RCB vs KKR HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders do the double on Royal Challengers Bangalore with a 21-run win

Alright, the maths is plain and simple. Six sixes to win. Vyshak faced with the daunting task. Vaibhav to bowl. A single off an inside edge of the first ball means it is all over. The 21-run win would do KKR’s confidence a world of good. They walked into this game, having sunk to four losses on the trot.

Vyshak pulls a rabbit out of the hat! The 550th six of the tournament is up... who would have thought?! That went miles high into the night sky and lands safely outside the ground limits. Russell’s figures read: 2/29.

Chakaravarthy to try and add to his tally. Willey takes a single off the second delivery to get Karthik on strike. The wicketkeeper-batter needs to face as many balls as possible. That should be it. DK hits this straight down Rinku Singh’s throat at deep midwicket. Rinku jets off on a celebratory run. KKR is sniffing a big victory here as Vyshak makes his way to the middle.

Great shot but hit way too straight by Karthik... It rattles the woodwork at the bowler’s end. Russell clatters into Hasaranga and apologises immediately. Karthik gets down on one knee and pummels a maximum over deep square. WICKET! Hasaranga has hit this straight to Anukul near the point boundary. RCB slides further. David Willey has walked out to the middle. He can strike it really long as well. Gets off the mark with a single to keep strike.

Hasaranga and Karthik stick to the ones and twos as Narine bowls out with figures of 4-0-41-0. The last timeout is here. Equation: 56 required off 24.

Four singles off Suyash’s first four deliveries. Trouble at the non-striker’s end... And Prabhudessai gifts his wicket in a pedestrian dismissal. The duo complete a run, following which Karthik darts for the second. Prabhudessai, however, isn’t so sure. There is a bit of yes-no and stop-start from the batters as Suyash quicky whips the bails off.

Karthik, in the know of all of Narine’s tricks from his time at KKR, plays with the spin. He pulls the first delivery through midwicket to pick four more. Narine removes the bails with his hands as Prabhudessai attempts to make it on time. Would have scared RCB fans in real time. The sticks have been broken again, albeit by Iyer on this occasion. The customary check is on and Karthik has been tagged safe.

Iyer rolls over and takes a blinder at long on! Seemed like it was going all the way but as it turns out Russell has sent Kohli back into the hut. Prabhudessai joins Karthik. Iyer, normally subbed when KKR fields, had been apparently asking head coach Chandrakant Pandit for an opportunity for quite some days now. Prabhudessai ends the over with a boundary through cover.

More spin... Rana needs to go to his pacers now. The fifty partnership comes up off 34 deliveries with a 74m six off the blade of Lomror. A top-edge this time, will it clear the limits? Nope. Russell takes a simple catch as Lomror departs for 34 off Varun’s bowling. Hits himself on the helmet during the long walk back. Karthik’s in. The slip returns for the wicketkeeper-batter.

Suyash has been brought back into the attack. Kohli gets to 49 with a boundary through the left of short third. And with a couple more Kohli gets to his 49th IPL fifty! Suyash concedes a wide.

Up, up and away! Lomror has greeted Narine’s short delivery with a humongous maximum. Swivels, pulls and carts it 88m away. No doubts regarding what the message had been from the dugout during the brief break. Lomror gets down on one knee and slogsweeps the flattest of sixes to backward square leg.

Captain to captain. Rana to try and make an impact with the ball now. Good work in the deep... Oops, scratch that! Vaibhav, trying to intercept the ball while running in from deep midwicket, has just accidentally tapped the ball onto the ropes. The timeout has been taken!

Sunil Narine, who has had a quieter season by his standards, to bowl. TV umpire Michael Gough checks for a run out appeal at the striker’s end. Lomror was in by a mile. Lomror throws his arms at a widish delivery but it will just be two runs, courtesy of Anukul Roy’s diving effort in the deep.

Andre Russell to bowl his first. The DJ trying to raise the belief and spirit of the crowd which has gone awfully silent with some “RCB! RCB!” chants. Russell, meanwhile, is mixing up his lengths well. Kohli pushes for two as he screams, “Run!” The duo successfully picks up a couple of runs to cap the over.

Jagadeesan serving some nostalgia, barking instructions in Tamil for Varun. A few summers ago, Dinesh Karthik carried out similar duties at the side. Maxwell picks the gap on the onside, with only two fielders in place in that region. Slow, wide and gone! The googly does Maxi in as he holes out to David Wiese at mid-off. KKR manages to get rid of another big name inside the PowerPlay.

A loosener from Suyash to start off the over and Kohli swivels to hit this behind square. Almost an action replay of the four last over. Kohli hasn’t connected this well and it might be taken. Rinku Singh, at long-on, goes for the catch but it falls short. Worse, it trickles down to the rope with nobody covering the fielder. LBW! Shahbaz tries to slog sweep but misses all of it. The umpire raises his finger and RCB won’t be contesting the on-field call. Glenn Maxwell walks out.

Spinners to operate in tandem. Varun Chakaravarthy bowls short and Kohli wouldn’t let these opportunities slip by. Worked behind square for four. Good on Shahbaz to ably support Kohli as the duo scamper for two quick runs.

Suyash has been introduced from one end. Nice to see Rana giving the youngster an opportunity to bowl at two greats of the game. The move pays off as Rinku Singh takes a brilliant catch at the edge of the boundary to stun the Bengaluru crowd into pin-drop silence. du Plessis departs. A slip in place for Shahbaz, the new man in. The spinner gets away with three short balls. Only 2 runs come off that over.

Umesh Yadav to share the new ball. Kohli welcomes him with a boundary over cover, summarising the kind of season KKR’s pacers have been having. While the fast bowlers in the Purple and Gold squad have picked up 11 wickets this season, the spinners have accounted for 27 scalps. The first maximum of the day comes early... du Plessis connects it off the middle this time and sends it over the bowler’s head. He gets a bigger one off the next ball over the deep midwicket area.

Faf du Plessis comes in as the Impact Player. No surprises there. However, he replaces Harshal Patel. Makes one wonder whether Harshal is carrying a niggle. Normally, it is Mohammed Siraj who makes way. KKR’s subbed in Suyash Sharma for Jason Roy.

Vaibhav Arora with the new ball in hand and he has been battered for a four off the very first delivery by skipper Virat Kohli. Vaibhav, a major contributor with the ball in Himachal Pradesh’s victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, leaves du Plessis flummoxed with one that angled into his pads. Four more... It’s du Plessis on this occasion as the ball races away to the fine leg fence after falling short of Suyash at short fine.

Harshal to Rinku, just one off the first. David Wiese is on strike. Wiese gets stuck into Harshal first ball, thwacks it over deep mid-wicket for a huge maximum. 93 metres... Wiese ramps the last ball over third man for six. 15 off the 20th and KKR just make it to 200. KKR get 69 from the last 5 for the loss of three wickets! cameos from Rinku and Wiese helped.

We will be back with the chase shortly.

Rinku is in the house! Absolutely clobbers the length ball over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. He then opens the face of the bat next ball and collects four behind square, sliced intentionally. Rinku is taking on Siraj’s wide-yorker plan here, he slices the third ball to the fence to make it a hat-trick of boundaries. Siraj responds with a bouncer, Rinku ducks. Siraj to Rinku Singh, 1 run off the fifth ball. Siraj ends the over on a high though, clean bowls Russell with a yorker.

Hasaranga to Venkatesh Iyer, 1 run. R ana has holed out to Vyshak at short third for a 21-ball 48! Andre Russell comes to the crease and opens his account with a single first ball. Meanwhile, Iyer holes out as well, trying to go for a big shot. KKR lose 2 in an over. Rinku Singh comes to the crease. 3 runs and 2 wickets from the over.

Vyshak bowls the first over at the death. After conceding three singles off the first three, Vyshak concedes two successive fours and a six to Rana. 17 off the over. Vijaykumar Vyshak 4-0-41-2. Rana is making RCB pay for those dropped chances!

Iyer slams the third ball down the ground for four. The 50 stand is also up between Rana and Iyer. Rana ends the over with consecutive sixes and KKR’s 150 comes up. 19 runs from that Harshal over.

TIME OUT!

Rana gets another reprieve, Siraj at the receiving end. Harshal the culprit at fine leg. Five singles from the over, could’ve been a wicket too.

Rana, knowing fine leg is up, moves away on off side and laps a full ball over short fine leg for four. Nine from the Willey over.

Vyshak could’ve had his third! Rana lofted an off-pace ball straight to Siraj at long-off and the pace spearhead drops a dolly! Rana makes RCB pay with a maximum off the last ball. That was in the slot and hit straight down the ground.

RCB bowlers applying the choke in the middle overs. Will KKR attack in Hasaranga’s second spell... Iyer rocks back and pulls the second ball for four. Iyer drives the penultimate ball through extra cover for four. 13 off the over in the end.

Beautiful from Harshal, just five form the over. All that early momentum has now stalled for KKR.

Vyshak puts Jagadeesan out of his misery, the latter’s mistimes an attempted pull and is caught in the deep for a 29-ball 27. Venkatesh Iyer comes to the crease. Iyer off the mark with an innocuous single. GONE!!!! There’s the breakthrough, Roy exposed his stumps, tried to work a full ball off his legs and is castled. He goes for a 29-ball 56. Nitish Rana is the new man in.

Harshal using slower balls straightaway. Jagadeesan cuts the third ball for four, short, wide delivery and duly put away. 7 off the over. Jagadeesan needs to get a serious move on.

Jason Roy smashes a 50 off 22 balls, gets there with a single. Back-to-back fifties. Vyshak the bowler. Vyshak to Jagadeesan, 2 runs. Vyshak to Jagadeesan, 1 off the third ball. Vyshak to Roy, another single. Jagadeesan gets a top edge on an attempted pull off the penultimate ball, doesn’t carry. They run a single. Roy keeps strike with a single off the last ball.

Hasaranga continues. Jaggi collects a single after playing three dot balls. Jagadeesan needs to up the ante. While Roy has shifted gears, Jaggi has gone into a shell. Hasaranga de Silva to Roy, 1 run off the fifth ball. 2 runs off the over.

Shahbaz Ahmed replaces Willey. Doesn’t make a difference to Roy, who steps out and chips the second ball over deep mid-wicket for six. He follows it up with a flat six over deep square as KKR’s 50 comes up. It’s a hat-trick of maximums as Roy pulls the fourth ball for six. Make that 25 from the over as Roy slog sweeps the final ball of the PowerPlay for a six as well. It is KKR’s best powerplay performance this year.

Time-out

Wanindu Hasaranga into the attack. He replaces Siraj. A slip in place for both batters. Loud shout for lbw off the third ball as Roy is hit on the pads attempting a sweep. Give not out but RCB review. The ball is pitching outside off, so on-field call stands. RCB lose a review. Another loud lbw appeal off the next ball but RCB don’t use a referral. Roy ends the over with a reverse sweep for four.

Willey overpitches and with no swing on offer and no slip in place, Jagadeesan drives handsomely for four. Willey gets the second ball to swing but it starts too straight and he concedes a wide. Jagadeesan shifting gears now as he plays another cover drive for four. Willey to Jagadeesan, 1 run off the fourth ball. Roy now plays a majestic pickup shot for six. Runs flowing for KKR. 1 to end. 17 off.

Siraj beats Jagadeesan first ball with one that shapes away after pitching. Excellent start to the over, three dots up front. Jagadeesan pinches a single off the fourth. Roy leans into the drive and collects four beautiful runs through the offside. Huge appeal for caught behind off the last ball. Joy steps out and Siraj surprises him with a short ball... not given and RCB decide against reviewing it.

David Willey shares the new ball. He gives width outside off and Jagadeesan flays a cut behind square for four. There’s a slip in place for Jagadeesan. Single to end the over, Jaggi retains strike. Five from it.

Jagadeesan and Roy open for KKR. Siraj with the new ball. Roy off the mark with a boundary off the third ball, steps out and swings it down the ground for four. It was a slightly wide outswinger and was dealt with disdainfully. Roy does one better off the penultimate ball as he drives on the rise, past short mid-off for another four.

Impact substitutes for both teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Subs: Faf du Plessis, Akash Deep, Karn Sharma, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat

Kolkata Knight Riders Subs: Mandeep Singh, Litton Das, Anukul Roy, Suyash Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya

KKR will hunt for a win, having lost four in a row. Meanwhile, the host is eyeing a hat-trick of wins.

Virat Kohli, who continues to lead RCB, has won the toss and elected to field.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing 11): Virat Kohli(c), Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing 11): N Jagadeesan(w), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Vaibhav Arora, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Faf du Plessis will come in for RCB during the second innings, as Impact Player.

Oh btw, this is the same pitch where RCB played CSK - THAT match where 444 runs were scored.

RCB Predicted XI: Virat Kohli (c), Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj. Impact Player - Vyshak Vijaykumar.

KKR Predicted XI: N Jagadeesan (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact Player - Suyash Sharma.

KKR has won 17 times against RCB and lost 14. In the last six IPL matches, RCB has won four times.

The last time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) met Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), its spinners in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy had left Faf du Plessis and his men in a daze.

The massive 81-run victory at the Eden Gardens set the tone for KKR’s campaign, and drowned out all the chatter about RCB’s title credentials after the rousing win over Mumbai Indians in the opener.

Halfway into the season, when the two clash again, this time at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, it feels like a whole new world.

KKR has lost four in a row and is now eighth in the table. RCB has found ways to win – three of its last four games – despite not exuding the vibes of a trophy-contender and even while defending totals (all three being day games).

KKR’s problems are manifold. Its batters have repeatedly been pegged back in the PowerPlay while frontline bowlers in Narine and Umesh Yadav have gone wicketless in the last four and six matches respectively.

Maverick Andre Russell is yet to explode and while there have been notable performances from the likes of Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Jason Roy and skipper Nitish Rana, they have only played solo.

“We just have to keep pushing hard and keep enjoying ourselves,” said Roy, on match-eve. “It’s very easy in short-format cricket to lose a lot of confidence. So we are trying to keep it high and make sure our methods don’t change too much.

“But as individuals we have to improve and see how we can impact the game in a better way. We have had some good individual performances which is a positive. But a loss is a loss. We have to draw that line in the sand now with half the season done. We just have to push forward.”

For RCB, it will be important for the middle-order to fire when given the opportunity. The top-three of Virat Kohli, du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell have scored the bulk of the runs in what seems like a throwback to the times when Kohli, Chris Gayle and A.B. de Villiers dominated. But the team will be better served by not being so top-heavy.

“Last year our top-order struggled but the rest of the batters were exceptional... the likes Shahbaz [Ahmed], DK [Dinesh Karthik] and [Mahipal] Lomror.,” Mike Hesson, RCB’s Director of Cricket Operations, reasoned.

“This year we have played five games at home and here our top-order is always going to do well. They have not just scored the bulk of the runs but they have had the biggest opportunities to do so. As the tournament unfolds and we get away from Chinnaswamy, the middle-order will get more opportunities and we have a lot of confidence in them.

“We have to start better than we did in the last game against KKR. We weren’t as good with the ball and obviously how we play KKR through the middle overs is going to be important as well. So we will focus on that rather than the potential state of mind they may be in [after four successive losses].”

(Last five matches)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLWL

Kolkata Knight Riders: LLLLW

“If you take any game in the IPL for granted, that’s a big risk… what’s happened in the past is irrelevant tomorrow from 7.30pm.”

RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson

“The guys are out there training now, working their hardest to be the best version of themselves. There’s no rhyme or reason behind it.”

KKR batter Jason Roy

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Virat Kohli(c), Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), Suyash Prabhudessai, David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Finn Allen, Karn Sharma, Anuj Rawat, Michael Bracewell, Siddarth Kaul, Sonu Yadav, Manoj Bhandage, Wayne Parnell, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Himanshu Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: N Jagadeesan(w), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana(c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Suyash Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Litton Das, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Harshit Rana, Aarya Desai