KKR pip RCB to the finish line in a high-octane thriller at the Chinnaswamy

Despite a topsy-turvy affair in the centre that went down the wire, the Royal Challengers Bangalore would eventually fall short of the stipulated total as the Kolkata Knight Riders pipped them to the finish line by 21 runs in a high-scoring encounter.

Winning the toss, RCB opted to field first and were put under serious pressure by KKR’s opener, Jason Roy, who fired a 29-ball-56. Narayan Jagadeesan took his own sweet time and looked well en route to what could have been a thunderous finish had it not been for Vyshak Vijaykumar, who struck a double whammy in the 10th over, removing Roy and Jagadeesan in a span of four balls.

Despite the opening pair’s threat being nullified, the Royal Challengers couldn’t capitalise on the two quick blows as Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana came together in perfect unison, peppering the RCB bowlers frequently to the ropes. It was Wanindu Hasaranga who started showing glimpses of his phenomenal self as he bagged figures of 2/24 from his quota of 4 overs, removing both the dangerous left-handers in the same over.

Mohammed Siraj produced the all-important wicket of Andre Russell for just 1, and eventually, it was a couple of lusty blows from Rinku Singh and all-rounder David Wiese that propelled KKR to 200/5 at the end of 20 overs.

RCB got off to a fiery start as Faf du Plessis injected the early momentum while Virat Kohli played second fiddle at the other end. However, a double strike from KKR’s Suyash Sharma saw Faf departing for a 7-ball 17 while Shahbaz Ahamad was sent back for just 2, allowing KKR to claw their way back into the game.

One of RCB’s star acts in IPL 2023, Glenn Maxwell too fell for just 5, opening up a massive opportunity for KKR to wrest control of the game. However, Virat Kohli and Mahipal Lomror came together to slam the doors back shut as they started steering the innings under the cosh, maintaining a pretty decent run rate that kept them in the hunt almost till the end.

Kohli and Lomror stitched together a partnership of 55 runs before the latter was removed by Varun Chakravarthy for 34 and the RCB skipper walked back soon for a well-constructed 37-ball 54, removed by a stunning catch by Venkatesh Iyer at deep mid-wicket. Despite a late lunge from Dinesh Karthik (18-ball 22) and Vyshak Vijaykumar (8-ball 13), RCB fell short of the finish line by 21 runs.