Preview: Stung by two successive reversals, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look bounce back and stay in contention for a play-off berth when they take on lowly Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Sunday. KKR, who suffered losses against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiant in their previous two matches, need two wins out of the remaining three matches to seal their berth in the knockout stage. Placed second in the IPL standings with 14 points from 11 matches, the two-time IPL winners are followed by Rising Pune Supergiant and Sunrisers Hyderabad at 14 and 13 points. The manner in which RCB lost to KKR at the Eden Gardens should give them a lot of confidence going into this tie. KKR had handed out a 82-run defeat to RCB after bundling them out for 49 – the lowest score in IPL history. [caption id=“attachment_3428918” align=“alignleft” width=“825”]  Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, the two captains. Sportzpics[/caption] In the next two matches, KKR would be facing Kings XI Punjab, who registered a 19-run victory against RCB on Friday, and already qualified Mumbai Indians who have 16 points from 10 outings. Gautam Gambhir’s side lost by four wickets against Pune and the defeat could be a reality check for the Kolkata side as their top order collapsed in the last match, while Colin de Grandhomme’s 36 and Manish Pandey’s 37 saved the blushes. Rahul Tripathi then single handedly won it for Pune with a belligerent 52-ball 93. KKR are eagerly awaiting the services of Chris Lynn who has practised recently and is expected to be back by May 9. The hamstring injury to in-form top order bat Robin Uthappa is a cause of worry too. The Karnataka dasher missed out the last game and it is unclear whether he will take a part on Sunday as well. Sunil Narine’s opening experiment is slowly starting to fall off and if Gambhir and Manish Pandey has a bad day, it could well be down to Yusuf Pathan, who is in poor form. RCB, on the other hand, have been the biggest disappointment of this year’s IPL. Virat Kohli’s rock-bottom team have been bowled out four times this season and have just five points to show for from 12 matches. Unlike the previous seasons, RCB’s batting has been the biggest disappointment with the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Kohli himself not stepping up. RCB’s two leg-spinners spinners – Samuel Badree (9 wickets) and Yuzvendra Chahal (13 wickets) have been the only ones who stood up and KKR would be way of that threat. Squads: KKR: Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Darren Bravo, Yusuf Pathan, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa (WK), Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Trent Boult, Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter Nile, Colin De Grandhomme, Rishi Dhawan, Sayan Ghosh, Shaikb Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Ishank Jaggi, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Woakes, Chris Lynn, Manish Pandey. RCB: Virat Kohli (Captain), AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Mandeep Singh, Adam Milne, Vishnu Vinod, Sreenath Arvind, Kedar Jadhav (WK), Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Samuel Badree, Iqbal Abdulla, Travis Head, Sachin Baby, Avesh Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tymal Mills, Aniket Chaudhary, Praveen Dubey, Billy Stanlake. With inputs from IANS
IPL 2017 Highlights, RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru, cricket score and updates: Kolkata win by 6 wickets
Catch the live updates of Match 46 of IPL 2017, with Royal Challengers Bangalore hosting Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
 "IPL 2017 Highlights, RCB vs KKR in Bengaluru, cricket score and updates: Kolkata win by 6 wickets")
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
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.
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.
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.
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)
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
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!
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.
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