Sunil Narine struck in the 10th over as Kamindu Mendis mistimed a pull shot straight to deep midwicket. Aniket Verma walked in and immediately made his presence felt with a classy boundary. However, with SRH needing 129 off the last 10 overs, the pressure was mounting.
Varun Chakravarthy joined the attack in the 11th over and removed Aniket Verma, who miscued a slog to deep midwicket. Pat Cummins arrived at the crease and got off the mark with a cheeky lap shot for four. Klaasen, at the other end, looked determined to take the game deep.
Klaasen took charge in the 14th over, smashing Narine for back-to-back sixes to keep SRH's hopes alive. However, KKR missed a chance to dismiss him when UltraEdge revealed a nick that went unnoticed. With the required run rate soaring past 15, SRH needed something special.
Vaibhav Arora delivered a crucial blow in the 15th over, dismissing Klaasen for 33 with a well-disguised slower bouncer. SRH’s chase took another hit, leaving Cummins and Harshal Patel with an uphill task. Despite some quick singles, the asking rate climbed to an almost impossible 17.4 runs per over.
KKR’s disciplined bowling attack, led by Arora and Narine, kept SRH in check. The fall of Klaasen all but sealed the game for KKR, with only tailenders left to chase an improbable 87 off 30 balls. Cummins and Harshal needed a miracle from there.
With the match slipping away, SRH’s batters struggled to find the boundary. KKR’s bowlers maintained tight lines, and the fielders backed them up with sharp work. As the equation worsened, KKR edged closer to sealing a convincing victory at Eden Gardens.