Rinku Singh Powers KKR to First Win After Costly Drop by Nandre Burger

Catches can decide matches, and Nandre Burger learned this today. He dropped Rinku Singh when he was on just 8 runs. After that, Rinku made the most of it and helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their first match of the season. They move above Mumbai Indians on the points table. Smiles all around in the KKR dugout, as Andre Russell and Ajinkya Rahane breathe a sigh of relief.

Earlier in the game, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bat first. The dashing opening duo of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave the visitors a royal start. They added 81 runs in 8.4 overs before Sooryavanshi fell for 46. Rajasthan then lost Dhruv Jurel and Jaiswal in quick succession.

Dropped catch costs RR as Rinku Singh powers Kolkata Knight Riders to first win

KKR kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals and managed to restrict a power-packed RR side to 155 for 9. Middle-order crumbled on a sticky surface and only four batters managed to get into double figures. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kartik Tyagi picked up three wickets apiece and Sunil Narine bagged two for 26 from his four.

In reply, Jofra Archer started the defense with a bang, removing Tim Seifert on the first ball of the innings. Ajinkya Rahane bagged a second consecutive duck, he was dismissed by Nandre Burger. Cameron Green hit a few exquisite shots but he too perished for 27. Rovman Powell made 23 off 20. Rinku Singh got a lifeline when he was dropped by Nandre Burger off Ravindra Jadeja at short third when he was on 8.

He made RR pay dearly by remaining unbeaten and scoring a half-century. He remained unbeaten on 53 off 34. Anukul Roy gave him nice company, adding 29 off 16 to take KKR over the line with two balls to spare. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for 7 from his three but he didn't bowl his quota of four. Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and Yash Raj Punja all chipped in with a wicket each but it was not enough as RR slip to their second defeat on the bounce.