IPL 2017 Highlights, RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru, cricket score and updates: Kolkata win by 6 wickets

Sunil Narine is the Man of the Match for his blazing 54 off 17 balls, bringing up the joint fastest half-century in the history of the league.

A comfortable two runs for #Pandey & we win the match by 6⃣wickets. #DusKiDahaad #AmiKKR #RCBvKKR

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 7, 2017

Last IPL and in the India A match that followed, Lynn looked all at sea against Chahal. Owned him today. It is happening.

— Alagappan Vijayakumar (@IndianMourinho) May 7, 2017

RCB now have 10 losses this season. And KKR climb to second spot. #RCBvKKR #IPL

— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) May 7, 2017

People are losing their shit over RCB in the comments section.. lol! Disappointing to not see a repeat of Eden Gardens '96. Deserves it.

— Alagappan Vijayakumar (@IndianMourinho) May 7, 2017

One thought it would have been the end of the Narine experiment, with Lynn back in the side. But Gautam Gambhir had other ideas. Went down the order himself, and Narine and Lynn opened. And it turned out to be a masterstroke. Kolkata raced home with plenty to spare, though lost a few unnecessary wickets towards the end. They were in a hurry today.

Last home game for RCB. Many of the players won’t be there with team next year. They’ve been with RCB for long and enjoyed fantastic support. Players go on lap thanking fans who stood solidly behind them last 10 years. Standing ovation despite loss.

Most consecutive matches without a win for RCB in IPL:

6 – 23 April 2017 to 07 May 2017*

5 – 05 May 2008 to 19 May 2008

After 15.1 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 159/4 ( Manish Pandey 4 , Yusuf Pathan 0)

That’s it! KKR win by six wickets, and the winning moment finally arrives for the visitors after a bit of a delay! Pandey collects a double at the start of the over, after guiding the Negi delivery towards cover, and he has enough time to return for a second run.

Kolkata Knight Riders win by 6 wickets!

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 157/4 ( Manish Pandey 2 , Yusuf Pathan 0)

Chahal into his final over. Gambhir holes out to Negi at extra-cover while looking for the winning boundary. Pathan gets into a bit of a mix-up in the first ball that he faces, and there is a massive appeal for a caught-behind in the penultimate delivery! Looks like Pathan might have got a bit of an under-edge in that, although the umpire isn’t interested. Another instance of 5 runs off 2 overs with 2 wickets. 

KKR need 2 to win from 30 balls.

Things a lot more normal after dismissal of KKR openers. RCB still at receiving end. But normal like most of season.

OUT! Now it is Gambhir’s turn to depart, and he perishes while reaching out for an expansive cover drive, holing out to Negi at extra-cover off Chahal’s bowling. KKR 156/4

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 156/3 ( Gautam Gambhir (C) 14 , Manish Pandey 2)

Negi, bowling his third over, invites de Grandhomme to come down the ground for a big hit, and then foxes him with extra trun to get him stumped. Four singles follow the over, with new batsman Manish Pandey getting off the mark in the meantime. 

KKR need 3 to win from 36 balls.

OUT! Colin de Grandhomme has to depart after coming down the wicket, and getting beaten by extra-turn to get stumped off Negi’s bowling. KKR 152/3

After 13 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 152/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 31 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 12)

Head back into the attack. Four singles off the first four balls and on the fourth ball, de Grandhomme gets another maximium. This time over long on. Eleven runs from that over.

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 141/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 22 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 10)

Chahal into the attack. The first ball has De Grandhomme coming down the track and playing away on the on side. Some yes and no on the second ball. Chance at the non-striker’s end. Negi misses the stumps. A direct hit was needed. KKR don’t need a run out now. They have a tremendous momentum and should look to finish the game. Gambhir was a bit lazy again in his running on the fourth ball. There was an opportunity for RCB to run out Gambhir again. Five runs from that over.

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 136/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 19 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 9)

Negi into his second over. Gambhir guides the first ball of the over towards deep square-leg for a double, exhibiting some quick running, before chipping the next delivery over mid-on for a single. FOUR! De Grandhomme cuts the next ball towards the deep point boundary, where Mandeep fails to prevent the boundary despite a valiant dive. 10 off the over

KKR need 23 to win from 54 balls.

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 126/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 12 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 6)

Badree returns to the attack, having conceded 29 off 2 overs so far. De Grandhomme manages to grab an extra run in the third ball of the over, thanks to a throw towards the non-striker’s end that runs off beyond mid-on. SIX! Finally, de Grandhomme restores normalcy (from KKR’s perspective) by clearing the long-on boundary in the last ball of the over. 11 off the over. 

KKR need 33 to win from 60 balls.

Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine completed century stand in just 36 balls today which is the joint fastest century stand in IPL. Harbhajan Singh and Jagdish Suchith also achieved the same feat in just 36 balls against Kings XI Punjab in 2015.

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 115/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 5 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 4)

Choudhary continues from the other end. Good piece of fielding by the man at backward point to stop a potential boundary. De Grandhomme pulls the third ball towards fine-leg, though he gets only a single off it. Choudhary though, starts wincing in pain towards the end of the over, apparently due to some back niggle, and he leaves the field after bowling five deliveries, with Travis Head completing the over for him. No boundaries in the last three overs, with five coming off the 9th over, though KKR’s required run-rate is a meagre 4 at the moment. 

KKR need 44 to win from 66 balls.

KKR in absolute command. How does Gambhir still manages look on his face which reads - "WC finals, need 250 with 5 wickets in hand at 7 RPO"

— cricBC (@cricBC) May 7, 2017

Sunil Narine has made Gautam Gambhir smile. You don't need any more proof of his phenomenal batting in this IPL season. #KKRvsRCB

— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 7, 2017

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 110/2 ( Colin de Grandhomme 2 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 2)

Negi into the attack in the eighth over, and Lynn gets to his half-century at the start of the over with a single towards the off-side, and gets dismissed in the very next delivery that he faces. The wicket delivery was a flatter, short-of-length delivery that Lynn failed to connect to while playing across the line. Single to end the over. The last two overs have been superb for RCB, with just five coming off them for the loss of two wickets. That will give Kohli some confidence. Meanwhile, KKR skipper Gambhir walks out to bat now. 

KKR need 49 to win from 72 balls.

BOWLED EM! Right after getting to his half-century, Lynn misses the line of the flatter delivery from Negi while looking to play across the line! Both KKR openers back in the dug-out now. KKR 107/2

Lynn b Negi 50(22)

And now Chris Lynn helps himself to a half-century as well, though he takes six more balls than Narine, having hit five 4s and four 6s. KKR 106/1

After 7 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 105/1 ( Chris Lynn 49 , Colin de Grandhomme 0)

Choudary bowls the first over right after powerplay, and gets rid of Narine in the very first ball before he could gun for the fastest ton in the format. Colin de Grandhomme, capable of a few lusty blows himself, walks out to bat at No 3 ahead of Gambhir, with the team management looking to wrap things up quickly. And Choudhary walks away with a wicket-maiden, something one would not have imagined at the end of the powerplay.

If you thought it couldn't get worse for RCB, Sunil Narine has just hit the fastest IPL 50 ever against them.#RCBvKKR

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 7, 2017

This man Narine is too good a bowler ...and just too much as an opener!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) May 7, 2017

Most runs in powerplay overs (1-6) in IPL:

105 - KKR v RCB, Bangalore, 2017

100 - CSK v KXIP, Mumbai, 2014

90 – CSK v MI, Mumbai, 2015

OUT! End of a spectacular innings by Narine, and maybe the timeout might have broken his concentration slightly! Goes for a pull off a short ball from Choudhary, and ends up top-edging to the keeper. KKR 105/1

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 105/0 ( Chris Lynn 49 , Sunil Narine 54)

We’re witnessing an insane innings by both Narine and Lynn at the moment! Lynn goes after Chahal in this over, smashing a four and a six in the first two deliveries! Miscues the fourth ball, though it lands safely beyond the short fine fielder and allows him to return for a second run. Lynn smashes a six off the last ball of the over, and 105/0 after 6 overs is now officially the highest team total in powerplay! Some carnage we are witnessing at the Chinnaswamy!

Least balls to fifty for KKR in IPL:

21 v RCB, Bangalore, 2017*

21 v RPS, Kolkata, 2016

23 v RCB, Kolkata, 2017

Fastest fifties in IPL: (By balls)

15 – Yusuf Pathan v SRH, Kolkata, 2014

15 – SUNIL NARINE v RCB, Bangalore, 2017

16 – Suresh Raina v KXIP, Mumbai, 2014

KKR’s pinch hitters are making mockery of RCB bowling. Clobbering pace and spin alike. Sunil Narine on fire.

Narine gets standing ovation from RCB’s Chinnaswamy stadium supporters. Fastest 50 in IPL. KKR heading to a 100 in 6 over power play. What a massacre. Unbelievable.

After 5 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 85/0 ( Chris Lynn 29 , Sunil Narine 54)

And this over truly belongs to Narine, as he smashes 26 off it to bring up the fastest-ever 50 in the history of the league! Three back-to-back fours to start with, followed by two wides, before Narine smashes the last ball of the over down the ground towards long-on to get to the milestone! Ends the over with a boundary! These two have made an absolute mockery of the RCB bowling unit!

FIFTY for Sunil Narine, and it is the fastest-ever in the history of the IPL! Brings up the milestone in just 15 deliveries, and gets there with a maximum over the long-on boundary!

After 4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 59/0 ( Chris Lynn 29 , Sunil Narine 30)

Narine decides he’s not going to stay silent at the other end, and smashes Badree for three monster hits down the ground for a hat-trick of sixes, before guiding the fourth ball of the over towards the long-leg boundary for a boundary! 25 runs off the over! KKR cruising comfortably at the moment!

After 3 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 34/0 ( Chris Lynn 29 , Sunil Narine 5)

Chahal bowls from the other end. Bangs in back-of-length outside off, and Lynn doesn’t hesitate in cutting it towards sweeper cover for his third boundary. The dashing Aussie opener comes down the ground to smash the fourth ball for another monster hit, this time straight down the ground, before hammering a boundary off the last ball, with 14 coming off the over.

After 2 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 20/0 ( Chris Lynn 15 , Sunil Narine 5)

Badree to bowl from the other end, with fellow Trinidadian Narine on strike. After a couple of dots, Narine gets off the mark with a bottom edge that carries over the short third man fielder, and runs away to the fence for a boundary. Good over for Badree otherwise, with two singles coming off the rest of the over.

After 1 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 14/0 ( Chris Lynn 14 , Sunil Narine 0)

Aniket Choudhary bowls the first over of the innings, and Lynn opens the account for the visitors with an expansive cover drive, before hammering the very next ball down the ground for back-to-back fours. He then smokes the next ball towards the cow-corner fence for a 100m monster hit! Lynn gets a bit of an inside-edge in the last ball of the over, which thankfully is not close to the stumps. 14 off the opening over.

KKR will have one eye on the two points on offer and the other on the Net Run Rate. #RCBvKKR #IPL Chris Lynn on the charge here.

— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) May 7, 2017

Never in his wildest dreams Chris Lynn would have imagined that he will once open the batting with Sunil Narine #IPL

— Shubh Aggarwal (@shubh_chintak) May 7, 2017

The players walk out to the centre, and it is the pair of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine that will be opening for KKR today! Both batsmen tend to fire away right from the word go. Can we see an explosive start today as well?

Good, strong finish for RCB here. 43 runs in the last 3 overs. A fantastic innings by Travis Head, scoring an unbeaten 75 off 47 balls. Still, KKR would be favourites, given the batting that they have. A good start would be very important. KKR had shown a tendency to just lose a bit of steam in the past two years. They would want to guard against that this year, and win this and the rest of their matches to qualify for the play-offs as one of the top two teams.

The lowest total defended at Bangalore in IPL: 138 by KXIP v RCB in 2017

The lowest total defended by RCB in IPL: 126 v CSK at Chepauk in 2008

The lowest total defended v KKR in IPL: 132 by KTK at Kolkata in 2011

Head at last coming good. He has centuries in Big Bash T20 and RCB sources always spoke highly of him. Lovely knock under pressure today. He took time to get his rhythm but finished with a flourish. 75 from 47 balls. 158 is a good total on this surface. KKR will be tested.

After 20 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 158/6 ( Travis Head 75 , Sreenath Arvind 0)

Umesh bowls the final over. Head collects a single in the first ball, before Negi proves his worth as a handy worth down the order by steering the full, wide delivery towards the extra-cover fence in the second delivery. The left-hand batsman though, perishes in the very next ball as he skies the ball to get caught by Lynn at mid-off. Head then smashes back-to-back sixes, with the first one going high up in the air towards the wide long-on boundary. Four to end the innings, with 21 coming off Umesh’s last over along with the wicket of Negi. The score of 159 will give the RCB bowlers some hope! 

Kolkata Knight Riders need 159 off 20 overs to win.

OUT! Negi perishes while trying to up the ante, skieing an attempted slog down the ground and getting caught by Lynn near mid-off. RCB 142/6

Negi c Lynn b Umesh 5(3)

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 137/5 ( Travis Head 58 , Pawan Negi 1)

Woakes bowls the penultimate over, and gets rid of Jadhav in the very first ball of the over, with the latter miscuing an attempted slog down the ground. Head moves to 49 with a single. Wide conceded in the fourth ball of the over. Head finally brings up his maiden IPL fifty by going for a double after patting the ball down the ground, before hammering the penultimate delivery for a straight six. Retains the strike for the final over by collecting a single off the last ball.

FIFTY up for Travis Head! He gets to his maiden half-century in IPL with a double in the 41st delivery that he faces! Has hammered two 4s and as many 6s in his stay at the crease so far!

OUT! Woakes fires a half-volley well outside off, and Jadhav miscues his attempted slog down the ground, getting caught by Umesh near the boundary. Didn’t time his shot well enough. RCB 125/5

Jadhav c Umesh b Woakes 8(9)

After 18 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 125/4 ( Travis Head 48 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 8)

Rajpoot to bowl the 18th over. Jadhav tries going for a lusty pull on a couple of occasions in this over, but ends up getting a single on each occasion. Head moves to 48 with a well-timed flick towards the cow-corner boundary, his second 6 of the innings. 10 off the over.

Superb sub-air system installed at Chinnaswamy stadium. Play commenced as soon as rains stopped. Only time used was to take pitch covers off as pitches square is not under sub air system. Only outfield is and can suck out any amount of water. But RCB lost Mandeep on resumption.  All hope on final assault.

After 17 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/4 ( Travis Head 40 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 6)

Woakes returns to the attack in the 17th over. Jadhav fails to pull a short ball in the second delivery, with the ball running away towards the offside cordon after deflecting off his back. Jadhav ends the over with his first boundary of the innings, pulling towards the backward square-leg fence. Seven off the over. Head, meanwhile approaching his fifty.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 108/4 ( Travis Head 38 , Kedar Jadhav (W) 1)

Narine into his final over, and he gets the breakthrough once again as Mandeep reaches out for his sweep a bit early, only to get caught at deep square-leg. Good, tight over for Narine, with three runs coming off it along with the wicket, and he walks off with figures of 2/29 after finishing his quota.

OUT! And it is Narine who gets the much-needed breakthrough, with Mandeep holing out to Umesh at deep square-leg! Went for a sweep, and reached out for the shot a tad early. RCB 105/4

Mandeep c Umesh b Narine 52(43)

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 105/3 ( Mandeep Singh 52 , Travis Head 36)

De Grandhomme into his second over. Mandeep opens the face of his bat in the first delivery, and guides a back-of-length delivery towards the backward point boundary. That brings up the team 100, and gets him within two runs of the 50-run mark. That is when the covers come out with the drizzle getting stronger at the moment. Play finally restarts at 5.45 pm local time, with Mandeep bringing up his half-century with a double in the penultimate delivery of the over.

The umpire signals for a timeout at the end of the over, barely five deliveries after the 40-minute rain break. One wonders whether following protocol is absolutely necessary in all situations.

FIFTY for Mandeep Singh! This has been a defiant innings by the youngster, coming at a time when RCB found themselves in a familiar conundrum with the trio of Kohli, Gayle and ABD back in the dug-out cheaply. Gets there in 41 deliveries, having hammered four 4s and a 6.

The players are walking back to the centre, with play restarting now. No overs have been lost, confirm latest updates coming in. Colin de Grandhomme to continue with the 15th over.

Players Like #ChrisGayle Can Help You Win 1 Or 2 Matches Single Handed But You'll Lose Others Because Of Pressure When He Fails.#RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/Gm59aWunsc

— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) May 7, 2017

My heart sank when I saw Umesh slip in his delivery stride. Easy now brother, you are very valuable to India 🙏 #RCBvKKR

— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) May 7, 2017

Story of RCB. Just as the revival was on and Mandeep 48 n.o and Head 35 n.o were getting into the rescue act it started raining. 100 for 3 in 14 overs was a good launch pad.what terrible luck this season. Nothing going right.

Update - Play interrupted due to rain #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/7pd9ZJ4aqK

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

The rain gods decide to halt the proceedings just when Mandeep and Head were beginning to dominate the proceedings, and revive the RCB innings. The covers come out right after Mandeep guides the first ball of the 15th over towards the backward point boundary to bring up the team 100.

RCB need to up scoring rate pretty quickly. Rains are expected sometime this evening and the idiotic duckworth Lewis will kick in. Skies are overcast but with lights switched on conditions look deceptively good.

After 14 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 96/3 ( Mandeep Singh 44 , Travis Head 35)

Narine back in the proceedings. Mandeep returns for a second run, and nearly gets run-out at the striker’s end, though luckily for him, the throw from deep point is wide of the stumps. SIX! Now that he is well-settled at the crease, Head gets down on one knee, and launches the fourth ball of the over towards the cow-corner boundary. Good over for RCB, with 12 coming off it. This is the partnership that is crucial to the team’s chances of getting as close to the 170-180 mark this evening as possible.

2016: Gayle, kohli and ABD can finish in minutes.

2017: Gayle, kohli and ABD can finish in minutes.#RCBvKKR

— BekarHandle (@bekarHandle) May 7, 2017

After 13 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 84/3 ( Mandeep Singh 40 , Travis Head 27)

Colin de Grandhomme introduced in the attack in the 13th over. He had grabbed figures of 3/4 during KKR’s destruction of RCB at the Eden, and he will certainly look to help himself to a few scalps today. Head cuts the second ball of the over towards the extra-cover boundary, and returns for a second run. Six off the over, with the 50-partnership between the two being completed with a single in the last delivery.

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 78/3 ( Mandeep Singh 38 , Travis Head 23)

Lovely change of pace by Rajpoot in the third ball of the over, with Head missing the line of the delivery while attempting to hit towards the leg side. Gets an inside-edge in the following delivery, which luckily for him is at a safe distance from the stumps. Head ends the over with a boundary towards the backward square-leg region, ruining what would have been another superb over for Rajpoot. Meanwhile, the partnership between the two batsmen is worth 45 at the moment.

Interestingly the green clothing worn by team RCB today to draw attention to green technology and recycling is said to be made from the remains of empty plastic water bottles from last year’s IPL tournament matches at this venue.  The stadium itself adopts green technology feeding the grid with electricity drawn by stadium roof top solar panels. Using rain water harvesting and recycled sewage treated water from plant in premises the stadium epitomises green technology.

Where are the typical T20 hits? RCB fans would like to know from their batsmen. Mandeep and Head scratching around. 59 for 3 in 9 overs quite pathetic for an IPL game. 

After 11 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 71/3 ( Mandeep Singh 36 , Travis Head 18)

Chawla into his second over. Four singles in the first four deliveries, with Head connecting well in his cut in the third delivery, only to find a fielder at deep extra-cover. Couple of doubles to the Aussie batsman in the last two deliveries of the over, with eight coming off it.

Chance for Ankit Rajpoot to show his wares. Looks to be a handy bowler who can keep the flow of runs in check in the middle overs. He has started well. RCB are going nowhere really, having scored 62 runs in the first 10 overs. Unless the KKR bowlers goof up big time in the last 10, or someone from the Green Jerseys suddenly find some inspiration from somewhere, this should not be more than a 125-130 run chase for KKR.

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 63/3 ( Mandeep Singh 34 , Travis Head 12)
 

Rajpoot into his second over, and once again the two batsmen at the centre pick rotating the strike between themselves over going for the big shots at this stage, with four coming off this over. Appeal for an lbw in the last ball of the over, but that was pitching outside leg and also missing the off-stump. RCB reach 63/3 at the halfway mark in their innings, and they have a lot of catching up to do if they are to reach a competitive score.

After 9 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 59/3 ( Mandeep Singh 32 , Travis Head 11)

Another bowling change from the other end, with Piyush Chawla, who replaces Kuldeep Yadav in the XI today, bowling from the Pavilion End. Another quiet over from RCB’s perspective, with five singles coming off it. The umpire signals for the timeout at the end of the over.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 54/3 ( Mandeep Singh 29 , Travis Head 9)

Ankit Rajpoot gets introduced into the attack, with the two batsmen opting to deal in singles in this over as the team 50 comes up. Going at about six per over, the two batsmen will look to propel their run-rate with a couple of big overs soon after losing three wickets in the powerplay.

Players to get out on duck in 100th IPL match:

Harbhajan Singh

Praveen Kumar

CHRIS GAYLE*

Royal Challengers Bangalore are the only team from which no batsman has scored 300-plus runs in this IPL. 

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 49/3 ( Mandeep Singh 26 , Travis Head 7)

Narine into his second over. Near run-out in the second ball of the over, with Mandeep being the batsman in danger at the non-striker’s end. Mandeep then gets his third boundary after being offered a short, wide delivery that he whacks towards the backward point boundary. Nine off the over.

Even change of team colours has not helped RCB. Within first 5 overs they’ve lost their big three –Gayle, Kohli and ABD. Embarrassing to watch green brigade.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 40/3 ( Mandeep Singh 20 , Travis Head 4)

Umesh to bowl the last over of powerplay, with KKR dominating the proceedings so far. Wide conceded in the second ball of the over by the pacer. Head flicks the fifth ball of the over towards the square-leg boundary, getting off the mark in the process. Umesh slips during his delivery stride in the final delivery, and falls down. Super slow delivery by Umesh in the last ball that goes for a dot. Six off the over.

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 34/3 ( Mandeep Singh 19 , Travis Head 0)

Sunil Narine introduced in the very fifth over. Typical AB shot in the third ball of the over, with Mr 360 shuffling to his right and whacking the ball towards the extra-cover boundary with beautiful use of his wrists. Narine fired a quicker one along the middle and leg stump, with ABD shuffling to his right, and missing the delivery while going for a sweep. Appeal for a stumping in the last ball of the over, though new batsman Travis Head is safe this time.

What A Coincidence. Matches Won By Each Team In #IPL2017 Is In Sequence 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2.#KKR #RCB #RCBvKKR #KKRvRCB #IPL #IPL10 #KXIPvGL pic.twitter.com/DARz6zhyog

— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) May 7, 2017

OUT! Right after getting whacked towards the extra-cover boundary for a four, Narine fires a quicker one along the stumps, with ABD shuffling to his right and getting his stumps rattled. De Villiers tried to sweep this one, and ended up missing the line of the arm ball completely. RCB 34/3

De Villiers b Narine 10(8)

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 29/2 ( Mandeep Singh 18 , AB de Villiers 6)

Woakes into his 2nd over, and the KKR pacers have done a good job of containing the RCB top-order so far. AB de Villiers, who blocked the last ball of the previous over, is greeted by a vicious bouncer by Woakes. ABD though, advances down the ground in the last ball, and pulls a back-of-length delivery towards the midwicket fence. And he is off the mark.

Have really enjoyed watching Gayle, Kohli & ABD this IPL.
Where?
In the Jio ad, of course.#RCBvKXIP

— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) May 5, 2017

Gayle out in first ball..

Kohli was dropped..

Next ball Kohli out & RCB in trouble!

Usual day in office for RCB in this season!

— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) May 7, 2017

Kolkata find themselves out of the top two position, with Pune pushing them down one place in the points table. That’s bit of an unfamiliar position for them, giving that they have been No 1 or No 2 pretty much all through the tournament. KKR are coming on the back of two sobering losses and would desperately want to get back their winning touch. On a normal day, RCB at home would have been a huge barrier to overcome, but the form that RCB are in this season, KKR would fancy their chances today. They would not have had a better start, getting Chris Gayle with the first ball of the match and then getting Virat Kohli cheaply, even after dropping him once. That sums up the way RCB have gone this season, doesn’t it? Chris Lynn returning is also a huge boost for KKR.

After 3 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 20/2 ( Mandeep Singh 15 , AB de Villiers 0)

Umesh continues from the other end. While Kohli is busy dealing in singles at the moment, Mandeep continues to attack the bowlers, going for a well-timed pull that sends the ball running away to the backward square-leg boundary for the batsman’s second boundary. DROPPED! Kohli survives on 3 after getting a leading edge towards wide mid-off, where Piyush doesn’t time his jump correctly and ends up spilling the chance. Umesh though, eventually gets his victim in the very next ball by trapping the RCB skipper lbw with a cleverly disguised slower ball. Both RCB openers back in the hut now.

OUT! Right after getting dropped in the previous delivery, Kohli has to depart after getting foxed by a slower ball while looking for a slog towards the leg side. Wonderful comeback by Umesh. RCB 20/2

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 12/1 ( Mandeep Singh 10 , Virat Kohli (C) 2)

Woakes bowling from the other end, with Kohli stealing a quick single at the start of this over. Mandeep, the new batsman, ends the over with a four and a six to bring RCB back on their feet — going for an uppercut in the penultimate delievry before slogging down the ground. 11 off the over.

After 1 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 1/1 ( Mandeep Singh 0 , Virat Kohli (C) 1)

What a first over by Umesh, getting rid of the dangerous Chris Gayle in the very first ball of the match, with the burly Jamaican getting a leading edge to get caught by Gambhir at short cover. Skipper Kohli opens the team’s account in the last ball of the over by opening the face of his bat and guiding the ball towards the third man fielder.

Royal Challengers Bangalore in Green Jersey:

2011: Won v Kochi Tuskers Kerala by nine wickets

2012: Lost v Mumbai Indians by five wickets

2013: Lost v Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets

2014: Lost v Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets

2015: No result v Delhi Daredevils 

2016: Won v Gujarat Lions by 144 runs

Last time when Royal Challengers Bangalore wore green jersey in IPL back in 2016, both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scored a century. This match against Gujarat Lions on 14 May, 2016.

OUT! RCB’s woes don’t seem to end, as Chris Gayle gets a leading edge to get caught by Gambhir at short cover in the very first ball of the match! Another horrible start for the struggling side. RCB 0/1

Gayle b Gambhir b Umesh 0(1)

IPL 2017: RCB’s Virat Kohli needs to take a break to help him overcome batting woeshttp://www.firstpost.com

#IPL Match 46 - Here's the Playing XIs for @RCBTweets vs @KKRiders #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/jgJD9CGx4Q

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

RCB usually don't lose when they're in their green jerseys but having seen their latest form, you never know!#IPL #RCBvKKR

— HoldingWilley 🏏 (@holdingwilley) May 7, 2017

In IPL 2017:

Best run-rate in powerplay overs: Kolkata Knight Riders (9.15)

Worst run-rate in powerplay overs: Royal Challengers Bangalore (6.92)

Royal Challnegers Bangalore have won only one match out of five at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2017. However, against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL at the venue, they have won four out of seven matches. 

At Bangalore in IPL 10:

Pacers: Wickets – 41,  Average – 20.24,  Strike rate – 17.10, Eco.rate – 7.10 

Spinners: Wickets – 29,   Average – 18.21, Strike rate – 15.48, Eco.rate – 7.06

Teams: 

Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Chris Lynn, Gautam Gambhir (c), Sheldon Jackson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Colin de Grandhomme, Ankit Rajpoot, Sunil Narine, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Piyush Chawla. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Kedar Jadhav, Travis Head, Pawan Negi, Sreenath Aravind, Samuel Badree, Aniket Choudhary, Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Three changes for KKR — Chris Lynn, Piyush Chawla and Ankit Rajpoot return in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kuldeep Yadav and Suryakumar Yadav.

Just one change for RCB — Travis Head comes in place of Shane Watson.

TOSS: Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss, and captain Gautam Gambhir elects to field first. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli says he would have preferred batting first anyway.

The @KKRiders boys are all set to take on the @RCBTweets at the Chinnaswamy stadium #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/nyejYvJpfQ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

The @RCBTweets are gearing up for their game against @KKRiders #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/vtsylHw1gd

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

Spare a thought for RCB fans. They have packed  the stadium match after match in the hope that their heroes will come good. The match against KKR is the last for RCB on this venue this year.  The match has been sold out and a capacity crowd is expected to cheer the teams. KKR too will have tremendous support in Bengaluru. There is unusual humidity for this time of the year. The skies are grey and overcast with rains expected today. Hopefully it will stay away till this 4 p.m. start match is done with.

RCB succumbed to KKR’s pace in Kolkata. Nathan Coulter Nile was devastating on a pitch where the ball skidded though. Bengaluru will be different. Spin, rather than pace will play a major role. RCB’s main batsmen, Kohli, Gayle, ABD and Jadav will look to go big on Sunil Naraine and Kuldeep Yadav. Should be a spectacle this tussle between out-of form batsmen and spinners on a small outfield and spin-friendly pitch. But two KKR batsmen, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey know the M Chinaswamy Stadium pitch very well, better than they know the Eden track.

Funnily both RCB and KKR are looking for a win to break the jinx. The last time they met was in Kolkata when KKR pacemen scythed through the RCB batting to have them dismissed for 49. So RCB will look to take revenge on the humiliation heaped on them. In the process they would have hit back at KKR who want to reverse their 2-match loss and gain momentum going into the business end of IPL. KKR also need the win to get back among the top two and gain a berth into the next stage. RCB are dangerous precisely for this. They have nothing to lose and would be in a far more relaxed state of mind than at any time this season.

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s coverage of Match 46 of IPL 2017, with Royal Challengers Bangalore hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. While RCB are already out of the tournament, having lost 9 out of their 12 games, they will be playing for pride. KKR, on the other hand, will look to get back to their winning ways after losing a couple of games.