Rinku Singh & Nitish Rana help Kolkata Knight Riders break their five-match losing streak 

Kolkata sent Rajasthan to bat first and then restricted them to 152 runs for five wickets in 20 overs. After a slow start, Kolkata Knight Riders picked up the pace and won the match with five balls remaining to keep their playoffs dreams alive.

Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer take Rajasthan Royals over the 150-runs mark.

Rajasthan Royals lost the toss and were sent in to bat first. Devdutt Padikkal and Jos Buttler opened the batting for their side.

After a slow start, Rajasthan was struck the first blow in the third over as Umesh Yadav caught and bowled Padikka at two off five balls.

Skipper Sanju Samson then joined the orange cap holder Jos Buttler, who wasn't looking good against the Kolkata bowlers. 

For RR, Samson's 54 off 49 balls was the only saving grace, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

KKR bowlers justified skipper Iyer's decision to ask the opposition to bat first with quick wickets.

A late onslaught by Shimron Hetymar (27 not out off 13 balls) took Rajasthan beyond the 150-run mark. The sixth over accounted for 11 runs as Rajasthan finished the power play overs at 38 runs.

After adding 48 runs for the second wicket partnership, Tim Southee removed Buttler in the 9th over at 22 off of 25 balls. The Englishman hit three boundaries in his innings. 

After going 55/2, Samson accounted for another firm partnership with Karun Nair, which took them to 90 runs after the completion of 13 overs. However, Nair was sent back to the dugout on the very first ball of the 14th over to take Rajasthan's tally to 90/3. 

Riyan Parag then joined the skipper but couldn't significantly contribute as Anukul Roy caught him in the 17th over for 19 runs. Captain Samson, who scored a half-century which included seven boundaries and 1 six, departed on the first ball of the 18th over to take Rajasthan from 90/3 to 115/5 in no time.

Shimron Hetmyer's unbeaten 27 off 13 helped Rajasthan Royals cross the 150-runs mark as they gave Kolkata Knight Riders a target of 153 runs.

Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh lead Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable win.

Kolkata Knight Riders started their innings the same way as Rajasthan Royals as veteran first-class cricket players Baba Indrajith, and Aaron Finch opened the batting. 

However, Finch continued his skid and returned to the pavilion-like Devdutt Padikkal in the initial overs of their innings. Skipper Shreyas Iyer then joined Indrajith to stabilize the innings. 

Meanwhile, Indrajith too departed in the last power play over by Prasidh Krishna.

Nitish Rana then joined Shreyas Iyer, and the duo batted responsibly to guide Kolkata to 50 runs in 9 overs.

Nitish Rana (48 not out) anchored the chase, while Rinku Singh played a 23-ball unbeaten 42-run cameo to help KKR achieve the target with consummate ease.

Iyer was looking good, but Trent Boult came to Rajasthan's rescue and gave them a much-needed breakthrough in the 13th over. Iyer departed for 34 runs off of 32 balls. 

Rinku Singh then came to the crease and set up a match-winning fourth-wicket partnership with Nitish Rana. Singh started his innings with a boundary off the first ball.

The match came down to Kolkata needing 46 off five overs as both Rana and Singh went to work to bring down the tally to 31 off three overs.

Even Yuzvendra Chahal was powerless against Singh, who clobbered Chahal for consecutive boundaries in the 18th over. 

However, Singh didn't have enough and smashed Prasidh Krishna in the next over. Krishna gave away 17 runs in the penultimate over as Kolkata needed just one ball of the next to win the match.

Kolkata Knight Riders have risen to the 7th spot in the standings and will face Lucknow Super Giants on May 7. At the same time, Rajasthan Royals will take on Punjab Kings in their next match.