RCB 182/6 in 20 Overs (Kohli 83*(59), Green 33(21); Russell 2/29 in 4 overs) lost to KKR 186/3 in 16.5 Overs (V Iyer 50(30), Narine 47(22); Vyashak 1/23) by 7 wickets
KKR took on RCB in their second game at the storied M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in a contest which promised to be an incredible one. Both teams coming off of wins in their last games were determined to add another victory to their tally. KKR looked to continue their momentum after an epic win last night and looked to become the first team to win an away game in this season.
After winning the toss, KKR elected to bowl first on a pitch where most of the teams have won by chasing down totals. The KKR bowlers started off in a commanding fashion, challenging both edges of the RCb batters. They always looked very close to getting a wicket yet the RCB openers survived. However, the hero of the last game, Harshit stood up yet again as he picked up the crucial wicket of RCB skipper Faf du Plessis with a deceptive slower ball. Post the powerplay phase, KKR established a stranglehold on the game and despite RCB scoring the odd boundary, it was the KKR bowlers who were on top all through the middle overs phase. Andre Russell bowled a terrific spell by mixing up his slower balls and other variations intelligently. Despite some great bowling, RCB were able to have some momentum on their side due to Virat Kohli’s excellent knock. RCB were restricted to 182 in the first innings after a brilliant effort from all the KKR bowlers.
The KKR run-chase saw a blistering start as Salt teared into RCB’s bowling right from the outset. Narine joined the party soon enough as he smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Playing his 500th T20 game, Narine rolled the clock backwards with an incredible knock of 47 off just 22 balls. He picked apart the short balls targeted at him in style and rose up to the occasion. KKR scored 85 runs in the powerplay itself putting themselves in pole position to chase the target down. RCB looked to make a comeback as they picked up both the openers in quick succession but Venkatesh Iyer & Skipper Shreyas Iyer kept the run-chase at a high tempo. Venkatesh came in with an aggressive approach and scored a quick-fire fifty while the skipper played the perfect anchor’s role and kept the pressure down with excellent strike rotation. Shreyas smashed a six to finish off a nearly-perfect run chase as KKR became the first team to win an away game this season. Their 6th consecutive win against RCB in Bangalore and 2nd win of the season came in through total domination by KKR.
