IPL 2024: Narine’s blazing knock, Kohli and Gambhir burying the hatchet and other top moments from RCB-KKR match

The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was beginning to witness a pattern, wherein the home team would somehow end up on the winning side every single time, whether by a handsome margin or through some last-minute drama.

It had been happening in the season until the 10th match, at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy where Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) broke the streak by handing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a sound seven-wicket thrashing with more than three overs to spare.

Photos | KKR end home dominance in IPL 2024 with seven-wicket thrashing of RCB

The match was expected to be a high-octane contest between two heavyweight teams who sure know how to leave their fans entertained, and in KKR’s case, go all the way in the tournament and end up with the trophy in their hands.

Instead, it would become something of a no-contest. At least in the second half, when the KKR batters stamped their authority on the RCB attack while going about their chase of the 183-run target. Such was their dominance that the match appeared KKR’s to lose even when they were yet to reach the halfway stage of their chase.

In the process, KKR jumped to the second spot on the points table with two wins in as many outings while RCB remained at the sixth spot with two points from three outings.

Here are some of the key moments from the 10th match of the season:

Kohli slams back-to-back fifties

The Royal Challengers aren’t off to the best of starts this year but star batter Virat Kohli sure has rediscovered his old touch after returning from a paternity leave. Kohli had struck a 49-ball 77 in RCB’s successful chase against Punjab Kings after an indifferent outing against Chennai Super Kings, and followed it up with an unbeaten 83 off just 59 deliveries against KKR on Friday, his second half-century on the trot and his 52nd in the IPL.

Striking at a shade above 140, it wasn’t exactly a whirlwind knock, the kind that we have witnessed from Andre Russell and Heinrich Klaasen so far this season. Kohli’s job at the centre, however, appeared to be that of an anchor where his focus was on safeguarding his wicket while allowing his partners to take the risks from the other.

Dre Russ shines with the ball

After his unbeaten 64 off just 25 deliveries against the Sunrisers in KKR’s season-opening game, it was Russell’s turn to shine with the ball, with the Jamaican all-rounder the standout bowler from either team with figures of 2/29 from four overs.

Besides getting rid of the out-of-form Rajat Patidar, Russell struck a crucial blow by getting rid of Cameron Green, who was starting to look dangerous during his second-wicket partnership with Kohli that was ultimately worth 65. Green ended up getting his middle stump rattled right after smashing Russell for a six, that too in the seamer’s first over of the evening. He started building pressure from his next over, in which RCB could collect just two runs including a bye.

Dre Russ could’ve finished with an economy a little more than four had he not been smashed for two sixes in his final over by Dinesh Karthik. Still, he had done an impressive enough job in slowing RCB’s scoring rate down, with Green’s dismissal starting to tilt the balance of the game in Kolkata’s favour.

Narine celebrates his milestone appearance in style

Speaking of West Indians, Trinidad and Tobago’s very own spin icon Sunil Narine became only the fourth cricketer ever to complete 500 appearances in T20 cricket . And while the off-spinner, who has made 164 of those 500 appearances in the world’s biggest T20 league, proved expensive with the ball (1/40 from four), he would more than make up for it with the bat in hand.

While it was Phil Salt who fired the first shot during KKR’s chase by collecting two sixes and a four off Mohammed Siraj in the first over, it was Narine who caused the real damage during the powerplay with his blistering 47 off just 22 deliveries.

Thanks to the makeshift opener’s fearless display, KKR ended up racing to 85 for no loss at the end of the powerplay, laying the foundation for a successful chase in the process.

The Iyers finish off in style

The two Iyers — skipper Shreyas and all-rounder Venkatesh — simply carried on from where openers Narine and Salt left off, the pair adding 75 for the third wicket to get the Knight Riders within touching distance of the finish line before the former got the honour of scoring the winning runs.

Venkatesh struck a 30-ball 50, departing right after bringing up what was his eight half-century in the IPL. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder struck four fours and three sixes, ensuring the required rate never climbed to an alarming level even the game was firmly in their grasp. While Shreyas Iyer stuck around to ensure his team got over the line.

Kohli and Gambir bury the hatchet

Besides the on-field action, the RCB-KKR match witnessed another on-field moment that went viral from the moment it was aired on live broadcast and is sure to warm the heart of many an Indian cricket fans, particularly those who happen to be fans of both Kohli and KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir.

The two Delhi lads have had their fair share of run-ins on the field and have taken plenty of potshots at one another off it as well, with memories of their infamous altercation in Lucknow also involving Afghan seamer Naveen-ul-Haq still fresh in the minds of those who happened to watch it live, or in highlights or on social media later.

On Friday, however, Kohli and Gambhir decided to hug it out at the Chinnaswamy instead of having another heated exchange on the field. The heart-warming moment took place during the drinks break during the RCB innings, and the camera were attentive enough to capture Kohli and Gambhir sharing a quick hug along with a smile just as the latter was starting to head back to the KKR dugout after having a word with Shreyas and Co.

Here’s hoping the two have decided to bury the hatchet for good, and are able to accord each other the respect that cricketing greats of their stature deserve, even if they don’t end up becoming best of buddies.