The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were brilliant during their emphatic 81-run victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on their return to Eden Gardens for the first time since 2019. It was a dominating all-round effort that helped KKR first score 204, and then defend the total very successfully by dismissing the RCB batters for 123.
While the Kolkata-based franchise saw many match-winners on the night of Thursday, April 6, one particular player wreaked havoc on RCB's middle order, proving once and for all that the Indian Premier League's (IPL) new Impact Player rule is a huge success.
19-year-old Suyash Sharma was brought in as an impact player for Venkatesh Iyer. By the time he was brought into the action, his much more senior colleagues in the spin department, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy had already dismissed the majority of the top order.
After a good first over, where, barring a Michael Bracewell Maximum, he did well, the youngster from Delhi took a wicket in his eighth IPL ball, getting Anuj Rawat with a top edge that landed in the hands of Sunil Narine. The spinner made the most of his moment in the sunshine and also took the opportunity to appreciate the franchise that gave him his moment.
See the video of the celebration here:
Suyash Sharma showed his love for the club by kissing the badge, pointing to the dugout and signalling, 'I've got this,' in a testament to the confidence of the young spinner.
He was not done, however, and added the wicket of their last major threat in Dinesh Karthik, with yet another edge, this time flying into the hands of Chakravarthy, for Suyash's second wicket of the night.
The spinner's third wicket was a bit comical, with the ball bouncing off Karn Sharma's glove and going to slip fielder and skipper Nitish Rana. Initially given out, the decision was successfully reviewed by the KKR side.
Suyash finished off a little expensive, conceding 16 in his final over. However, this does not diminish his performance on a day when Shardul Thakur's 68 off 29 stole the show.
Meanwhile, his head coach Chandrakant Pandit lauded the youngster but said that he still had a lot to improve. "We have seen him (Suyash) at trial matches. He is very quick in the air, and it's very tough to pick him. It's just the inexperience, but he showed a fighting attitude," Chandrakant told the broadcasters after KKR's win at Eden Gardens.
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