RCB 143-6 after 20 overs
Vettori 4, Kumar 0
It was clear after 10-12 overs that RCB would find it very hard to win. Gayle did accelerate in the end, but it was too little too tale. This is a big big win for KKR and they will believe that they have consolidated a semi-final play-off place.
WICKET! RCB 143-6 after 19.5 overs
Chris Gayle c McCullum b Shukla 86 (58b, 7×4, 6×6)
His team may not win, but Gayle has not failed to entertain. He gets too excited with the room available and the edge is taken by the keeper.
WICKET! RCB 112-5 after 17.2 overs
Mayank Agarwal b Narine 10 (13b, 1×4, 0×6)
Gayle smacks a triplet of boundaries to bring his fifty up in style. RCB may not be winning, but Gayle has certainly kept his IPL credentials up. Agarwal, who on the other end was getting frustrated has been beautifully bowled by Narine. That delivery was basically unplayable.
RCB 98-4 after 16 overs
Gayle 45, Agarwal 10
Finally we see a six from Gayle. He gets a full-toss and everyone knows what happens next. As far as the match is concerned, there is no way RCB can win this now. If they do, it will be the biggest surprise in the history of cricket.
WICKET! RCB 77-4 after 12.5 overs
Saurabh Tiwary c Gambhir b Bhatia 19 (22b, 1×4, 1×6)
Batsmen had a chat before this over and maybe it was something on the lines of: “I think we need to put every ball in the crowd or forget about it.” The plan worked for a couple of deliveries where each batsman scored a six each, but Tiwary’s attempt to hit one more over long-on somehow ends up in the hands of covers. Game over now?
RCB 63-3 after 12 overs
Gayle 27, Tiwary 12
It is a bit surprising to see Gayle trapped like this. He does get a four- rammed past square-leg but apart from that, RCB have done nothing to give their side hope that they will win.
RCB 47-3 after 9 overs
Gayle 17, Tiwary 8
WICKETS! RCB 34-3 after 5.3 overs
Virat Kohli lbw b Kallis 18 (19b, 3×4, 0×6)
AB de Villiers c Shukla b Kallis 0 (1b, 0×4, 0×6)
Two wickets in two balls for Kallis and they are as big as they can get! First it is Kohli who is plumb lbw, but cannot believe it…going back to the dug-out after hurling a torrent of abuses. Then De Villiers is surprised by Kallis’ short ball which takes a top edge and lands in the hands of Shukla.
RCB 31-1 after 4 overs
Gayle 14, Kohli 15
That first wicket does not really affect what these two batsmen need to do. Kohli taking off immediately after coming on, hitting three quick boundaries in different parts of the ground. Gayle is slowly starting to get on with it too, bashing a typical six over mid-on.
WICKET! RCB 2-1 after 1 over
TM Dilshan c Bhatia b Pathan 1 (3b, 0×4, 0×6)
Just the start KKR were looking for. Dilshan tries to loft it over the off-side but doesn’t get enough bat on it. Good catch from Bhatia at mid-off.
RCB come out to bat
WICKET! KKR 190-4 after 20 overs
Yusuf Pathan c Dilshan b Vinay Kumar 7 (4b, 0×4, 1×6)
Pathan with just one thing on his mind: to hit every ball for six. He gets one of them right and tries on the last ball only to be caught at deep square-leg. But this total is more than enough for KKR to comfortably win. On the other hand though, there’s a batsman named Chris Gayle.
WICKET! KKR 182-3 after 19.2 overs
JH Kallis c Patel b Vinay Kumar 41 (27b, 1×4, 3×6)
Kallis looked in stunning touch, slapping a couple of sixes to put KKR on course for the 200-run mark. But then he tries a cheeky shot, trying to scoop one over short fine-leg. Patel runs towards the high ball and takes a good catch.
WICKET! KKR 175-2 after 18.4 overs
Gautam Gambhir c Appanna b Khan 93 (51b, 9×4, 5×6)
Gambhir tries something he hasn’t this innings: a six over long-off…and he fails. The captain misses out on a century by seven runs but what an innings that is. He has scored at a strike rate of 182.00.
KKR 167-1 after 18 overs
Gambhir 92, Kallis 28
Gambhir has favoured the on-side all his innings for the big ones. A shorter ball catches his eye a bit late but he steps back and swings his bat to dispatch another six. Kallis decides to partake in the big shots too, clubbing a huge six over the bowler. This is great batting.
KKR 144-1 after 16 overs
Gambhir 82, Kallis 16
Gambhir has added two more sixes to his tally. One of them a huge shot over mid-wicket and the other whipped away for six over square-leg after Vettori bowls a high full-toss to him. Great execution and Kallis is just standing on the other end, waiting to give the captain strike as soon as possible.
McCullum did very well on his return to the KKR squad. AFP
KKR 121-1 after 14 overs
Gambhir 67, Kallis 8
Gambhir is turning up the style in Kolkata. He has heaved one over mid-wicket for six before riding his luck again. A big shot towards long-on falls between a diving Kumar and a lethargic Zaheer before running away for four. This looks to be a heading for a big score.
WICKET! KKR 95-1 after 10.3 overs
Brendon McCullum b Vettori 43 (37b 8×4 0×6)
McCullum has done pretty well on his return to the side. He looks to cut away at his national teammate Vettori but the bowler wins this battle, knocking off his stumps after an inside edge.
KKR 73-0 after 9 overs
McCullum 28, Gambhir 42
McCullum has lost patience and is going for it big time. In these last couple of overs he has crashed three boundaries in addition to Gambhir’s one. A reverse sweep from the former was remarkably executed. KKR on a roll.
KKR 55-0 after 7 overs
McCullum 15, Gambhir 37
Gambhir brings up the fifty for KKR in style…pulling one over mid-wicket for four. The captain looks in great touch. McCullum on the other end smacks another boundary for four. Good partnership this one.
KKR 40-0 after 5 overs
McCullum 10, Gambhir 27
Vinay Kumar has bowled a good over compared to Zaheer’s uncharacteristic wayward deliveries. He has been pulled away for four but otherwise RCB can call this a good over.
KKR 33-0 after 3 overs
McCullum 9, Gambhir 21
Gambhir has overtaken McCullum within two overs, courtesy three boundaries. But he has ridden his luck so far. A lashed shot was almost taken in heroic fashion by Harshal Patel at third man but for the ball to pop-out on impact of his dive. He tried the same shot again and found Gayle diving towards it but the ball refuses to stick.
KKR 11-0 after 1 over
McCullum 7, Gambhir 4
McCullum gets another chance to prove his worth. He caresses a boundary on the first ball past fine-leg. Gambhir follows it up with a lovely cut past point in the last ball. A four on the first and last ball for KKR- they will surely take that.
KKR have won the toss and will bat first
Kolkata Knight Riders: Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir, Laxmi Shukla, Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Rajat Bhatia, Debabrata Das, Sunil Narine, Brett Lee, Iqbal Abdulla
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Saurabh Tiwary, Daniel Vettori*, Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Harshal Patel, KP Appanna
