RCB stunned by Russell Heroics!
This is what IPL is all about! 53 runs were needed in just 3 overs to win and what happens next? Andre Russell smashes the ball all around the park to get those runs with 5 balls to spare!
The match started with a Kohli masterclass. He played with all his passion and was showing his frustration at each missed opportunity. You could really see the sense of determination in the RCB team to open their account in this season but it was not to be. Parthiv again provided a brilliant start in the powerplay along with Kohli but failed to continue the momentum after 6 overs and got out. Kohli combined with AB de Villiers to do what they do the best, make a mockery of the boundary rope. They scored 108 runs in just 56 balls together. Kohli played an impressive knock of 84 runs in just 49 balls. De Villiers too discovered his form back and smashed 63 runs off just 32 deliveries. Decent finish by Stoinis, in the end, powered RCB to a total of 205.
Though Narine fell in the second over of the chase, KKR seemed to be in control of the required rate at all times with Lynn and Uthappa stitching a useful partnership of 65 runs. Nitish Rana came at №4 and showed that he has been a wonderful purchase for the Kolkata Knight Riders. But a brilliant spell from Pawan Negi pegged back the KKR batsmen. With 53 runs required off the last 3 overs, Russell and Shubman Gill were on the crease. The onslaught from Russell started with a six on a waist-high no-ball from Siraj and he just went on and on from there. From being at 1 run off 4 balls to 48 off 13 balls, he won the match in the blink of an eye for KKR. What a hitter he is! Just clears his front leg and hits the ball with brute force! If we see closely, he scored 43 runs off his last 9 balls! Absolutely unbelievable!
Lots of dropped catches didn’t help RCB as well. They were very sloppy in the field which was a major cause for their defeat.
Oh RCB! IPL is just not made for them. Starting the season with 5 losses and still making the playoffs is a herculean’s task but the Mumbai Indians have done it before in 2015. RCB will not lose hope right now. They will go hard in the subsequent games and try to win at least 7 of their last 9 matches. Their bowling has been a major concern this year as well. Nathan Coulter Nile is not with the team right now which is a major setback for them. The Indian bowlers too have not been in the best of form.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy has also come into question. In this match as well, spinners proved to be the difference between both teams. Moeen Ali didn’t even bowl a single ball. Andre Russell is not good against spin and it could have been a very useful tactic to introduce spin early on in his innings but Virat had other plans which backfired badly. The bowling of Stoinis is also a concern as he hasn’t bowled well in the 2 matches that he has played so far. Also, he could be promoted up the batting order as he opened in the Big Bash League as well. He can provide the necessary firepower at the top. He scored over 500 runs in the BBL while opening the innings for the Melbourne Stars, which could be used beneficially by RCB.
Looking at RCB lineup, their team looks better than most others on paper but they just find a way to lose. Hopefully, they will turn it around in their next game against DC on Sunday at the Chinnaswamy.
On the other side, KKR seems to have no real problems other than the quality of their reserves. If a player gets injured in their playing eleven, they don’t have adequate replacements. The form of Prasidh Krishna is also a problem as he has gone for plenty in the previous few games. The fitness of Russell is crucial for them as he is a vital cog in the KKR batting lineup. His scores this season read-49*, 48, 62, 48* at a combined strike rate of 268.83! From here, they fly to Jaipur to face the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
After the match when asked about the loss, Kohli said, “There is no guessing there, the last 4 overs that we bowled was just unacceptable. We needed to be more clever, nothing came off and we just cracked under pressure. That’s been our story this season so far.” He added, “If you can’t defend 75 in the last 4 overs, then I don’t know if you can defend 100.”
Andre Russell, the Man of the Match said, “I was confident when I went out to bat. DK was telling me to take a few balls to see how the pitch is behaving. I was watching in the dugout on the TV and had a fair idea. When you need 68 off 20-odd balls, it doesn’t happen every day. Need to put your body on the line. The nature of T20 is such that one over can change the momentum.”
The points table looks wide open with 6 teams pushing hard for the playoffs spot. 4 teams are tied at the top with 6 points each and RCB reeling at the bottom with 5 losses.
It’s a double header today! The first game is between the Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab and the second between Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Mumbai Indians. An exciting day for all cricket fans out there!
