Highlights, RCB vs KKR Eliminator, IPL 2021 Full Cricket Score: Kolkata beat Bangalore by 4 wickets

PotM, Sunil Narine: “It was definitely one of my better performances, any good performance in a match you win is great. 

I was prepared to take risks and maybe even get out on the first ball. I wanted to do whatever the team requires of me, some days it comes off and some days it doesn’t, but today was my day.

I enjoyed all my wickets, but getting Virat Kohli out was my goal, which I managed to do.

I’m getting close to where I was with my old action. KKR have supported me, and it’s paid off, and I’ll keep getting better hopeful.

I’m pretty calm and cool when I play cricket, I like having the ball in hand because I have a bit of control over what’s happening.”

Eoin Morgan: “Narine bowled outstandingly well. He makes it look very easy. It was a good start from the bowlers as, throughout the innings, we continued to take wickets, and we were in control in the chase. It is a huge privilege when there are world-class spinners around. The cricket we have played has surprised everybody. Everyone came to UAE with a drive to perform and were motivated.”

Kohli bids goodbye to RCB captaincy!

The 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐝 in #PlayBold,
The 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 in #RoyalChallengersBangalore,

Virat Kohli signs off as #RCB's captain... 🥺❤️#VIVOIPL #IPL2021 #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/KbeUylnjNN

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 11, 2021

End of an era!

virat kohli to RCB’s captaincy 🥺#IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/oSn4bZhX3R

— prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) October 11, 2021

**Virat Kohli: “**Well, I think the middle overs, in which their spinners dominated the game was the point of difference. They bowled in areas where it was very difficult to score, and they kept taking wickets. We had a good start, which we should have built on. It was more about quality bowling than poor batting, so they deserve to be on the winning side.

It was an outstanding display from the guys. We’ve never given up this season, and always come back strongly. That one big over with Narine really deflated us though, but we still fought to the end. 

Sunil Narine has always been a quality bowler, and he showed that tonight. Shakib and Varun bowled amazingly too, they created a lot of pressure and our batters couldn’t get their shots away.

I’ve tried my best to create a culture at RCB which allows young cricketers to come in and play expressive cricket. I’ve tried to do that with India as well. I’ve given my best. I will continue to do so on the field as a player. It’s a great time to regroup and restructure now, and we can bring in players who will take this franchise to the next level.

I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. Loyalty matters more than any other worldy things. This franchise has believed in me, so my commitment is with this team until the end.”

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 4 wickets!

After 20 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 139/6 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 5 , Shakib Al Hasan 9)

Dan Christian to bowl, and Shakib al Hasan hits a boundary off his first ball! It’s scooped brilliantly over short fine leg! Very nice stuff from Shakib, innovative cricket under real pressure. Single now, two runs needed off four balls. Rapid single, and the scores are level! Shakib was sprinting almost before Morgan had made contact with the ball. KKR win by 4 wickets! It was a nervy finish, but they will now face Delhi Capitals for a spot in the final! Royal Challengers Bangalore’s season comes to an end, and their wait for a title continues.

After 19 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 132/6 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 4 , Shakib Al Hasan 3)

12 needed off 12. It’s still advantage KKR, but another wicket could turn this around. George Garton to bowl his second over, he’s been a bit expensive already. Single and then a very well-run double to begin. Oh, good ball, it’s a dot! Morgan hasn’t been great this season, but you’d still back him to lead KKR to victory here. Single. Shakib on strike. Another single. This is edge of your seat stuff. Oh, call for out there, did it take a nick on its way into the gloves of Bharat? Don’t think so, the umpire seems unconvinced. No one reviews it, it’s just a dot.

After 18 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 127/6 ( Eoin Morgan (C) 1 , Shakib Al Hasan 1)

Mohammed Siraj back to bowl his final over. He starts off with a single, and then he has the wicket of Sunil Narine! Narine tries to slog, but he misses and the bail is taken clean off! 14 runs needed off 16 balls, and Eoin Morgan is on now. Single, and that was completely avoidable, RCB’s fielders just end up psyching each other out. OH WAIT, THAT’S OUT! Dinesh Karthik is caught behind! Or is he? Big nick, and Bharat seems to have taken this cleanly, but the umpire is confused. We go upstairs. Dinesh Karthik has walked off, he’s standing by the boundary ropes now. A whole lot of deliberation, a number of camera angles, but the third umpire is finally convinced, it’s out! A twist in the tale? Shakib on now, he’s off the mark with a single. Dot ball to end!

OUT! Dinesh Karthik is caught out by Siraj’s delivery, and he ends up pushing the ball into Bharat’s hands! Dinesh Karthik c Bharat b Mohammed Siraj 10 (12 balls)

OUT! Sunil Narine’s explosive innings comes to an end! Sunil Narine b Mohammed Siraj 26 (15 balls)

After 17 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 124/4 ( Sunil Narine 26 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 9)

Harshal Patel’s final over. Kohli will be praying he can get another wicket here. He almost delivers right away, Narine ends up hitting straight up into the air, but it’s moving and swerving and Padikkal can’t take the catch. The rest of the over is pretty non-descript, only three more runs off it. He finishes with 4-0-19-2, in what is probably his last match of the season. He’s been incredible in IPL 2021, taking a whopping 32 wickets and proving he is among the best of the best.

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 120/4 ( Sunil Narine 25 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 7)

KKR need 27 runs in 30 balls. Make that 23 off 29, Dinesh Karthik’s just hit a boundary. Lovely cut that, he slaps it over extra cover for four. Dot and four singles follow, good over for Kolkata.

FOUR! Nice work from Dinesh Karthik, cut over Padikkal at cover point!

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 112/4 ( Sunil Narine 23 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 1)

Chahal’s last over now. Starts with a dot, and then he has a wicket! Nitish Rana appeared to grow a little impatient, and he tries a slog, but ends up getting nowhere close to enough power on it, and it’s a pretty straightforward catch for de Villiers at long-on. There was no need for that from Rana, and no, for no reason whatsoever, there’s a bit of pressure on KKR. Still, they should win this easily. Single and two dots follow, Karthik looks a bit shaky. He takes a single off the last ball, only two runs from the over. Chahal ends with figures of 4-0-16-2. Strategic timeout signalled.

OUT! Rana tries to end the chase quickly, and ends up holing out to de Villiers! Nitish Rana c de Villiers b Chahal 23 (25 balls)

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 110/3 ( Nitish Rana 23 , Sunil Narine 22)

Harshal replaces Christian, and that’s probably for the best. Two dots and a couple of singles in the first four balls. Narine and Rana are probably just tyring to play out Harshal, no need to try anything too dangerous at the moment. Oh, bit of a weird ricochet from Rana there, he tried to pull but it hit the back of his bat and fell back down right next to him. That could have gone anywhere. Single to end the over, just three from it.

After 13 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 107/3 ( Nitish Rana 21 , Sunil Narine 21)

Chahal’s third over, he needs to come up with something special quickly, because Sunil Narine has completely flipped this game on its head. Two singles to begin. Narine on strike, is he going to try and hit a couple more maximums here? Nope, that’s a clever nudge to cover, just a single. Three more singles to end the over, and six off it. At the moment, this is more than good enough for KKR, since the required run rate has dipped well below 6 thanks to Narine going berserk in the previous over.

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 101/3 ( Nitish Rana 18 , Sunil Narine 19)

Dan Christian to bowl, a dot and a single to start off. Sunil Narine is on strike now, he’s out here to play some shots and prevent the match from becoming too tight. AND HE DOES JUST THAT! He whacks back to back to back sixes, what a way to introduce yourself with the bat! The first one is pulled behind square, the second is hammered over square leg and the third is one-handed and hit right down the ground. There was a wide before and after the third six, and a single off the final ball to make this a pretty terrible over for Christian, who conceded 22 runs.

SIX! Sunil Narine pelts this straight down the ground!

SIX! Slogged over deep midwicket by Sunil Narine!

SIX! Pulled to fine leg for six by Sunil Narine!

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 79/3 ( Nitish Rana 17 , Sunil Narine 0)

Harshal Patel replaces Yuzvendra Chahal. Two singles to start off. At the halfway point, RCB aren’t exactly in a bad spot, but they’ll need their bowlers to keep up the good work. Single and then a high, loose delivery that’s called wide, Patel will have to bowl that one again. Single, dot and then Harshal Patel strikes! It’s angling across Venkatesh Iyer, who tries to go the pull shot, but misjudges it. There’s a faint nick off his bat, and Bharat does well to take a diving catch. Patel is truly the golden goose for Virat Kohli!

OUT! The dangerman departs, Venkatesh Iyer is sent back! Venkatesh Iyer c Bharat b Patel 26 (30 balls)

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 74/2 ( Venkatesh Iyer 24 , Nitish Rana 15)

Maxwell to bowl a second over, he begins with a dot before being hit for six, as Rana gets down on one knee and reverse sweeps it over short third. Single and then Iyer is dropped! It was a pretty terrible shot from him, and it seemed to hang in the air for ages, but it was just far enough from Shahbaz,  who dives forward at fine leg but can’t hold on. Rana then ends the over with a boundary, it’s another reverse sweep but this time it’s four.

SIX! Very nicely done by Nitish Rana, he reverse sweeps for six!

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 61/2 ( Venkatesh Iyer 22 , Nitish Rana 4)

Chahal continues, can he get another wicket and put RCB in the driver’s seat? Three singles to begin, it’s been a couple of overs since the last boundary. One more single and two dots to end the over. Venkatesh Iyer’s finding it very hard to break the shackles and release some of the pressure that’s being put on the batters.

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 57/2 ( Venkatesh Iyer 20 , Nitish Rana 2)

Glenn Maxwell to bowl an over now. Single, dot and single to begin. KKR will be sweating now, but they do still have Venkatesh Iyer out there, and we’ve all seen what he can do with the bat when he’s in the mood. Dot and single, and then there’s a chance for a catch! Oh it was a very difficult opportunity for Kohli, who tried to hold on, but it was just hit too hard and it passes him by.

After 7 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 53/2 ( Venkatesh Iyer 18 , )

Spin now, and it’s Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl. Two singles to begin, and KKR reach the fifty-run mark, not the worst start for them. They’ll be hoping to continue at this rate, and not lose cheap wickets. Three more singles and then there’s a huge call for LBW on the last delivery. It appeared to strike the middle of the pad, but the umpire doesn’t think it’s out. The wicketkeeper is convinced, and he ask Kohli to review, who obliges. Yep! That’s out, no inside edge and the ball would have hit the leg stump. Rahul Tripathi’s outta here!

OUT! A great googly from Yuzvendra Chahal bamboozles Rahul Tripathi! Rahul Tripathi lbw b Chahal 6 (5 balls)

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 48/1 ( Venkatesh Iyer 15 , Rahul Tripathi 4)

Harshal Patel comes on in place of Garton, and both Gill and Iyer will be a bit cautious now, this guy has built a dangerous reputation for himself this season. Iyer takes a single and then Shubman Gill is OUT! Instant impact from Harshal Patel, he lures Gill in with a slower ball, which Gill ends up hitting to de Villiers. RCB have their breakthrough! Double, single and dot, before Rahul Tripathi gets in on the hitting with a gorgeous shot, it’s lofted over cover for four! Time for a strategic timeout now.

FOUR! Rahul Tripathi gets down on one knee and hits it over point for a boundary!

OUT! Shubman Gill tries to hammer it down the ground for a six, but it’s a mistimed shot, and it ends up going very high, but not too far. Shubman Gill c de Villiers b Patel 29 (18 balls)

After 5 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 40/0 ( Shubman Gill 29 , Venkatesh Iyer 11)

Siraj’s third over, the first ball is flicked towards fine leg, and the fielder just about manages to get there and prevent two runs. Oh, nice fielding from Padikkal there, he dives to his side at point and manages to prevent what would most likely have been a boundary. Three runs saved. Two dots follow. Siraj has done quite well, all things considered, but he’ll know that RCB need a wicket soon. Can he provide it? Not in this over, two singles to end.

After 4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 34/0 ( Shubman Gill 24 , Venkatesh Iyer 10)

George Garton to continue, can he be a little more economical this time around and avoid being hit like he was on the final ball of his last over? Apparently not, he’s been hit for back-to-back-to-back boundaries by Shubman Gill. The first two are strong statements of intent, one straight down the ground and the other pulled to deep midwicket. The third is a bit lucky, the bottom edge pushes it past a diving Dinesh Karthik. Three singles to end the over, 15 from it.

FOUR! A third boundary, this time it’s a bit lucky as it gets a bottom edge which takes it past the keeper.

FOUR! Back to back boundaries for Shubman Gill!

FOUR! Beautifully timed by Shubman Gill, steps down the pitch and hits it straight past the bowler

After 3 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 19/0 ( Shubman Gill 10 , Venkatesh Iyer 9)

Siraj continues, and he begins with a dot and a single. Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill then run a cheeky single after a fielder hits the stump with a throw and it ricochets away. Another single and then two dot balls to end the over, good over this from Siraj.

After 2 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 16/0 ( Shubman Gill 8 , Venkatesh Iyer 8)

George Garton to bowl the second, and he begins by giving away two singles. If Iyer and Gill can get some runs on the board here, it should set up Kolkata nicely. A single and two dots follow, before Venkatesh Iyer unleashes a vicious pull for the first six of the match!

SIX! Pulled miles high and into the stands by Venkatesh Iyer!

After 1 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 7/0 ( Shubman Gill 6 , Venkatesh Iyer 1)

Alright then, here we go! KKR have a tough task ahead of them, but it’s by no means impossible. They’ll need to do well in the powerplay, and build good partnerships right from the get go. Mohammed Siraj to bowl the first over. Shubman Gill gets off the mark with a single off the first ball. Venkatesh Iyer does the same off the second. And we have the first boundary of the night, it’s flicked very well by Gill to deep midwicket. Great shot that. Dot, single and dot to end the first over.

FOUR! Lovely shot from Shubman Gill, flicked to deep midwicket!

KKR need 139 to win!

RCB began very well after Kohli took the daring call of batting first! 50 came inside the powerplay but after the first six overs, Kohli and RCB slowed down. Sunil Narine, however, didn’t slow down as he removed Kohli, de Villiers and Maxwell to break the backbone of RCB’s batting. Somehow they have got to 138 and will need a perfect bowling show here to beat KKR.

After 20 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 138/7 ( Harshal Patel 8 , George Garton 0)

RCB finish off with a 12-run over to take their score to 138/7. Mavi started off with a single followed by a no ball. Harshal capitalised on the free hit with a sliced four to point. One dot ball followed by Christian’s run out after a misfield by Ferguson at square leg. One wide, one leg bye and two more runs. No six were hit in this innings.

OUT! Dan Christian run out (Ferguson/Shivam Mavi) 9 (8)

Misfield leads to the run-out. Ferguson misfields at square leg, the batter get into a mix up and Christian ends up getting run out.

This was a free-hit! Harshal Patel skips down and slashes the full toss to point.

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 126/6 ( Dan Christian 8 , )

Christian gets beaten on the first ball with Ferguson bowling a slower legcutter. Next ball is fast and is slammed over cover for a four. Three singles before Shahbaz falls trying to capitalise on a full toss. He messes up his shot, skies it into the orbit and the mid-wicket fielder takes the catch.

OUT! Shahbaz Ahmed c Shivam Mavi b Ferguson 13 (14)

Ferguson goes for a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss. Shahbaz swings his bat and skies it into the air. But fails to get the distance as Mavi takes the catch.

Fuller ball and Christian welcome it with an inside-out lofted cover drive. Good shot.

After 18 overs, RCB 119/1

Mavi bowls. Shahbaz drives the first ball to deep cover for a single. Daniel Christian gets beaten trying to cut an outside off ball but then gets off the strike with a push to long-off. Two more singles before two runs on the last ball as Shahabaz drills a yorker to deep square leg.

After 17 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 113/5 ( Shahbaz Ahmed 8 , Dan Christian 0)

Under-edge helped Shahbaz survive an LBW dismissal in the last over and this time Gill has put his catch down at mid-wicket. Narine, however, still gets a wicket in the over as Maxwell top-edges the sweep shot to short third man. Another scare for Shahbaz on the fifth ball as the leading edge popped back to the bowler but wide. Just two from the over.

GONE! Glenn Maxwell c Ferguson b Narine 15 (18)

After Kohli and ABD, Narine removes Maxwell. Timing a shot has been a pain on this track and Maxwell departs top-edging his sweep shot to short third man.

DROPPED! Gill puts down a sitter at mid-wicket to give Shahbaz some respite. Narine won’t be happy.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 111/4 ( Glenn Maxwell 15 , Shahbaz Ahmed 6)

Varun bowls. Two dot balls and then Shahabaz decides to go for a reverse sweep, gets beaten, leading to a successful LBW appeal. Shahbaz reviews immediately as he had under-edged his shot onto the pads. Just three runs from the over. Time out!

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 108/4 ( Glenn Maxwell 13 , Shahbaz Ahmed 5)

Narine has been KKR’s best bowler this IPL and the big match is making big things happen here. After dismissing Kohli, he cleans up ABD. The batter missed the fuller delivery trying to play the flick. The ball went through the bat-pad gap and broke the stumps. Another wicket opportunity as Shahbaz Ahmed edges on a drive but it beat the keeper and slip fielder for a four. Eight from the over.

Shahbaz Ahmed edges the drive but it goes between the gap between keeper and first slip.

BOWLED! AB de Villiers b Narine 11 (9)

Narine picks up another big wicket. ABD loses his stumps after being beaten by a flicker. It was slow in air, on off, and went through the gap between bat and pad.

After 14 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 100/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 13 , AB de Villiers 9)

There’s no doubt the ball is holding up and has made stroke making difficult. RCB batters are restricted to collecting singles and their efforts of slow sweeps are not getting them the desired results. One of ABD’s slog sweep was excellently cut off in deep by Rahul Tripathi to just a single. Six from the over. 100 up!

After 13 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 94/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 11 , AB de Villiers 5)

Maxwell inside-edges the pull shot onto the pads for a single. Second ball, Narine dismisses Kohli. Got the slower ball to turn from the middle, beating the bat and breaking the stumps. AB de Villiers comes in to bat. Two singles collected before an LBW appeal against ABD with the ball turning into him, but the impact was outside off. Last ball is reverse swept for a four.

Outside off ball by Narine and ABD gets enough on it with the reverse sweep to beat the point.

WICKET! Virat Kohli b Narine 39 (33)

Narine gets the ball to turn into Kohli from the middle. The RCB batter attempted a slog sweep but the ball went underneath the bat to break the stumps.

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 87/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 39 , Glenn Maxwell 9)

Ferguson begins with a leg-side wide ball. Next ball jags back in and stays low leading to an LBW appeal against Maxwell but it was going down leg. Leg bye take. Two more singles collected and Kohli finds a boundary on the last ball with a classy lofted flick to mid-wicket.

The gorgeous Kohli lofted flick to deep mid-wicket gets RCB a boundary and some respite to the skipper.

After 11 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 79/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 34 , Glenn Maxwell 8)

Maxwell brings up a welcome boundary to break the shackles. Against Shakib who is bowling from over the wicket, Maxwell applies the reverse sweep and gets a four at deep point. Five singles added and nine comes from the over. Kohli has to up the ante from the other end.

Switch hit! Maxwell goes for a switch hit against Shakib and converts the match-up into an advantage for himself.

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 70/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 32 , Glenn Maxwell 1)

RCB are sliding here just a bit. Narine gets to bowl his first over and strikes with Bharat’s wicket. The batter went for a lofted straight drive but failed to generate enough power and got caught in the deep. Maxwell is in the middle now. Just four singles from the over.

OUT! Srikar Bharat c Iyer b Narine 9 (16)

Bharat departs trying to clear the long-off boundary rope. It was a tossed-up carrom ball and Bharat failed to get the power behind his strike.

After 9 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 66/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 30 , Srikar Bharat (W) 8)

Shakib has been quite good on his return to KKR side and Morgan gets him to bowl another over. Just four singles from this over. Batting first was a bold call and RCB made good use of the powerplay but runs are drying up now. We have seen this in IPL 2021. Kohli outside powerplay is not the same batter.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 62/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , Srikar Bharat (W) 6)

Varun is back. Bharat clips the first ball to deep mid-wicket for a single. Kohli plays a drive to deep point for another run. There could also have been a wicket as the ball went through the pad-bat gap of an advancing Bharat but DK failed to collect the ball and get the stumping. Two singles form the next three balls.

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 57/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , Srikar Bharat (W) 4)

Shakib bowls. Morgan dives, on the first ball, at extra cover to cut off a certain boundary off Kohli’s blade. Single taken. Mistimed chip by Bharat towards mid-on but he’s safe and another single collected. Run out scare for Kohli on next ball but he survives. A nudge to midwicket but the throw was quick and Kohli had to dive returning back to the striker’s end. He eventually made it in time. Two more singles added.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 53/1 ( Virat Kohli (C) 24 , Srikar Bharat (W) 2)

RCB have made a good start but against the run of play, KKR have dismissed Padikkal. The opener chopped it onto his own stumps trying to drive the outside off length ball from Ferguson. KS Bharat fresh from that last-ball six against DC walks in to bat. Four runs from the over. 50 up for Bangalore. Time out!

WICKET! Devdutt Padikkal b Ferguson 21 (18)

Chopped on! Padikkal throws his bat on the wide outside off ball but ends up inside-edging it onto the stumps.

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 49/0 ( Devdutt Padikkal 21 , Virat Kohli (C) 22)

Mavi back into the attack. Kohli moves away to the leg-side and slashes one over cover to start the over with a boundary. Padikkal gets the strike with a single and helps RCB get four leg bye. The leggish ball brushes the pads and beats the keeper to the fence. One wide and three more singles in the over.

Another boundary! Easy runs these. ~On the pads and Padikkal tickles it past the keeper off Mavi.~ This was leg byes.

Kohli moves to leg-side to create room and plays a lofted cover drive off Mavi to add a boundary.

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 36/0 ( Devdutt Padikkal 19 , Virat Kohli (C) 16)

Expensive start for pacer Lockie Ferguson. 12 from it with two boundaries for Padikkal. The short ball on off is cut over the third man for a four while a leggish ball is tickled past the short fine leg. Easy singles also collected Good start for RCB.

Poor delivery! On the pads with the fine leg up. All Padikkal had to do was to beat the fielder.

Shortish delivery outside off has been sliced aerially over the short third man by Padikkal off Ferguson.

After 3 overs, RCB 24/0

Varun Chakaravarthy has been asked to bowl now. Two singles from the first two balls and then a punch to cover by Padikkal for two runs. Another three singles added in the over. Venkatesh Iyer puts in a diving save at wide of mid-off on the last ball to cut off a four.

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 17/0 ( Devdutt Padikkal 3 , Virat Kohli (C) 13)

Pacer Shivam Mavi begins with two dot balls. Padikkal then opens the face of the bat against a length ball to take a single at the cover. Kohli attempts a whip shot, pokes at another but fails to get runs from the two balls. Boundary on the last ball as Kohli slashes the fuller ball over the extra cover fielder. Oh wait, a no ball. Another four for RCB as Kohli slices the full toss on Free Hit to backward point fence.

Full toss on Free Hit has been sliced past the point by Kohli. God shot.

Fuller delivery has been lofted by Kohli over the extra cover region. Also, it’s a no ball. Free Hit!

After 1 over, RCB 7/0

Padikkal gets off the mark on the first ball with a back-foot punch. Kohli pushes the next ball to mid-on to get his first run of the match. Another single and Kohli gets the first four of the match. Pulls the length ball from back foot to deep square leg.

Shakib’s length ball is pulled to square leg by Kohli to get the first boundary tonight.

The Eliminator is underway! Kohli and Padikkal are the openers for RCB. Shakib Al Hasan bowls for KKR.

We are moments away from live action! The umpires are making their way to the middle. The players will also be out soon.

Eoin Morgan: “We wanted to bowl first, so it’s okay. We’ve played some good cricket so far, and guys are starting to establish themselves in their roles.”

KKR XI: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy

RCB XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Virat Kohli: “This looks like a great wicket, nice and hard. It gets tougher to bat here in Sharjah as the game progresses, so batting first. We’ve still got areas to improve on, that will be our focus.”

Both RCB and KKR are going in without any changes.

Toss: Virat Kohli opts for RCB to bat first against KKR in the Eliminator.

Kohli and RCB under no pressure

Virat Kohli feels “Qualifiers and Eliminators” are terms coined simply to create more pressure and insists RCB are capable of winning two more games to reach the IPL final.

“We have a lot of confidence on our team, if not the top two spot (on the points table), then we will have to win two more matches to reach the Final, and we are fully prepared for that,” Kohli said.

“You prepare for all kinds of possibilities, and the way I see it, Qualifiers and Eliminators are just terms that exist to create more pressure for these matches.”

Pitch report: “Pitch looks a much better track with that great Sharjah sheen. Not many cracks on it. It’s going to be a high-scoring match,” says Matthew Hayden.

RCB release Hasaranga, Chameera 

RCB on Monday released all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and pacer Dushmantha Chameera from to join the Sri Lankan squad ahead of T20 World Cup qualifiers next week.

Hasaranga and Chameera were roped in as replacement players for Australians Adam Zampa and Daniel Sams by the franchise ahead of the second leg of ongoing season.

Head to Head 

KKR have an edge here as they have won 15 matches against RCB out of 28. Bangalore are not far behind with 13 wins.

MS Dhoni, ’the greatest finisher’, rolls back the years in emotional win in Dubai

It’s the fifth ball of the penultimate over of the Chennai Super Kings innings in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021, against Delhi Capitals. Avesh Khan steams in and bangs it short outside off. MS Dhoni stands in his crease, sees the ball till the last moment, and smacks the pull.

It’s substantially outside the off stump but he still manages to connect to it maintaining the stillness and composure. There is a fielder at deep mid-wicket but he watches the ball sail over him and into the stands. He’s cleared that long boundary with an 84m six. It’s THAT trademark Dhoni pull. But what catches your attention first is the sound of the bat hitting the ball. It’s probably the sweetest he’s hit a ball in this tournament.

“The sound was like the crack of a rifle,” Sunil Gavaskar describes it on air in the commentary box.

Watching that shot made you feel this might be his day.

And it was.

Click  here  to read more of Jigar Mehta’s thoughts on MS Dhoni and his incredible cameo in CSK’s win over DC.

In clash of two captains, Kohli’s RCB faces Morgan’s KKR in Eliminator

It will be a test of Virat Kohli’s tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator on Monday.

Kohli, who has decided to step down from captaincy after this edition, has led RCB to the finals in 2016 besides reaching the play-offs twice in 2015 and 2020, and he would like to end things on a high in his last hurray as captain.

For Morgan, it is about regaining the lost glory for KKR, a team which achieved great success under Gautam Gambhir, who had led them to two IPL titles in a space of three years in 2012 and 2014.

Click  here  to read more of the preview of tonight’s match.

Hello and welcome to our coverage of IPL 2021!

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 Eliminator at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates!