IPL SRL | RCB vs KKR Evaluation Chart - Shubhman Gill sails the ship for Kolkata yet again
KKR's chase was helped by Andre Russell's late cameo against Bangalore
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The Kolkata Knight Riders side are blessed with an able batting side and it was at the team’s disposal once again, this time Shubhman Gill, who added 53 off 42, taking the lead. In the end, RCB were handed a last-over defeat, a margin of three wickets, despite captain Virat Kohli’s efforts.
Match Review
After winning the toss, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli opted to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders. Both the openers, Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel took charge right from the start building a swift partnership that was broken in the Powerplay but it set the tone for the rest of the innings. Following that, after a couple of hiccups, Bangalore were back on track with the fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Moeen Ali. With an exciting late cameo by Umesh Yadav, RCB were able to post a decent total of 176/7 after 20 overs.
Chasing a target of 177, Kolkata Knight Riders lost Sunil Narine early at the hands of Umesh Yadav but Shubhman Gill translated Virat Kohli’s knock into a brilliance of his own. The youngster not only anchored the chase but also accelerated it with little help from Nitish Rana and scored a fifty before falling in the 16th over. After Gill’s departure, courtesy of Yuzvendra Chahal, it was Andre Russell and Siddesh Lad’s late attack that turned the game around in KKR’s favour and sealed a three-wicket victory in the final over.
Turning Point
The turning point of the game was the 16th over in the chase, bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal, despite the dismissal of anchorman Gill. As KKR lost the opener, the onus was on Andre Russell to pull off the chase and KKR squeezed out 19 runs off Chahal turning the game around. The Windies powerhouse thus formed short yet powerful partnerships with Lad and Rahul Tripathi to take KKR to victory in the 20th over.
Highs and Lows
I believe the high of the game was the performances by RCB skipper Virat Kohli(66 off 42) despite the team’s loss. Kohli formed a substantial fourth-wicket partnership with Moeen Ali, adding 69 runs off 37 balls, helping Bangalore recover from the prior hiccups and taking them to a decent total on the board.
Despite a brilliant performance by spinners Washington Sundar and Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal had a bad day at work. The legspinner was taken for a ride by Kolkata’s lower order, led by Andre Russell. In his four-over spell, Chahal conceded 44 runs while managing to bag one wicket. Chahal’s performance, which cost Bangalore the game, was certainly a low from today’s encounter.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation : RCB (7.5/10) and KKR (8.5/10)
As Bangalore batted first, the opening partnership between Finch and Patel that took them to 39/0 at the end of the first four overs, which included a 20-run over off Prasidh Krishna. Following the Aussie’s dismissal in the fifth over, courtesy of Sunil Narine, Kohli joined Patel in the middle. After a 7-run sixth over by Pat Cummins, with Patel on 25* off 14, the scoreboard read 48/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders made a great recovery after losing Narine in the fourth over of the chase after a fairly good start. With Gill taking charge, Rana showcased some powerful hitting and punished Chris Morris on a huge scale as they squeezed out 15 runs in the 5th over. With Saini conceding only 5 runs in the sixth over, at the end of the Powerplay, KKR were looking strong on 56/1, while chasing a target of 177.
Middle overs : RCB (9/10) and KKR (7/10)
With Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli in the middle, at the end of the Powerplay, Bangalore were looking at a promising position. After having struggled against Narine, Kohli made his recovery against the spinner. After Patel and de Villiers departed, Kohli formed a innings-defining partnership with Moeen Ali and that included a 15-run over off Andre Russell, following a 16-run over off Narine. At the end of the 15th over, Bangalore’s ’s total was 130/3 with Kohli still in his best form(batting on 54 off 38), unswayed by the fall of wickets.
Following a brilliant show in the Powerplay, KKR had another setback as they lost Rana in the tenth over, bowled by Washington Sundar. And following that, there were major hiccups for Kolkata as they lost Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik in quick succession. In fact, between the ninth and the 14th overs, the ball was in Bangalore’s court. However, as Russell joined Gill KKR started making its recovery and it was evident in the 10-run 15th over by Morris. At the end of the 15th over, KKR still required 52 runs to win, the scoreboard read 125/4.
Death Bowling : KKR (7.5/10) RCB (3/10)
It was the batsmen’s day through and through except for the occasional wickets that the pacers bagged, especially Cummins and Krishna. After being stormed at by Kohli in the 16th over, Kuldeep was able to dismiss the RCB skipper. Following that Krishna made a significant recovery in the 18th over, conceding only four runs and bagging the wicket of danger-man Moeen Ali. Pat Cummins also bowled well in the deaths, dismissing Shivam Dube. All in all, the bowlers conceded 46 runs while bagging four wickets in the death overs.
The RCB bowlers, who had a grip over Kolkata in the middle-overs of the chase, had the task of defending 52 runs off the last 30 balls. Right into the death overs, the fate of the game turned around as Siddesh Lad and Andre Russell stormed at the bowlers starting with Chahal’s fateful 16th over. Following that, there was no looking back for KKR and its powerful middle-order hitters. Yadav and co. conceded 53 runs in 26 deliveries, helping KKR reach the target with four balls remaining.
Match Frenzy O Meter - Good
It was a well-fought high-scoring competition and almost never one-sided until the final overs of the chase. Despite major efforts from Virat Kohli, it was KKR led by Gill who took the win in the end. Moreover, Russell and Lad’s last-minute six-hitting was worth an extra point.
