KKR vs SRH IPL 2021: Kolkata beat Hyderabad by six wickets, boost playoff hopes 

IPL 2021, KKR vs SRH Live: Shubman Gill laid the foundation with his first fifty of the season while Nitish Rana (25) and Dinesh Karthik (18 not out) added finishing touches to help Kolkata beat Hyderabad by six wickets in Dubai. 

Chasing a modest 116-run total, Karthik sealed the win for Kolkata with a four over deep mid-wicket. Kolkata are on the fourth spot with 12 points in 13 games while Hyderabad are at the bottom, having notched up just two wins from 12 matches. 

LIVE UPDATES:

22.45 IST: OUT! Rana perishes while trying to pull Holder's short delivery. Top-edge and Saha takes an easy catch. Kolkata also need to keep the NRR factor in mind. 

22:39 IST: OUT! Kaul removes Gill for 47. Gill tries to clear long-on but picks out Holder at the boundary. Karthik joins Rana in the middle, with 23 needed off 21 deliveries. 

22.30 IST: 50 for Gill! Kolkata pretty much in control here. Gill notches up his eight IPL fifty and first of the ongoing edition. After the Iyer-Tripathi show in the UAE leg, Gill has finally got his mojo working. Kolkata after 15 overs, just 32 runs away from the victory.

22.05 IST: Kolkata 44/2 after 10 overs. Kolkata facing the heat, the 21-year-old Umran is clocking 140 kmph. He has also bowled the fastest delivery by an Indian pacer in the ongoing IPL edition. Rashid has also been impressive. Gill, Rana need to stick through the middle overs and finish it off for Kolkata. 

21:50 IST: OUT! Rashid strikes! Rashid into the attack and he gets going straight away. Tripathi walks back for 7. Second blow for Kolkata.

21:45 IST: OUT! Holder removes Iyer for 8. The Kolkata opener fails to shine this time. He tries to punch it down the ground but Williamson plucks the catch. Kolkata 27/1 after 5 overs. 

21:30 IST: Gill and Iyer have started in a cautious manner, notching up 21 runs in the first four overs. Debutant Umran Malik has been impressive so far. He has also touched the 150kph mark. 

21.05 IST: Kolkata bowlers put on a clinical show as they have restricted Hyderabad to a modest 115/8 in 20 overs. This is the second-lowest score by Hyderabad after opting to bat first in the IPL.

Skipper Williamson top-scored with 26 from 21 deliveries while Samad chipped in with 25 from 18 balls. Southee, Mavi, and Chakravarthy picked two wickets each. Shakib also added one to his name.

20.56 IST: OUT! Rashid attempts a helicopter down the ground but picks out Venkatesh Iyer. The batting unit is falling like a pack of cards. Hyderabad 106/8 after 19 overs. 

20.45 IST: Samad tries to clear the boundary picks out Gill. Hyderabad batting unit has perished, leaving Rashid and Bhuvneshwar at the crease. Samad departs after scoring 25 off 18 deliveries. He had hit consecutive sixes off Chakravarthy in the previous over. 

20.35 IST: OUT! Hyderabad in trouble. Chakravarthy joins the party. He removes Garg to pick up his first wicket. Garg tried to relieve the pressure off with a boundary but picked out Tripathi at the deep mid-wicket boundary. Hyderabad 79/5 after 15 overs. 

20.15 IST: OUT! Shakib picks his first! Abhishek charges down the track but fails to make contact. Easy picking for Karthik behind the stumps. Hyderabad 53/4 after 11 overs.

20.05 IST: OUT! Huge blow for Hyderabad. Williamson tries to steal a quick single but falls short. He nudges it to the leg side and looks for a run. Shakib, however, gets the opposition skipper with a direct hit. Abhishek joins Garg in the middle. 

20.00 IST: Shakib Al Hasan comes into the attack. ​

19.59 IST: Hyderabad 35/2 after 6 overs. Back-to-back fours for Williamson against Mavi. 18 runs came off Mavi's over, helping Hyderabad recover from early blows. The skipper so far is picking gaps with precision.

19:35 IST: WICKET! Southee struck early to remove Wriddhiman Saha for a golden duck. Saha expected the outswinger, but the ball came back into him and struck him plumb in lien with the middle. 

19:24 IST: Kane Williamson | SRH captain: We're going to have a bat. It looks like a reasonable surface and it won't change much so we'll make use of it with the bat. It's an unfortunate position to be in but there's quite a bit to gain with growth of players, in difficult conditions, especially against a side like Kolkata. Umran Malik comes in for Sandeep Sharma just to improve the balance of the side. He's an exciting fast bowling talent.

19:06 IST: Here are the playing XI for the two teams...

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Siddarth Kaul

19:05 IST: TOSS UPDATE: Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai

18:48 IST: Pitch report: "It's a brand new surface, a fresh pitch and there is a good covering of grass, which means that there will enough pace on it. This is the slickest deck in the UAE. The track is a bit coarse and that will give the bowlers something to work with. Some grip. Batters like Venkatesh Iyer are going to love this pitch as it will come on a bit better than at the other venues." reckon Danny Morrison and Nick Knight.

Head To Head: KKR 13-7 SRH. The last time these two sides met in Chennai, Kolkata registered a 10-run win with Rana scoring 80 off 56 deliveries. 

Kolkata's latest batting sensation, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rahul Tripathi will look to continue their momentum. Tripathi has scored the maximum runs (349) for the team this season. On the bowling front, Varun Chakravarthy has been Kolkata's go-to man as he picked up six wickets in the UAE conditions. [KKR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction IPL 2021, Today Match Playing11, Fantasy Tips, Live Streaming]

IPL 2021, KKR vs SRH Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to dent Kolkata Knight Riders' chances of making it to the knockout stage when they face off in an IPL game in Dubai. While SRH had returned to winning ways after five losses on the trot with a convincing victory over Rajasthan Royals, they lost their last game by six wickets at Sharjah, allowing Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the play-offs.

For KKR, the UAE leg of the IPL has been a topsy-turvy affair as they have won three games while losing two so far. The two-time former champions have impressed with their performance in the second half, and even their two defeats were narrow, where they lost in the last over. Venkatesh Iyer has been the star performer with the bat in the second leg for KKR. [FULL PREVIEW]