IPL Results 2016: Latest Scores, Final Points Table and T20 Playoff Schedule
Kolkata Knight Riders booked their play-off spot on the final day of the 2016 Indian Premier League Twenty20 group stage with a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Knight Riders' bowlers took care of business on Sunday, led by the proficient Sunil Narine and his three-for-26 figures. The team posted a target of 171, and Hyderabad never came close to chasing it down.
In Sunday's second match, Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Delhi Daredevils to book their play-off spot as well.
Here's a look at the final IPL standings:
| 1 | GL | 14 | 9 | 5 | -0.374 | 2130/264.3 | 2285/271.1 | 18 |
| 2 | RCB | 14 | 8 | 6 | +0.932 | 2613/270.2 | 2345/268.3 | 16 |
| 3 | SRH | 14 | 8 | 6 | +0.245 | 2082/259.5 | 2078/267.3 | 16 |
| 4 | KKR | 14 | 8 | 6 | +0.106 | 2123/253.2 | 2121/256.2 | 16 |
| 5 | MI | 14 | 7 | 7 | -0.146 | 2194/272.2 | 2190/267.0 | 14 |
| 6 | DD | 14 | 7 | 7 | -0.155 | 2040/259.1 | 2107/262.3 | 14 |
| 7 | RPS | 14 | 5 | 9 | +0.015 | 2025/244.5 | 1991/241.1 | 10 |
| 8 | KXIP | 14 | 4 | 10 | -0.646 | 2134/269.4 | 2224/259.5 | 8 |
Here's the schedule for the IPL play-offs:
| Tuesday, May 24 | 3:30 p.m. / 8 p.m | Qualifier 1 | Gujarat Lions vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Wednesday, May 25 | 3:30 p.m. / 8 p.m | Eliminator | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Friday, May 27 | 3:30 p.m. / 8 p.m | Qualifier 2 | TBD |
| Sunday, May 29 | 3:30 p.m. / 8 p.m | Final | TBD |
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Delhi Daredevils
Bangalore, 139/4 (Kohli 54, Chahal 3-32) bt. Delhi, 138/8 (De Kock 60, Brathwaite 1-18) by six wickets (with 11 balls remaining)
Challengers won the toss and elected to bowl in this winner-take-all contest, but early on, that decision appeared to be a mistake. Quinton de Kock, who has been one of the best openers in this year's IPL, quickly found a rhythm, and while partner Rishabh Pant (one from two) was dismissed early, De Kock's solid pace meant Delhi's run rate looked solid through the first overs.
Daredevils scored 41 through five overs, before Bangalore's bowlers found their footing. Karun Nair (11 from 10) and Sanju Samson (17 from 12) didn't add much to the total, and by the end of the middle overs, Delhi's run rate had plummeted.
De Kock's knock lasted until the 17th over, and Chris Morris gave his team a late boost with an unbeaten 27, but the total of 138 hardly looked daunting.
Yuzvendra Chahal led the bowling onslaught with figures of three for 32, but Bangalore's bowlers played fantastic as a group, with not a single player finishing with an economy rate in double digits.
Bangalore's innings started in disaster, as Dwight Gayle lasted just one over before he was bowled by Chris Morris. Replacement AB De Villiers, who has been one of the best batsmen of this year's IPL, didn't fare much better, as he was caught midway through the third. Bangalore had only scored 17 at the time, and with two of their top run-scorers already gone, the chase suddenly came under threat.
Per Alt Cricket, De Villiers seems to struggle in these kind of situations:
"Can anyone explain what happens to AB de Villiers in knockout chases? It's probably the only question mark hovering over his career.
— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) May 22, 2016"
But Virat Kohli (unbeaten 54) and Lokesh Rahul (38 from 23) picked up the slack, taking the run rate over 8.00 entering the middle overs with some patient batting. At the midway point, Bangalore needed just 56 runs from 60 balls, and victory seemed certain.
Shane Watson (14 from 18) replaced Rahul after he was bowled and did little to impress, but Kohli kept scoring runs, keeping the chase on target. The Indian star eventually scored the winning run in the 19th over.
The win means Bangalore qualify for the play-offs as the second seed and will play Gujarat Lions in the first eliminator. Royal Challengers' attack has always been their biggest strength, but their bowling has come on strong in recent weeks, and it's this new-found balance that might make them the favourites to win this year's title.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kolkata, 171/6 (Pathan 52, Narine 3-26) bt. Hyderabad, 149/8 (Dhawan 51, Kumar 2-31) by 22 runs.
Knight Riders' strong bowlers did what they do best, easily defending a solid score against a powerful group of batsmen to grab a play-off ticket.
Hyderabad, which had already qualified for the next round, won the toss and elected to field, and the visitors did well to limit Kolkata's scoring potential early. Robin Uthappa (25 from 17), Gautam Gambhir (10 from 15) and Colin Munro (10 from eight) all lost their wicket fairly early without putting up a lot of runs.
But the middle overs proved to be productive for the hosts, with Pathan (unbeaten 52) and Manish Pandey (48 from 30) pushing the run rate over 8.40. Cricket writer Ayaz Memon questioned Sunrisers' decision to field first:
The visitors limited boundaries in the final overs, with Jason Holder, Shakib Al Hasan and Suryakumar Yadav all putting up single-digit runs, but the target of 172 still looked difficult to chase, given the form of Kolkata's spinners.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar led Hyderabad's bowlers with figures of two for 31 through four overs, while Deepak Hooda also grabbed two wickets in just two overs of work.
Kolkata's bowlers started Hyderabad's innings aggressively, giving up 22 runs through three overs and grabbing David Warner's wickets in the fourth.
While Shikhar Dhawan (51 from 30) put together a fine knock that lasted until the 12th over, Hyderabad couldn't find a consistent partner. Both Yuvraj Singh (19 from 12) and Naman Ojha (15 from 25) took too long to get going, and the bottom of the order underwhelmed, with only Moises Henriques scoring double-digit runs.
Kolkata's bowlers kept winning the battles throughout the innings, led by Narine. Per Alt Cricket, it's expected of the West Indies star:
"Sunil Narine rarely celebrates his wickets with much enthusiasm. It's like he *expects* to win every battle. Sign of a champion sportsman.
— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) May 22, 2016"
Per ESPN Cricinfo, Gambhir thought his entire team deserved credit for the win:
"It was a must-win game for us. The credit goes to the entire group.
Yusuf is taking his time and his role has changed from being a finisher last season. We are now giving him more overs.
I thought that 160 would be a good total. We can take a lot of positives from this game. It was a playoff for us.
"
Kolkata's blend of prolific bowling and break-building will always serve the team well in one-off matches, and there's a reason the team has won the IPL twice in its short history. Knight Riders may not have the explosive offence to match a team like Bangalore, but their bowlers are more than capable of containing even the best batsmen.
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