IPL 2021: Shubman Gill, Bowlers Guide Kolkata Knight Riders To 6-wicket Win Over SunRisers Hyderabad, Keep 4th Spot Intact

Shubman Gill hit a fifty after an impressive display by the bowlers to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Young Shubman Gill hit a fine half-century after an impressive display by the bowlers to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad and keep their IPL play-offs hopes alive in Dubai on Sunday. KKR first produced a clinical bowling effort to restrict SRH to a below-par 115 for eight and then rode on Gill's 57 off 51 balls to reach home comfortably. The win consolidated KKR's position at the fourth place in the standings with 12 points from 13 games. With three play-off berths already taken by Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the race is on for the fourth and final spot between KKR, Rajasthan Royals and defending champions Mumbai Indians while Punjab Kings are all but out of the tournament.

Defending a small total, SRH bowlers were right on their money from the word go as KKR batsmen struggled to force the pace of the innings.

The opening duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jason Holder were accurate upfront, while debutant Umran Malik's raw pace troubled Gill and Nitish Rana (25) in the middle overs.

Rashid Khan too created enough problems for the KKR batsmen, while Siddharth Kaul was incisive with his line and length, making it difficult for opposition batsmen to open their arms.

Venkatesh Iyer (8) and Rahul Tripathi (7) fell to Holder and Rashid in quick succession after which Gill and Rana found it difficult to rotate the strike as the asking rate climbed up with KKR reaching 44 for 2 at the halfway mark.