For Kolkata Knight Riders, it was a lost cause, and for Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was a game for them to lose. KKR held their nerve and SRH blinked. And Andre Russell bludgeoned the SRH bowling to all parts of the ground as he walked away with an almost improbable win.
This was only the third time - out of 14 - that Sunrisers had failed to defend a total of 180 or above in all IPL. KKR needed 53 to win in the last three overs and did it - that's the most anyone has scored to win in the last three overs in any IPL game – a record and that just shows how improbable the chase was and how brilliant Andre Russell was on the day.
Highest targets chased down vs SRH in IPL:
206 by KXIP, Hyderabad, 2014
186 by DD, Delhi, 2017
182 by KKR, Kolkata, 2019 *
180 by CSK, Pune, 2018
David Warner – announced his arrival on a day when he was slapped with a ban just a year ago as he peeled off 85 off 53 to take Sunrisers to that total on a pitch which was two-paced and was difficult to play strokes on.
"It is good to get out there and contribute. It looked a nice wicket to bat on but it slowed down a bit which made us reassess after six overs. I was a bit nervous in the dressing room and kept drinking pickle juice, Warner said after the match.
"The elbow injury wasn't all too bad and I've done a lot of work back home with my trainer. The ball comes on nicely under lights here and hopefully, we can keep the ball new for the first six overs. When you've got the momentum and you haven't lost a wicket it is easy to free your arms and go after the spinners," he added.
Speaking about his elbow injury which has troubled him in the recent past, the left-hander said that he had worked a lot on it and is looking fine for the time being.
Nitish Rana was brilliant for KKR in the chase as he dropped anchor and shepherded the chase as he scored 68 (47) which was his 2nd best in his IPL career so far.
