how the 19th went:

Two sixes in the previous Varun oer, and this time Klaasen follows it up with two more sixes off Varun in the 18th over. An insurmountable target is suddenly looking gettable with Sunrisers needing 40 off 15 balls.

The 17th over, too, was expensive, with Samad hitting Russell for four and six. Even though Russell dismissed Samad in that over, the 17th went for 16 runs.

Now with Varun's over eventually going for 21 runs, Sunrisers need 39 in 12 balls with Shahbaz alongside Klaasen. Varun concedes 55.

Heinrich Klaasen has been the best player in all T20s since 2023. He has a strike rate of 189.5 v spin in the timeline, the best of all batters to have scored 350+ runs v spin. He is also a great starter, having never been dismissed in the first ten balls in IPL 2023 and neither tonight.

He's taken a liking to Varun by clubbing him for two sixes to keep Sunrisers in the hunt. But otherwise he has not been timing it very well and the required run-rate has suddenly ballooned.

Sunrisers need 78 in 27 balls with Klaasen on 20 in 15 balls and Samad on 3 in 6 balls

100100 / 112121 / 021111 / 1110W0

Nelson has struck. Tripathi tries to slog sweep Narine over the leg side but the ball isn't full enough. The shot goes straight to deep square leg and Narine finally gets Tripathi, if only on the third attempt. Narine failed to get Tripathi with a dropped catch and a non-review, but this time Harshit on the boundary makes no mistake. Wickets from both ends from the KKR spinners and Sunrisers slide to 111/4 in 13 overs.

The wicket was truly well deserved for Narine, who bowled four overs without conceding a single boundary tonight. He also comes close to getting Samad LBW in the final ball of his spell, but DRS is not on his side this time. Narine finishes with 1/19 at an economy of 4.75.

Varun hasn't been bowling it very full, and the one time he does he tempts Markram to slog across the line. Taken by Rinku sliding forward in the deep and that's some reward for KKR for their spinners' good spells.

That brings in Heinrich Klaasen as Sunrisers need 98 in 45 balls

The first ball of the 11th over sees Tripathi missing a flick off Narine's offbreak delivery. They were a faint appeal from Salt but Narine was not interested. Three balls later, replays show Tripathi as LBW had KKR reviewed. Narine with a gentle smile as he walks back to delivery another ball. A second wicket goes amiss for Karine as he finishes his third over with figures of 0/16. Remember he had a chance in the previous over too when Varun dropped Tripathi off Narine.

At a two-ball five, Tripathi miscues a slog sweep against Narine, and Varun makes a mess of a catch running in from deep square leg. He did get to the ball but it didn't stick. Even Russell looked frustrated in the reaction clip.

That's a shame for Narine who has bowled extremely well, mostly on a good length and getting the ball to turn in both directions. Narine is 0/10 in two overs and Sunrisers are 85/2 in nine overs

Agarwall fell to a Harshit short ball and now Abhishek top edges a pull to fine leg. The bowler is Russell, and he has a knack of taking wickets. Abhishek walks back after a solid 19-ball 32 as an impact player.

That brings in Markram, and he starts off with a boundary. Sunrisers 77 for 2 in eight overs and Suyash Sharma is the impact sub for Ramandeep Singh.

The reaction from the bowler after taking the wicket shows how much SRH had got under KKR's spin in the powerplay. He blows a kiss in Agarwal's direction after the batter mistimed a pull to deep square leg. He's gone for a 21-ball 32. His only disappointment may be that he couldn't see out the powerplay, but nonetheless, his 60-run opening stand has given Sunrisers they started they desired.

Rahul Tripathi, the former KKR batter, walks in at No. 3. Welcomed by a yorker that hits him on the grille.

Some scintillating shots from Agarwal off Starc and Rana - drives through cover and ramps behind point - have given Sunrisers a run-rate of 10 after four overs. That prompts Shreyas Iyer to go for spin for the first time, and Varun begins the fifth against Abhishek.

The first ball very nearly sees Abhishek stumped and the second ball is very nearly caught at backward point. Abhishek lives dangerously in his first two balls. But on the third ball, he clubs Varun for six through cow corner and the team fifty comes in 4.3 overs.

Abhishek ends the over with another six over long on, smacking it against the turn, and that proves to be an expensive fifth.

Harshit Rana shares the new ball with Agarwal and very nearly gets the opener lbw in the second over. But Agarwal reviews and the delivery appears to shape down the leg side.

Agarwal has looked the more enterprising opener so far, especially against Starc. His three boundaries have ensured Sunrisers are 27/0 in three overs with Starc conceding 22 in his first two overs.

Abhishek's been a powerplay pinch-hitter who SRH have enjoyed great success with. In fact, such is Abhishek's range of strokes, that in hindsight, he may take offence to being called just a pinch-hitter. He has 16 T20 fifties and will open alongside Mayank Agarwal.

T Natarajan is the man subbed out. Starc to open the bowling. Agarwal takes strike.

T Natarajan has been the pick of the SRH bowlers, bowling an eight-run 20th over to ensure Sunrisers don't have to chase more than 209.

But his 3/32 aside, a forgettable day for the Sunrisers pacers. Bhuvneshwar went for 12.75, Jansen went for 13.25. Cummins had a decent outing while Markande had a promising start but a poor end.

Remember, KKR were 32/3 and 51/4 but Salt hung on when the wickets were falling around him to post 54 in 40 balls. Ramandeep did a terrific job of hammering 35 in 17 to counterattack, and in the end, it was all Russell in his colosseum.

Sunrisers also have a powerful batting unit, so this target is not out of reach, but historically the highest successful chase here has been 201. KKR also have fast-bowling weaknesses, and the home side will want Starc, Narine, Varun to show their experience.

This match-up was heavily stacked against Bhuvneshwar with Russell enjoying a strike-rate of 211 against the seamer (before this game).

And here he's feasted on Bhuvneshwar to maul 26 runs in the 19th over. Bhuvneshwar finishes on 0/51 while KKR reach 200 in 19 overs.

70+ runs in the last four overs with Russell now on 62 off 23.

KKR 179/6 in 18 overs after Bhuvneshwar starts the 19th with a no-ball four courtesy Russell. Swats another a seventh six to reach his 31st T20 fifty in only 20 balls.

Stat alert: He had three unbeaten 49s against Sunrisers previously, and finally gets to fifty against this franchise!

Markande and Bhuvneshwar feel the burden of bowling to Russell as we approach the death. Let's see how the last 12 balls went

In the last 12 months, no batter had hit sixes as frequently as Andre Russell (6.1 balls per six). Heinrich Klaasen (7.2) is second.

And Russell has taken a liking to Markande in his final over. Pummels him for three sixes in the 16th over but Russell mistimes a shot to long off in the final ball and Markram dives forward at long off to take a low catch.

But is it out? Not conclusive. And the smart replay quickly tells us that's not out. So Russell gets a second life and Markande finishes his spell for 2/39.

However, that expensive over gives KKR the momentum as the umpires call for a second time out. KKR 141/6 in 16

Remember, he wasn't picked at the auction despite hitting one terrific T20I century in the West Indies followed up by another. He was disappointed back then and it was a bold move from KKR to select him over Gurbaz. Reaches his fifty in 38 balls, but then falls trying to accelerate. Out off Markande at cow corner trying to slog, with equal contribution from Jansen diving.

A promising innings from Salt tonight, finishing on 54 off 40. Markande continues to impress with his wicket-taking in the middle phase. But Sunrisers don't get a breather, because Rinku is joined by Andre Russell.

The crowd rises to applaud Ramandeep Singh off, as he falls to a smart catch from Markande at cover off Cummins' offcutter. Walks back for a well-made 17-ball 35.

But in walks the city's cult hero Rinku Singh, and he hammers Cummins over mid off first ball! The crowd loves that. KKR 113/5 in 13 overs.

The KKR head coach caught up with the broadcasters.

... Salt over Gurbaz: "We have played the practice games and the practice matches that he had, we thought he was the better option. Gurbaz, is of course, another option and has been doing well.

Batting friendly surface tonight? "It looks like, if you look at this first game. We could've made better use of this surface though.

... on Ramandeep: "He's got a lot of power, and has a lot of potential. he's been doing well in domestic cricket. He's a little fearless player, wants to go after the ball and we want to take advantage of this in this situation.

His role as an Indian coach and having Gambhir: This tournament is being played on Indian soil and most Indian players are acclimatized for these surfaces. The man carries huge experience. As a player he has done wonderful job. In this different role, he gives us a lot of confidence."

As Pandit talks about Ramandeep, he pulls Jansen for a third six, and follows it up next over with an inside-out six over cover off Shahbaz the following over. Ramandeep is now on 33 in 14 balls and KKR are 100/4 in 11.4 overs. Partnership is also fifty.

Remember what the pitch report told us. Even 200 won't be safe, the broadcasters said. But KKR are going at around 7 per over at the midway stage, and Markande is getting the ball to zip and turn .

ESPNcricinfo's forecaster suggests KKR should finish at around 177. They have plenty of power at the back end, so KKR would want way more. Ramandeep Singh for now is making up for Salt's slowness by playing strong shots off the back foot. He doesn't mind attacking the short ball and has pulled twice for a four (off the helmet) and a six (behind square). He has then pumped a loose Markande ball over long on to get 20 runs in his first seven balls.

KKR 77/4 in 10 overs but Salt (40 off 30) thwackes Jansen for a drive through cover to begin the 11th.

Last season, SRH’s spin unit picked up 23 wickets at an average of 38.1 – second-worst on both counts for any team after PBKS. Mayank Markande was the only spinner for SRH who stood out with 12 wickets at an average of 25 as the rest of them suffered. In fact, 11 of Markande's 12 wickets came in the middle phase.

And he has struck in his first over, getting Nitish Rana to mis-hit a reverse sweep to backward point. Markande is an important cog in the SRH set up with Hasaranga missing today and Washington on the bench. The other spin options in the XI right now are Shahbaz Ahmed and Aiden Markram, but those are dangerous options in this sort of surface.

KKR 51/4 in 7.3 overs with Salt (30 off 23) being joined by Ramandeep Singh.

Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan combined to concede only 14 runs in 4 overs. And that has helped Sunrisers stifle KKR to 43/3 after six overs.

The three Jansen sixes aside, Salt has hit no other boundary and has been racking up the dots. He now has Nitish Rana for company, with Rinku, Ramandeep and Russell to follow.

Jansen with a change of ends very nearly gets Rana out, but it evades Samad's fingertips at cover. A tidy over leaves KKR at 49/3 in seven overs.

After Jansen's expensive first over, Cummins went to Natarajan for the fourth, and the plan has worked beautifully with the bowler getting Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer to mis-time attempted lofts over the infield. Venkatesh couldn't clear Jansen at cover and Shreyas couldn't get the better of Cummins at mid-off. Two tall men do the trick, and Nattu has two! KKR 32/3 in 4 overs

To put the squeeze, here's Cummins now. Venkatesh returns for 7, Shreyas trods back for 0.

The KKR team sheet had Venkatesh Iyer as opener. But out walks Sunil Narine alongside Phil Salt. Nostalgia merchants, sit up, but don't expect fairytales, not with two bouncers allowed per over.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing his 11th season for Sunrisers, starts. And its a peach of an opening over.

But you can't say the same for Jansen. Salt cracks him for a hat-trick of sixes, but Sunrisers get some redemption because Narine is run-out after a mix-up. Shahbaz with a direct hit from point with Narine giving up on turning around after initially giving a sprint. KKR 23/1 in two overs

Well, we have an answer with Sunrisers winning the toss and choosing to field. Cummins goes with three South Africans, with Heinrich Klaasen the no-brainer pick, followed by a retention in the XI for Markram. The fourth is Marco Jansen, the left-arm seamer.

No space for Glenn Phillips, Travis Head, or Fazalhaq Farooqi. Haven't spotted Hasaranga yet, so not sure he's here. Interestingly, Washington, Umran and Abhishek Sharma are all on the bench. Just been told this is also Cummins' first game as a T20 captain, not just in the IPL but in all cricket.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 T Natarajan. The impact-sub options are Reddy, Washington, Malik, Phillips and Abhishek.

As for KKR, Iyer is captaining, so he has recovered from a back spasm. Phil Salt gets a cap right away, walking into the XI after coming in as a late replacement for Jason Roy. Last I checked, he was the World No. 2 T20I batter, and this was expected after he hit two half-centuries in two practice games between KKR squads. They've also got space for Ramandeep Singh at No. 6, with Suyash on the bench for now.

As it stands, Venkatesh Iyer will open alongside Salt, with Gurbaz missing out. Last season they used eight different opening pairs and since 2022 have been looking for a twosome that would deliver from both sides. In 28 matches since 2022, KKR’s openers have scored only 969 runs at an average of 17.6 – the lowest for any team.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rinku Singh, 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Sunil Narine, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Varun Chakravarthy. The impact-sub options are Suyash, Pandey, Arora, Raghuvanshi and Gurbaz.

Ask Star on ESPNcricinfo: Got a question for the Star Sports commentators about this match? Want to ask Navjot Sidhu, Ambati Rayudu or Irfan Pathan about anything cricket? Go to the ESPNcricinfo homepage on the mobile site, click on the Ask Star button at the bottom of the screen, and send in your questions. They could get answered on TV.

- tremendous outfield
- perfect conditions for cricket
- slightly skewed at one end (62m vs 67m)
- "I see a lot of runs", says Brian Lara. "Even 200 isn't safe."

That was interesting because we expected Gambhir and KKR to try and use home advantage to make a spin-friendly surface. They also have solid spinners in Narine, Varun, Suyash and Mujeeb. The pitch report didn't suggest much love for spin, correlating with what the curator has told the local media that he won't be doing anything different that specifically caters to the home's side strategies. This topic, by the way, has been a bone of contention between the franchise and the curator over the last few seasons even though the Eden Gardens was the most spin friendly venue during the ODI World Cup which had neutral curators. That said, Starc and Cummins would be licking their lips to bowl here under the lights. As would Jansen, who has been named in the Sunrisers XI now.

What is Float? According to Nathan Lyon, "Fastest Left-armer Of All-Time", his nickname for Mitchell Starc. Bought for a jaw-dropping price of USD 2.98 million (INR 24.75 crore) - the biggest ever in the IPL - he comes into the KKR set-up looking to add muscle to a very weak fast-bowling set-up.

The other Indian seamers are young, and in IPL 2023 they showed promise but still ended up with the bad marks on the report card. Their pacers' economy of 10.45 last season was the worst of all pace attacks in IPL history. Their powerplay economy of 9.45 was also the worst, a real problem for the team.

But can Starc fix all that with his 24 deliveries per game? We caught up with Steven Smith to find out.