In a hard-fought contest at the Eden Gardens, the Kolkata Knight Riders emerged victorious over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a narrow margin of one run. This result marks the seventh loss for RCB in the Indian Premier League 2024, placing them in a challenging position with regard to the playoff race. Former Indian player Irfan Pathan has publicly expressed his disappointment with Dinesh Karthik's performance, suggesting that the team's qualification for the playoffs may be in jeopardy.
Pathan also drew attention to Karthik’s decision to refuse a single opportunity, which ultimately led to a 1-run deficit. During the 19th over of the run chase, Karthik was batting with Karn Sharma. Andre Russell demonstrated excellent bowling techniques, particularly in relation to one of the most proficient finishers in the 17th season. Despite the opportunity to gain one run on the second and fourth deliveries of the over, Karthik chose not to take it.
Irfan Pathan stated:
“We all focused on Virat Kohli’s dismissal and how it played a part in the defeat. However, if you look closely, Dinesh Karthik was responsible for the loss. He should have taken a single on two occasions, but the veteran didn’t trust Karn Sharma, who hit three sixes in Mitchell Starc’s bowling after Russell undid DK. His mistake resulted in RCB’s defeat and eliminated the team from the playoff race.”
RCB were chasing 223 runs and had put the hosts out of the contest at one stage. Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar hit attacking fifties, but Russell’s double-wicket over handed the advantage to the Shreyas Iyer-led franchise.
The game went to the match’s last ball, and Karn ran out while trying to take two runs to level the scores for a Super Over. The brilliant work by Phil Salt scripted a 1 run win for the two-time champions.