IPL 2022: KKR vs RCB Review – Kolkata fight but Bangalore prevail
A low-scoring thriller between KKR and RCB went right down to the wire and it saw the Faf du Plessis-led side registering their first victory of the season. They did have a few hiccups in a tricky run chase but got home in the end with three wickets and four balls to spare.
Du Plessis won the toss and opted to field first as expected, and KKR did not have the best of starts as they lost their openers Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane in quick time. Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Narine all started well but could not build on that and were dismissed soon. Sheldon Jackson fell for a duck and it was up to Sam Billings and Andre Russell to stitch a partnership. However, RCB kept taking wickets at regular intervals and KKR could only score 128 in their innings.
Defending a small total, the KKR new-ball attack of Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee created early damage and picked up three wickets inside the powerplay. Sherfane Rutherford and David Willey stuck an important partnership of 45 for the fourth wicket, but once Willey perished, Shahbaz Ahmed’s innings turned out to be a game-changer as he scored a 20-ball 27 and brought down the run rate pressure.
In the end, KKR did have little hope, with Tim Southee picking up two wickets in the 19th over, but Dinesh Karthik brought all his experience into the game and finished off the game in style for RCB.
Top Performers of the game
Wanindu Hasaranga
Wanindu Hasaranga bowled an outstanding spell with the ball and showed his worth. The leg-spinner finished with 4 for 20 in his spell and accounted for the big wickets in the KKR innings, which changed the course of the game.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz Ahmed had an off-day with the ball but managed to make up for it with the bat with a crucial innings at No. 6. The left-hander smashed three sixes in his quick-fire innings and got the required rate considerably down to get the pressure back on the bowlers.
What next for the two sides
Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against the Punjab Kings in their next encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on April 1. Royal Challengers Bangalore will play their next game against the Rajasthan Royals at the same venue on April 5.
