A sort-of commanding win over the Rajasthan Royals kept KKR's chances of making the semifinals, but Chennai's fantastic Dhoni-driven final-over victory over the Kings XI Punjab has more or less demolished any hopes they may have had. Hopes of making the semis, that is, not their other hopes - I'm sure they're all in good mental health and not in any way scarred beyond recovery.
An excellent team effort in the field kept RR to 132 despite a strong start provided by Shane Watson, who opened for them. All of KKR's bowlers picked up wickets and conceded less than 8 an over, with Jaydev Unadkat being named man of the match for his threefer.
In reply, Kamran Khan removed Gayle and McCullum in one over, after which Ganguly and Pujara steadily built a partnership before opening up later to secure a one-sided victory with 23 balls to go.
Ideally, they should have chased this small target a lot sooner to boost their NRR, which could have left the door to the semis still open - however, their only option now is to secure a massive victory over the Mumbai Indians. As famous violinist Louis d'Argent once said, "Non. Ce n'est pas possible."
So we now know which teams are in the semis and in what positions, finally. The Mumbai Indians are on top, as they have been all season. The Deccan Chargers move up to second after beating the Delhi Daredevils for their fifth win in a row. The Chennai Super Kings are in third place after their last-over thriller, while the Royals Challengers Bangalore should hang on to fourth place unless MI fields an under-12 side against KKR.
If KKR had an under-12 side, would Agarkar play for them?
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