Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recently become the third team to qualify for the playoffs stage in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 after their emphatic win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Uppal Stadium on Saturday (May 19) night.
Pace bowler Prasidh Krishna has been the star for Kolkata with the ball and Robin Uthappa starred with the bat in the must-win game. The result meant they are on a three-game winning streak going into the playoffs.
Having won the toss and deciding to bat first, Sunrisers were quite impressive in the first 15 overs. But Krishna was quite impressive in the death while picking wickets at regular intervals. This has hindered Sunrisers’ scoring rate as they eventually finished at 172 in 20 allotted overs.
Asked to chase a par 173, Robin Uthappa led the chase for Kolkata in the important game. He scored a quickfire 45 and put Knight Riders in winning a position. They are expected to finish in the third position barring a catastrophic loss of Chennai at the hands of Kings XI which would be an evening encounter.
Knight Riders will meet either Rajasthan, Mumbai or Punjab in the eliminator on May 25.
Uthappa, Krishna Says ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’
Speaking after the game, both the players were quite joyful with their qualification.
Considered by many as underdogs in IPL 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders did a wonderful job to get to the final four.
On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) loss to Rajasthan meant they are out of this season’s IPL.
Photo by: Vipin Pawar / IPL/ SPORTZPICS
The fans created the tagline ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ which became quite viral across India. But their loss at the hands of Rajasthan meant they are no longer in the competition.
Prasidh Krishna has urged the Karnataka fans to support Knight Riders as the Royal Challengers have been already knocked out. He also indirectly trolled Royal Challengers by saying ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ (This year the cup is ours).
Earlier in the season, Kings XI players KL Rahul and Karun Nair also trolled the fans by saying ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’. The Kings will face Chennai at Pune later on Sunday to decide their fate.
A massive win coupled with a loss for Mumbai Indians will help them reach the playoffs
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