Kohli-led RCB beat hosts Kolkata

KKR made one change to their playing eleven – Umesh Yadav made way for Twenty20 debutant K C Cariappa.

RCB made eight changes to their playing (Pat)eleven – Rilee Rossouw, Yogesh Takawale, Vijay Zol, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Rana, Mitchell Starc, Ravi Rampaul, and Shadab Jakati made way for Chris Gayle (the player of the match), Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh, Daren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Harshal, Abu Nechim, and Varun Aaron.

On winning the toss, Virat Kohli, RCB’s skipper, chose to field.

The first Powerplay of KKR’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 53, without the loss of a wicket.

KKR’s openers put on 50 off 5.2 overs (32 balls). RCB had conceded an extra at that point. While the contributions of Robin and Gautam Gambhir, KKR’s skipper, to the (Uthap)partnership was 25 apiece.

Gambhir’s half-century – which included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six – came off 41 balls.

Uthappa, whose 28-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 35. Sixty-four balls into the match, he was caught by Sammy. Abu Nechim broke the 81-run partnership.

KKR scored 100 off 12.5 overs (77 balls). RCB had conceded three extras at that point.

Gambhir eventually scored 58 off 46 balls, which included seven boundaries, in addition to the six. Sixteen balls after Uthappa’s dismissal, he was caught by Mandeep. Yuzvendra Chahal broke the 22-run stand.

Suryakumar Yadav, whose nine-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 11. Seventeen balls later, he was caught by Mandeep. Harshal broke the 28-run stand.

The fourth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Manish Pandey, whose 15-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 23. The next ball, Kohli ran him out.

KKR scored 150 off 18.1 overs (109 balls). RCB had conceded four extras at that point.

Yusuf Pathan, who faced four balls, scored three. Seventeen balls after Manish’s dismissal, he was caught by Kohli. Aaron broke the 32-run stand.

Russell, whose 17-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 41. He was unbeaten.

The sixth-wicket pair put on 10. Shakib Al Hasan, who faced a ball, didn’t get off the mark. Four balls after Yusuf’s dismissal, Dinesh Karthik and Aaron ran him out.

Piyush Chawla, who didn’t face a ball, was unbeaten.

RCB eventually conceded half-a-dozen extras. KKR scored 177 for the loss of half-a-dozen wickets off 20 overs.

Sammy, who bowled an over, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he was wicketless, as was Abbott, who bowled three overs, conceding 36.

Aaron, Harshal, Nechim, and Chahal bowled four overs each, picking up a scalp apiece. They conceded 38, 37, 28, and 28, respectively.

The first Powerplay of RCB’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 41, and lost a wicket.

Kohli, whose 15-ball innings included a six, scored 13. Twenty-nine balls into the chase, he was caught by Uthappa. Morne broke the 29-run stand.

Karthik, whose eight-ball innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. Sixteen balls later, Yusuf broke the 21-run stand.

Mandeep, who faced three balls, scored half-a-dozen. His runs came by way of a six. Three balls later, Yusuf broke the six-run stand.

RCB scored 50 off 7.2 overs (44 balls). KKR had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point.

A B de Villiers, whose 13-ball innings included three boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 28. Three overs after Mandeep’s dismissal, he was caught by Uthappa. Cariappa broke the 37-run stand.

RCB scored 100 off a dozen overs (72 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave KKR no reason to be in seventh heaven.

Sammy, who faced nine balls, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – 22 balls after de Villiers’ dismissal, he was stumped by Uthappa. Shakib broke the 26-run stand.

Gayle’s half-century – which included four boundaries and three sixes – came off 37 balls.

The sixth-wicket pair put on 14. Abbott, who faced four balls, scored a run. Nine balls after Sammy’s dismissal, Morne and Shakib ran him out.

RCB scored 150 off 17.1 overs (103 balls). KKR had conceded eight extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

The seventh-wicket pair put on 38. Gayle, whose 56-ball innings included seven boundaries and as many sixes, eventually scored 96. Thirteen balls after Abbott’s dismissal, Manish and Uthappa ran him out.

Harshal, whose four-ball innings included a six, scored nine. He was unbeaten, as was Nechim, who bowled a couple of balls, scoring five. His innings included a boundary.

RCB, who scored 179 for the loss of seven wickets off 19 overs, won by three wickets with an over to spare.

Chawla bowled a wicketless over, conceding 10.

Russell bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceding 16.

Sunil Narine bowled four wicketless overs, conceding 26.

Cariappa and Shakib bowled two overs each. While the former conceded 28, the latter conceded 17. They picked up a wicket apiece, as did Morne, who bowled four overs, conceding 35.

Yusuf bowled four overs, conceding 40. He picked up a couple of scalps.