Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson provided an official update after wicketkeeper-batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s on-field collision. The franchise medical team confirmed that the player suffered the injury during the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a four-wicket win over Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens. Chasing the target of 148 runs, KKR completed the target in 18.5 overs. However, this win also became a matter of concern after Raghuvanshi got injured during the match.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi injury update: KKR releases official statement
The incident occurred during the 11th over of the first innings when Angkrish Raghuvanshi ran to take a high catch on Tilak Verma’s shot. While attempting to take the catch, he collided with Varun Chakravarthy, resulting in a missed chance and a head injury.
Shane Watson later confirmed that Raghuvanshi suffered neck pain, dizziness and severe headache after the collision. Although the youngster wanted to return to the field, the medical staff ruled him out of the remainder of the match.
Watson said, “Unfortunately, Ankrish ran a long distance to try to take that catch. And unfortunately, his collision with Varun Chakravarthy left him with a sore neck, a little dizziness and also a little headache within a few overs.”
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish the game. And I know how frustrated he was. He’s a guy who is as tough an opponent as I’ve ever met. So from a batting perspective we definitely missed him,” he said.
Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell anchor chase
The injury also created confusion over the concussion substitute rule. Kolkata Knight Riders had initially announced Ramandeep Singh as the replacement on social media. However, the match officials later cleared Tejashwi Dahiya as a substitute as a replacement wicketkeeper was required to be a similar wicketkeeper.
Kolkata Knight Riders promoted experienced batsman Manish Pandey to number three. Pandey, playing his first innings of the season, helped stabilize the chase after the early wicket of Finn Allen.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green also got out cheaply, increasing the pressure on the hosts. After this, Pandey made an important partnership with Rovman Powell in the middle overs. Pandey scored 45 runs in 33 balls, while Powell added 40 runs in 30 balls.
Concussion substitute Tejashwi Dahiya came in to bat in the final overs and scored 11 runs off 12 balls on his IPL debut, before being dismissed by Corbyn Bosch. Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy gave Kolkata Knight Riders the win with seven balls to spare.
Kolkata Knight Riders keep playoff hopes alive after defeating Mumbai Indians
Earlier in the match, Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and decided to bowl first. Their bowlers controlled the innings well before Corbin Bosch scored unbeaten 32 off 18 balls. Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi and Cameron Green took two wickets each, reducing Mumbai Indians to 147 runs.
With this win, Kolkata Knight Riders reached sixth place in the points table with 13 points, ahead of Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are officially out of the playoff race and are placed ninth with only four wins from 13 matches.
Despite winning six of their last seven matches, KKR still face a tough road to playoff qualification. Their chances now depend on the results of other matches and they also need a big win against Delhi Capitals on May 24 to improve their net run rate.
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