ANDRE Russell (64* off 25) produced a death-overs power-hitting masterclass only to be matched by Heinrich Klassen (63 off 29) in SRH’s 209-run chase, but eventually it was Harshit Rana who defended seven off the final five balls to help Kolkata Knight Riders clinch the final-ball thriller by four runs.

Russell helped KKR plunder 85 in the last five overs to post the first 200-plus score of IPL 2024.

In the see-sawing chase, Klaasen’s blinder brought SRH into the equation, down from an improbable 60 off 18 to 13 off the final over, before Harshit’s twin strikes eventually ended in a heartbreak for the visitors at the Eden Gardens.

KKR were 123 for five before Russell switched gears at the start of the 16th over. And the hosts had 200 up by the close of 19th.

Mayank Markande was welcomed with three sixes in the space of five balls, before Russell took Bhuvneshwar to the cleaners in his two remaining overs with three maximums and as many boundaries. En route, he registered a 20-ball fifty to kickstart the season.

Bhuvneshwar, who gave away just seven in his first two overs, eventually finished with 51/0, including a 26-run penultimate over.

Natarajan managed to limit the damage with an eight-run final over, where he also accounted for Rinku Singh’s wicket on 23 (15 balls).

Hyderabad were able to keep up with the asking rate in a rather eventful PowerPlay, the highlight of which was the battle between Mayank Agarwal and Harshit. Harshit eventually bounced him out for a 21-ball 32, along with a flying kiss for a send-off. Abhishek Sharma, who had teed off
with a 4, 6, 6 off Varun Chakravarthy, also fell to a short ball from Russell, who struck on his second ball.

The Narine-led squeeze meant the ask was 76 off the final four overs but Klaasen, who had hit Chakravarthy for a couple of sixes, was just beginning to free his arms. When the spinner returned, following a 16-run over from Russell, Klaasen smacked two sixes down the ground, and Shahbaz followed suit.

The South African then laid into Mitchell Starc with three sixes off the first four balls, while bringing up a 25-ball fifty with the last one of those. Again, Shahbaz added one more to the tally to close the over.

With 13 required off six, it was SRH’s game to lose. Harshit began with a short ball, and Klaasen duly pounced to register his eighth six of the innings. However, the pacer made a good comeback, switching to slower balls thereafter. He removed both the set batters in the space of the next four deliveries, with Suyash Sharma also chipping in with a good catch running behind to see the back of Klaasen. Cummins had to hit a four to take the game to the Super Over but failed to connect, conceding the two points. (Cricbuzz)