RCB kick-started the UAE leg of IPL 2021 on a somber note, as the Kolkata Knight Riders thumped them in a one-sided contest. Plenty of question marks hover around the team as it stands, and skipper Virat Kohli has a lot of issues to address before their next game begins.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore donned a blue colored jersey, in contrast to their usual red-and-black attire. They often don the green jersey to promote cleanliness and good health.
However, the blue jersey was a mark of respect to everyone working in the healthcare department, who have been relentlessly working to safeguard the nation from this deadly pandemic. Kohli mentioned that the shirts will be auctioned later and the proceeds will go to the frontline workers.
“This uniform is special. This is to pay tribute to the frontline workers. The blue color is same as the PPE colors who have worn it for the last 18 months. The shirts will be auctioned off later and the proceeds go towards them. We do green games but this time we have blue,”
he said.
The Challengers put in a shambolic display as they lost to the KKR by nine wickets. Batting first, all they could manage was 92 runs before getting bowled out. The men in purple bowled brilliantly, giving no freebies for Bangalore to accelerate their scoring. Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell were the stars on the day with the ball for KKR.
Chasing a pretty tame target, the Knight Riders were never under any trouble. Debutant Venkatesh Iyer’s free-flowing cricket, coupled with the maturity shown by Shubman Gill, helped them complete the run-chase without much fuss. They chased the target with 60 balls remaining, putting a huge dent on Bangalore’s net run rate.
Bangalore, who already have five wins to their credit, are still in a great position to enter the playoffs, but more slip-ups like this could result in other teams overtaking them.
