On this day, May 15, 2018: Kuldeep Yadav magical 4 wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals. It was the 49th match of the season played between KKR and RR at the iconic Eden Gardens. Rajasthan Royals were batting first and the openers went all guns blazing in the power play. Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi took on the bowlers as they put up a partnership of 63 runs for the opening wicket. Rahul was the first to be dismissed for 27 runs from just 15 balls as Kolkata Knight Riders made a comeback in the game.
Kolkata Knight Riders completely dominated the middle overs as both the spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine put on a masterclass. Rajasthan Royals went from 76/1 to 107/7 as Kuldeep Yadav bowled a terrific spell picking up four wickets while giving away only 20 runs. Sunil Narine also scalped one wicket as Rajasthan Royals were under immense pressure.
Despite dominating the powerplay, Rajasthan Royals crumbled in the middle overs and had a bad finish as they were bowled out for 142 in just 19 overs in the first innings. Kuldeep Yadav was the star with the ball and bowled a memorable spell. Chasing the target, Kolkata Knight Riders lost the wickets of Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa early. Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana stitched up a crucial partnership to bring them back in the game.
Ben Stokes was excellent with the ball picking up three wickets but the rest of the bowlers could not step up. Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the target quite comfortably in the end as they won the match with seven wickets spare and a few overs left. Kuldeep Yadav won the player of the match for his dream spell.
