RCB vs KKR Review: Batting powerhouse Kolkata amazes Bangalore in an easy chase
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders faced off in Match 10 of the Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. KKR won the toss and opted to bowl first. Faf du Plessis (8 off 6) went back early. Virat Kohli (83 off 59) and Cameron Green (33 off 21) who was promoted up the order started to rebuild. Glenn Maxwell (28 off 19) played a good cameo after Green was dismissed. Later, Dinesh Karthik (20 off 8) provided the finishing touch RCB posted 182 for 6 on the board.
KKR started well hitting boundaries for fun in the powerplay. Sunil Narine (47 off 22) and Phil Salt (30 off 20) accumulated 86 runs for the first wicket. Venkatesh Iyer (50 off 30) and Shreyas Iyer (39 off 24) kept the momentum going and did not let the bowling variations hamper the proceeding of the innings. Rinku Singh (5 off 5) joined Shreyas at the business end of the game as KKR emerged victorious by 7 wickets.
Top Performers of the Match
Sunil Narine (47 off 22)
Sunil Narine almost took the life out of the game for RCB as he utilized the powerplay to its best. With his explosive knock, he gave the proper cushion for the upcoming batters to take time and settle in. With him at the other end, even Phil Salt played conservative innings by his lofty standards. Narine fetched 20 runs from Yash Dayal’s over in the powerplay. He smashed five sixes and two boundaries and ended with a strike rate of 213.64.
Andre Russell (2 for 29)
Andre Russell understood the behavior of the pitch very quickly. With the likes of Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana relying on pace and getting beaten up, Russell took pace off the ball. He halted the run rate as Kohli and Maxwell were looking for big shots. He claimed the wicket of settled Green and Rajit Patidar.
What’s next for both teams?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Lucknow Super Giants in Match 15 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 2 while Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Delhi Capitals in Match 16 at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam on April 3.
