Kartik Tyagi delivered the kind of spell that turns memories into misery for a former franchise, producing career-best IPL figures of 3/22 as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) restricted Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Tyagi, who had previously played for the Royals across two seasons, returned to cause maximum damage—removing Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi in a decisive burst. The match’s aftermath even brought a light-hearted moment from Rajasthan, who posted a cheeky reaction to their former pacer’s ruthless performance.
Tyagi’s return: from former teammate to match-winner
- Kartik Tyagi took 3/22 against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday, marking his best-ever IPL figures.
- He picked up key wickets of Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi, quickly derailing Rajasthan’s push for a strong finish.
- Rajasthan Royals later shared a playful post teasing Tyagi, captioning a photo with the line: “I thought we were friends.”
- Tyagi had been bought by KKR for his base price of Rs 30 lakh, and repaid that faith with a three-wicket over that swung the contest.
Rajasthan’s innings: early dominance, late collapse
- Rajasthan Royals chose to bat first and began brightly through an attacking opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
- The duo built an 81-run stand, establishing a strong platform after a relatively controlled start.
- In the powerplay, Rajasthan raced to 63 without loss, with the pair stepping up gears—especially in the sixth over when they struck 22 runs.
- Momentum changed after spin came into play. Varun Chakaravarthy broke the partnership by dismissing Sooryavanshi for 46, a wicket that slowed Rajasthan noticeably.
- Chakaravarthy continued to trouble batters and also reached the milestone of 200 T20 wickets during his spell, while Sunil Narine added pressure from the other end.
- The spin combination squeezed the scoring rate and collected key wickets in the middle phase. Jaiswal, set and looking to accelerate, fell for 39 while trying to force the pace, and Dhruv Jurel was dismissed stumped soon after.
- Rajasthan’s score slid from 81/0 to 124/5, and the boundaries largely dried up as the innings lost rhythm.
- From 139/4 after 14 overs, they managed only 16 more runs while losing five wickets, highlighted by a run-out off the final ball that underlined their collapse.
- In the end, Rajasthan were bowled out for 155/9.
KKR’s bowlers made full use of the conditions, with Chakaravarthy leading the way on 3/14 and Tyagi matching him with 3/22. Together, they ensured Rajasthan were kept well short of a competitive total on a surface where batting should have been more comfortable.
Jaiswal stood out with creative strokeplay, including a well-executed scoop and crisp drives, while Sooryavanshi initially took time before accelerating and punishing anything loose. But once spin took hold, Rajasthan’s early control evaporated—setting the stage for Tyagi’s former-franchise demolition and sealing KKR’s grip on the contest.
