Kolkata witnessed a night of heartbreak for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans who packed the Eden Gardens stands on Sunday evening, cheering for their team despite being eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) even before their last home match against Delhi Capitals began. With Rajasthan Royals defeating Mumbai Indians to secure a playoff spot in the day's first encounter, KKR's aspirations were shattered, plunging the stadium into gloom.
Fans in Disbelief
Fans buried their faces in their hands and their shoulders dropped even before the first ball was bowled. "I can't believe we are out. How could Mumbai lose to Rajasthan so easily? Had they won, KKR could have made a frantic effort to beat Delhi by a huge margin and qualify," said techie Sujoy De. Crestfallen supporters still cheered for the Men in Purple, albeit the passion was notably missing.
The Mathematical Equation
A victory over Delhi Capitals by 77 runs or chasing down the target in 12.1 overs or less would have taken KKR to the playoffs, had Mumbai Indians won earlier. This sudden and anticlimactic finish marked the end of Ajinkya Rahane's purple brigade, who had staged a dramatic turnaround in the IPL, winning six out of their last seven games to keep their chances alive.
From Hope to Despair
Fans started streaming into Eden Gardens from early Sunday evening, their eyes fixed on mobile screens. As Mumbai Indians struggled against Rajasthan Royals' bowling, supporters pinned their hopes on Suryakumar Yadav to rescue them and keep KKR in contention. However, their hopes were dashed even before most had entered the ground. To add insult to injury, Delhi Capitals got off to a flying start, with KL Rahul and Sahil hitting KKR bowlers to reach 86 runs in nine overs.
Brief Cheers and Silence
When Sunil Narine dismissed Sahil, Eden Gardens erupted in a brief cheer. But fans were soon silenced as KL Rahul raced past 50 with some lusty blows. Kartik Tyagi's thunderbolts generated some excitement, but the youngster was treated with disdain by Rahul, who hit him for a four and a huge six in the 11th over.
