Well that was a roller-coaster and a half. A great ride though and thrilling till the end. From myself, Karthik and Ranjith, it's goodbye for now. Due tune in for the second match of this double-header day coming up soon - Jamaica Tallawahs vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
1.54 pm: Gee I wonder who the man of the match will be. Of course it's Kieron Pollard. "I thought we left it too late (when he walked in) but I knew we had a couple of overs to make up. Kept that head position and a strong base. Targetted the Hayden Walsh over and that's where the momentum turned for us. We lost early wickets and were four down so it was a matter of consolidating. We had a plan, and sometimes we leave it too late, but all things being equal, we can get the sixes. (Is this his best T20 innings?) It's up there. Today my striking ability came into play."
Jason Holder: "It was a really good knock, we must give him credit. Took the game away from us at the very end. We had to keep wickets in hand, we did it in the last game as well. It's really important to have a set batter at the end. The seamers are easier to hit at the back end. We did really well to get to 148, probably didn't execute well with the ball, but credit to Pollard. We tried to get him out early but he played out Rashid. And he didn't miss anything."
HarryFD: "Which Windies finisher is the best: Pollard or Russell? "
- Imagine both of them batting together. No singles need be turned down and the sixes would still rain regardless.
Sarah : "It's official, pollard is on a different level to everyone!!! I want to know to WHO ELSE would be able to do this. And even though he got out, he reduced the margin so much so that the lower order could still come and make it. Very very impressed and proud and in awe right now. That's MY captain "
- the only other man who could do this is Dre Russ. I don't think anyone else can pull off this kind of finishing. Gayle used to do it at the top of the order, but from the middle order, there is no one to challenge Pollard and Russell I'd wager.
1.45 pm: What a heist from TKR who have now won 6 games out of 6 in this CPL. Kieron Pollard walked in and smacked the bowling around as if it was a net session. The equation was steep and continued to be so, until Pollard's destructive hitting brought it within range. Another twist was in store with his run out, but Khary Pierre had the final say with two balls of superbly calm execution while Reifer lost his radar. Stunning come from behind win for the Knight Riders, and one of the great T20 hands by Pollard. Keeping himself to No.7 as the spinners wheeled away in the middle overs worked a treat. And TKR have won this without Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine. What a powerhouse team.
8 needed off 4. Two balls for Pollard, but he's not there
KA Pollard run out 72 (28b 2x4 9x6) SR: 257.14
15 needed off the last over. Pollard batting on 65 off 26. Who wants to be the bowler?
ESPNcricinfo's predictor says TKR have a 19.3% chance heading into the final over. Maybe someone should tell that to Reifer because he has the ball.
END OF OVER:19 | 16 Runs | TKR: 134/7 (15 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 7.05, RRR: 15.00)
- Kieron Pollard65 (26b)
- Khary Pierre3 (3b)
- Jason Holder4-1-27-2
- Raymon Reifer2-0-15-1
Dwight Schrute : "Those big feet of Pollard makes him such a quick runner. Four strides and he's at the other end! "
Sarat: "Ok it is confirmed, Pollard laid his own pitch when he came on to bat"
long-off, deep extra cover and deep point in place. Wide yorker outside off?
Jason Holder now. 31 needed off 12 balls. It's still a tough ask. But Pollard's in the zone. Off strike for the first ball though
Sooryanarayanan: "Pollard doing what Dre Russ did on a consistent basis last IPL."
Prasu: "Question: Y wud Pollard not come early ??? Like A.Russell in last year's ipl"
- think he sent the left-hander in ahead of himself to counter the spinners in the middle overs with a left-right combination
END OF OVER:18 | 10 Runs 1 Wkt | TKR: 118/7 (31 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 6.55, RRR: 15.50)
- Kieron Pollard51 (22b)
- Khary Pierre1 (1b)
- Raymon Reifer2-0-15-1
- Hayden Walsh4-0-44-1
Abhijato: "As a Mumbai Indians and Kieron Pollard fan, I hope this match goes down the wire. If TKR pull off this chase from here, it's going to be an all-time great finish!"
Laks: "That was a real sacrifice by Raza, he is a genuine finisher"
- true but he was not proactive enough in looking to get off strike methinks. Had to be looking for one
The effect of that Walsh over: Pollard took TKR's win probability from 0.8% (after the first ball of the over) to 11.4% (after the final ball). It's no 6.6% after that run out
Sikandar Raza run out 3 (6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50
41 needed from 18 and Reifer to bowl
END OF OVER:17 | 25 Runs | TKR: 108/6 (41 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.35, RRR: 13.66)
- Kieron Pollard42 (18b)
- Sikandar Raza3 (5b)
- Hayden Walsh4-0-44-1
- Rashid Khan4-1-21-1
Santner and Holder have a word with Walsh. Perhaps telling him to trust his natural bowling and not try to become a medium pacer?
Rakesh: "Fasten Seat Belt's Sign has just gone up and Pollard is ready for a Moon or Bust time..."