Kolkata Knight Riders have managed to stay alive in IPL with a thumping 60-run win over Rajasthan Royals in a do-or-die encounter in Dubai in Sunday's night match.
With 14 points from 14 matches, Kolkata have moved up to the fourth position from eighth. They will still need Sunrisers Hyderabad (12 points from 13 games) to lose to Mumbai Indians on Tuesday to remain fourth.
If Hyderabad win, the contest will be between the loser of Royal Challengers Bangalore-Delhi Capitals match and Kolkata to qualify as the fourth team. On the other hand, with this loss, Rajasthan dropped to the last spot in the standings.
Chasing a mammoth 192, Rajasthan were more or less done inside the powerplay as they lost the top five for 41 runs. Pat Cummins was the wreaker in chief with four wickets for 34 runs. The Australian became the first bowler to take four wickets in the first six overs this IPL. Mystery Spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Mavi accounted for two wickets each. Rajasthan finished at 131/9 in 20 overs.
Earlier, skipper Morgan led from the front to take Kolkata to a competitive 191/7.
The Englishman remained unbeaten on 68 from 35 balls. Against Rajasthan that has found momentum, Morgan's men had to go hard to stay alive and they did in Dubai. Asked to bat in dewy conditions, Kolkata lost their opener, Nitish Rana, in the second delivery of the innings.
Handy knocks from Shubman Gill (36) and Rahul Tripathi (39) helped stabilise the innings. But it was the England skipper who upped the ante with his first fifty of the season that included six sixes and five fours. Andre Russell, who was included in place of pacer Lockie Ferguson, chipped in with an 11-ball 25 as the team scored 103 runs in the last 10 overs.
For Rajasthan, leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia starred with three wickets while Karthi Tyagi scalped two.
Brief scores: Kolkata 191/7 in 20 ovs (Morgan 68 n.o, Tripathi 39, Gill 36; Tewatia 3/25, Tyagi 2/36) bt Rajasthan 131/9 in 20 ovs (Buttler 35; Cummins 4/34).