Crazy catches, massive strikes and a thrilling finish – KKR vs RCB was nothing short of cinema

It was a day of utter chaos and frenzy in the Eden Gardens as the clash between RCB and KKR had it all. From spectacular catches to some crazy striking, the fixture lived up to its heighted billing of entertainment in the Mecca of Indian cricket.

Winning the toss in Kolkata, Faf du Plessis opted to bowl first. Despite a fine salvo from Phil Salt up front, Mohammed Siraj drew first blood for the visitors as he tempted the former with another dying delivery in the slot and the Englishman took the bait, walking back for 48.

Not long after, Yash Dayal’s twin strike in the same over sent back Sunil Narine (10) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (3) to bring RCB back in the game. Raghuvanshi fell to an absolute stunner from a flying Cameron Green.

Venkatesh Iyer (16) did get off to a stunning start but it was Green this time with the ball in his hand to get rid of the menacing southpaw. Rinku Singh (24) joined Shreyas Iyer (50) in the middle to stabilize the ship but Lockie Ferguson, who made an excellent comeback after the first over was rewarded for his persistent discipline as Rinku was bamboozled by the sudden surge in pace as he gloved a bumper to Yash Dayal at fine leg.

With isolated bursts of brilliance and a bout of late momentum coming in from Ramandeep Singh (24*), KKR managed to pile up 222/6 at the end of their 20 overs. Cameron Green was the pick of the bowling lot with figures of 2/35 while Lockie Ferguson provided a solid turnaround, conceding only 19 runs in his last three overs while also clinching a wicket.

Chasing a momentous total on the board, RCB did get off to a flier, thanks to Virat Kohli (18) but a double whammy in quick succession that saw VK and Faf depart, which left the visitors wobbling. However, after a quick spell of calm to soak in the pressure, Will Jacks finally brought out the big blasters, showcasing everyone what he is capable of.

After weathering the early storm, Willy J rocked Mitchell Starc for 22 runs to conclude the powerplay with a bang. That was just the beginning of the madness to follow as Willy and Rajat Patidar were at the top of their games to send the hosts scurrying for some fire cover.

On a hot day in Kolkata it rained boundaries as Jacks blasted a 32-ball-55 while Rajat clobbered a 23-ball-52, launching the bowlers for fun and sport. A 102-run stand between Jacks and Rajat from 48 balls saw RCB taking back the reins of the match from the hosts but a stunning 12th over from Andre Russell that saw both the set batters heading back to pavilion was the game-changer.

Following the fall of the Jacks and Patidar, there were calculated bouts of some explosive striking from Suyash Prabhudessai (24) and Dinesh Karthik (25) but that wasn’t enough to fill the massive voids left behind in the wake of Green and Mahipal Lomror’s dismissals before they could have hit their signature strides.

With 21 runs needed off the final over and a Starc primed to unload all those nasty tricks of his trade, Karn Sharma conjured the unthinkable. He hammered Starc for three staggering sixes but a razor-sharp catch on the penultimate delivery of the innings saw RCB being put in a difficult situation again. With three needed off the final ball, Lockie Ferguson could only complete a solitary run before a superhuman dive from Phil Salt got the bails off.

The fans were left gutted as they say that the defeats that come at the very end after a lively battle is a lot more agonizing than the ones lost in the process.