KKR vs SRH, IPL 2022: Rinku Singh in DRS controversy, Umran Malik back among wickets and other talking points – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Kolkata Knight Riders fought to live another day in the IPL 2022 edition when they beat SRH by 54 runs on Saturday (14 May). The contest saw it all. A DRS review controversy, Umran Malik finding his form and a clinical Andre Russell showing his muscle again.

It might be in the unlikeliest of circumstances but at least on paper, KKR still do have a chance to scrape through. But for that, other results will have to go their way.

SRH have even smaller chances of qualifying even if they win both their remaining matches. That would take them to 14 points, but SRH have endured a negative NRR (-0.270), making it difficult to do so.

Here, we take a look at few talking points from the game.

DRS Drama in Pune

Controversy erupted in the 12^th over of the KKR innings. Rinku Singh was trapped in what looked like a plumb LBW dismissal. SRH’s T Natarajan delivered a brilliant yorker that eventually hit Rinku on the pad, but the on-field umpire K Ananthapadmanabhan took his time to raise his finger and signal Out.

Rinku failed to give the DRS signal to the umpires within the stipulated 10 seconds, and with the two KKR batters having a chat, umpire Anil Kumar Chaudhary walked to the batters to say they cannot take the review anymore. Sportzpics

Rinku and his partner Sam Billings were then seen having a conversation following the wicket. The stipulated DRS timer of 10 seconds had passed by and gone down to zero, and Rinku hadn’t even shown the signal for the review.

It was, in fact, Billings who had quickly asked for a review rather than his partner at the other end, who should have taken the call.

Umpire Anil Chaudhary was then seen approaching the players to clarify the decision, trying to convince the two that it should have been Rinku to have taken the call.

Rinku was eventually dismissed for five off six balls.

Umran Malik back among the wickets

SRH’s Umran Malik is having a breakthrough IPL season. He’s taken 18 wickets from 12 games, that includes a fifer as well as a four-wicket haul. He’s known for his fiery pace and that is what makes him unstoppable against the opposition.

Umran had scalped a five-wicket haul against Gujarat Titans back on 27 April, but he endured three wicketless games after it. Umran conceded a combined 125 runs across those three games but he stepped up for his side when it mattered most.

SRH were looking for that crucial victory against KKR on Saturday. While SRH failed to win the contest, Umran played his part. Umran first got rid of Nitish Rana in the third ball of the eighth over, with Rana going for the scoop without real intent but eventually finding Shashank Singh who runs in from deep square leg to seal the catch.

Three balls later, the final delivery of the over , Umran got rid of Rahane. Rahane went for the upper cut, but eventually found Shashank Singh at deep point as Umran struck once again.

That was two wickets in one over for Umran. He came back to bowl the 10^th over and struck once again, removing Shreyas Iyer for 15. Umran ended his wicketless run and finished with figures of 3/33.

Clinical Russell

Andre Russell had multiple reasons to celebrate in KKR’s 54-run win. Russell enthralled the crowd with an unbeaten 49 off 28 balls and would go onto take three wickets in SRH’s chase.

Russell came into bat with KKR struggling at 94/5, but he then did what he would do on his day.

Andre Russell in action against SRH. Sportzpics

Russell was at his absolute best, slamming three sixes off the final over to take KKR to 177/6. A total of 20 runs come off that over and that proved costly for SRH later in the game, as their batters failed to take them over the finish line.

Russell cleaned up Williamson in the sixth over of the chase before striking twice in the 18^th to see off Washington Sundar and Marco Jansen.

The West Indian finished with figures of 3/22 from four overs. Russell proved his brilliance yet again this time as he joined an elite list of cricketers in scoring 300 runs and taking 15 wickets in the same season. Only Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo , Jacques Kallis and Sunil Narine have achieved the feat before.

Russell has so far scored 330 runs and taken 17 wickets, his best wicket tally in a single season of the IPL.

Kane Williamson struggles again

Nothing much is going as per plan for Captain Kane as far his form with the bat is concerned. He’s scored a fifty this season, a knock of 57 against Titans on 11 April, but hasn’t scored one since.

There were glimpses of his return to form when he scored 47 against CSK on 1 May, but Williamson has since endured three single-figure scores -4,0,9.

What is even more worrying in Williamson’s strike-rate which has not even touched 100. He’s scored 208 runs from 12 games at a strike rate of 92.86, and at the moment, this remains the only IPL season where his strike rate has fallen below 100.

KKR stay alive, at least on paper

The 54-run win would have certainly boosted KKR but they have just managed to keep themselves alive, at least on paper.

With the win, KKR now have 12 points from 13 matches. Their chances do look slim with the likes of RR and RCB having registered a win more than them, but they remain mathematically alive. KKR (12 points) lie sixth with a NRR of +0.160 and even a win against LSG may not put them in good stead.

However, they would certainly hope RR, RCB lose their remaining games, and DC and PBKS to win only one match. That would put all five teams on 14 points, with NRR coming to play.

But, it remains to be seen how likely that is to happen and KKR would need to hope themselves for a miracle while other results go their way.

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