KOLKATA: There were 321 runs in 34.2 overs, and it was hard to say by the end of it if there had been more runs off the middle of the bat or its edges. There were dropped catches, run-outs, run-outs arising from dropped catches, and, in the middle of all this, a mad dash to make up a net-run-rate deficit. For most part, the match had been a comedy of errors, but by the time it ended, it was a genuine Twenty20 classic.
Kolkata Knight Riders needed to chase 161 to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad. They needed to do it in 15.2 overs to knock Chennai Super Kings off second place, and get two shots at reaching the final.
When Yusuf Pathan walked in, they needed 106 from 47 balls. He was dropped before he had scored a run. He was dropped again when he was on 15. Neither was a difficult chance.
And then, out of nowhere, it all came together for him. Till today, Adam Gilchrist had held the record for the fastest IPL fifty. It had come off 17 balls. When Yusuf mowed Dale Steyn over deep midwicket for the fifth six of his innings, he had reached 50 in 15 balls. He took 26 off that over - 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 2. By the time Yusuf holed out for 72 off 22 balls, the equation had come down to less than a run a ball. Knight Riders beat Sunrisers with 34 balls left to play. They beat Super Kings to second with a cushion of six balls.
The defeat knocked Sunrisers out of the tournament, leaving Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals to battle it out for fourth on Sunday. Sunrisers started the game with only a small chance of qualifying. Their selections - they left out Aaron Finch, and played Jason Holder and S Anirudha, neither of whom had played a match for them this season - and the general quality of their play only made it even more improbable. In the end, they were left needing to bowl Knight Riders out for 23 to overhaul Royals' net run rate.
