Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and fast-bowling all-rounder Andre Russell showcased top form with the ball as KKR bundled out RCB for just 92 in a comprehensive nine-wicket victory to resume their campaign in IPL 2021.
Thanks to their excellent bowling, the two-time champions made a fantastic start to the UAE leg of the competition, securing an easy win this Monday. Chakravarthy and Russell were the star of the show as they ran through the RCB batting line-up and set up the game for their team.
RCB captain Virat Kohli opted to bat first and not long from there on he was left ruing his decision as his team collapsed almost 10 runs shy of the 100-mark inside 19 overs. It was a horrible performance from a team glint with the presence of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell in their top six.
As it happened, Kohli, opening the batting along with young Devdutt Padikkal, was out in only the second over of the innings for a score of 5. The skipper missed an incoming ball from pacer Prasidh Krishna and was given LBW on the field. A desperate review offered no respite to the great batsman, and he had to make a long walk back to the pavilion.
Kohli’s early departure was just the lift-me-up that KKR needed as they soon also broke a sedate stand between Padikkal (22) and No.3 Srikar Bharat (16). Padikkal was out trying to play an uppercut off a sharp bouncer from Lockie Ferguson, managing to only edge the ball to the wicketkeeper.
From there on, it was a procession of regular wickets, with Chakvarathy and Russell getting into the act and never allowing the opposition batsmen to get going.
Russell took down Bharat and soon followed it up with a peach of a yorker that even the great De Villiers had no answers to. He was out bowled the first ball. At the other end, Chakravarthy made short work of Maxwell (10), Sachin Baby (7) and debutant Wanindu Hasaranga (0).
Ferguson and Russell came back and added one scalp each to their tally and ensured their team’s batting unit only had 93 runs to chase for a win.
With no pressure of the asking rate, KKR openers Shubman Gill (48) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (41*) batted with great clarity and composure at the crease. Gill was in his element, hitting anything too short or too full to the boundary. Iyer impressed many with the ease at which he played the RCB quicks, including Mohammed Siraj, Kyle Jamieson, and their veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
The left-hander from Madhya Pradesh struck seven fours and one maximum in his unbeaten knock. After a fantastic partnership of 82 runs, Gill did get out near the finish line when he looked to hit Chahal (1/23) over the top. But Iyer stayed there unbeaten till the very end and sealed the win for his team. It was an innings that would’ve given him huge confidence ahead of the rest of the tournament.
Siraj (0/12) and fellow Indian pacer Harshal Patel (0/13) were the only two RCB bowlers who looked in any control on the night. While one could not blame the bowlers much after the game was basically lost in the first half, the likes of Jamieson (0/26), Chahal and Hasaranga (0/20) were expected to make KKR’s life slightly more difficult in the second half.
Brief scores
Royal Challengers Bangalore 92 in 19 overs (Padikkal 22, Bharat 16; Russell 3/9, Chakravarthy 3/13) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 94/1 in 10 overs (Gill 48, Iyer 41*; Chahal 1/23, Siraj 1/12) by nine wickets
