In a rain-curtailed ten-overs-a-side match, Bangalore chased 112 runs against Kolkata with young Mandeep Singh slamming 45* off 18.
Royal Challengers Bangalore picked up full points courtesy an explosive win against Kolkata Knight Riders. In a rain-hit match which was reduced to 10-a-side, the hosts batted aggressively to register a seven-wicket win.Here are the highlights from the match:
Bangalore now take the third spot in the points table. Kolkata fall a place and now are down to fourth.
2044: Mandeep slams two sixes off Russell and that’s game over! Bangalore register a seven wicket win!
2038: Mandeep continues to get creative and brave – all together. The scoops are working for him as Bangalore need 12 off the final over.
2035:The onus for a win for Bangalore is on Mandeep and Wiese.
2030: Out! Russell gets the biggest wicket of the day as Kohli finds the fielder at long-on. He scored 34 off 20.
2028: Bangalore now need 32 off 18 deliveries.
2026: Mandeep takes on Chawla’s spin and has found two fours. His efforts are being appreciated by Kohli from the other end. And, of course, by the sea of red all around the stadium.
2022: Bangalore need 60 runs from 30 deliveries with Mandeep Singh joining his captain.
2020: Out! de Villiers (2) knocks a Piyush Chawla delivery back onto his stumps and Kolkata players are over the moon.
2018: Bangalore complete 50 runs in 4.2 overs.
2015: Out! Gayle (21) looks to go beyond the long-on boundary but fails to clear Russell. Hogg celebrates his first success of the day.
2005: Kohli is on fire. He is hungry for those sixes and is getting them by the dozen. The Bangalore captain is playing conventional shots but the kinds which fetch the maximums.
2003: Gayle gets into the action. He slams Umesh for a six. Bangalore on the move and are 22 after first two overs.
2000: After a calm first over, Kohli dispatches the first ball of the second – bowled by Umesh – for a dead-straight six. He follows it up with a four.
1952: Gayle and Kohli come out for the chase. They will face Pat Cummins first up.
1942: Kolkata score 111/4 in their 10 overs.
1940: Yusuf hits it high and Kohli makes a good running catch. The umpire however signals that the ball was rising. Rough call for sure as replays suggest it was nowhere close to the danger mark.
1938: Update from Chennai vs Hyderabad – Chennai opt to bowl at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
1936: Out! ten Doeschate (12) takes the aerial route but lacks the power. de Villiers takes a well-adjudged catch at the widish long-off boundary.
1935: Yusuf comes to the middle and dispatches the ball into the stands early. One over left and Kolkata are 102/3.
1933: Out! Russell is run out for 45. Tries to steal a bye from the non-striker’s end but that does not end well for him.
1930: Ten Doeschate decides to join the party and uses his full power to dispatch Harshal Patel beyond the boundary at square leg.
1928:Russell is looking for at least a boundary every over. He is connecting the ball well and has taken on the pace and spin attack thrown against him by Bangalore. He is currently on 39 off 15.
1923: Ryan ten Doeschate is the new man. He too can hit the ball far – perfect partner for Russell.
1921: Out! Uthappa (23) departs. He tried to slog the ball but only manages to top-edge a delivery from Chahal. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik makes a good running catch.
1915: Dropped! Uthappa hits it to widish long-off and Kohli makes a mess of it at the boundary. His second drop of the tournament. Russell then adds salt to the wounds by pulling Varun Aaron for a six over deep midwicket.
1913: Kolkata 44/1 after five overs.
1908: Andre Russell has replaced Gambhir in the middle. He was man-of-the-match in Kolkata’s previous match vs Chennai. His partnership with Uthappa took the team past the finish line. The two will look to stage an encore.
1907: Out! Gambhir (12) falls. A cracking shot from the batsman is caught one-handed by a jumping Mandeep at point.
1901:The pitch and the outfield is looking solid as ever despite the rain. Kolkata have scored 28 off the first three.
1855: Uthappa and Gambhir on the move. Both have smashed a few deliveries to the boundary in exquisite examples of controlled aggression.
1846: Match begins! Starc bowls to Gambhir and Uthappa.
The advantage in a rain-curtailed match would be with Bangalore as their top-three batsmen – Chris Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers – have the explosive power to make a mockery of any chase. Kolkata will need to put on as many runs as possible. Two wides, two singles and a four from Gambhir gets the team eight from the 1st over.
1830: Update: The match will begin in 15 minutes and has been reduced to 10-overs-a-side. Each bowler will get a maximum of 2 overs. Powerplay applicable for three overs in an innings and there will be a 10-minute break between the two innings.
1800: The next update from the ground will be at 1840.
1746: A lot of exercise for groundsmen as they take off the covers again. Update: No, the clouds are being mischievous, it’s drizzling again.
1729: The covers are back on as it has started to rain lightly once again.
1710: The official news from the middle is that the next update will be at 1730hrs.
1704: The rain has stopped and the covers are being taken off. Umpires and officials from both teams are out on the field to assess conditions.
1650: It is drizzling now. Overs will have to be reduced after 1700hrs.
1625: Rain has reduced in intensity and two supersoppers are out on the field. It is still drizzling though.
1615: Strong winds around the venue means the clouds may be forced away but the outfield is quite wet currently. Puddles have already formed – it would be quite a task to get rid off them.
1610: Heavy showers currently over the stadium. The pitch and the are around it has been covered but the outfield is quite exposed to the elements.
1600: It has started to drizzle a bit in Bangalore. The covers are being brought on.
1555: Kolkata have played eight matches in IPL 2015 so far. Bangalore have played one less. Here’s a head-to-head of the top performers from both sides.
Highest scorers –
* Robin Uthappa (223 runs) vs AB de Villiers (233 runs)
* Gambhir (209 runs) vs Kohli (221 runs)
Highest wicket-takers –
Morne Morkel (9) vs Yuzvendra Chahal (10)
1543: Weather update: It is currently 27C in Bangalore. It is sunny but clouds are beginning to build up over the stadium. Weathermen have predicted some rain later in the evening.
1533: Both teams are unchanged.
Squads:
Bangalore: Gayle, Kohli, de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Karthik, Sarfaraz Khan, Wiese, Patel, Starc, Aaron and Chahal.
Kolkata: Uthappa, Gambhir, Pandey, S Yadav, Russell, ten Doeschate, Y Pathan, Cummins, Chawla, Hogg and Umesh.
1530: Toss – Bangalore win and choose to field. “The wicket tends to get a little slow, especially under the lights,” says RCB captain Virat Kohli.
“We have taken a lot of positives from the win in the last match,” says KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir. “We will look to build on it.”
Look who is ready to see her daddy take on Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Mitchell Starc has given Royal Challengers Bangalore a fresh lease of life. After a poor start to the season, RCB have won two games on the bounce and look dangerous. They crushed Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets and then destroyed Delhi Daredevils by 10 wickets. Both wins came in away games and that in itself should have propped up the team’s morale further. RCB have another reason to cheer. They take on Kolkata Knight Riders at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Earlier in the tournament, RCB had got the better of KKR thanks to Chris Gayle’s explosive knock. Starc has been fast and sharp with the new ball and has got great support from Varun Aaron.
The RCB batting is the envy of the other seven teams in the tournament. Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers with Dinesh Karthik bringing up the rear, is a line-up worth its weight in gold. Can KKR stop the hosts’ run in their own backyard?
That question can be answered by KKR and only them. The defending champs had looked a little out-of-sorts in their Duckworth Lewis defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad before the one against Rajasthan Royals got washed out. KKR traveled to Chennai but lost a great opportunity to get the better of the Super Kings in their fortress. The defeat was avenged in style by Brad Hogg, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell. Skipper Gautam Gambhir has been in great form and the return to run-making ways of Uthappa should stand the team in good stead.
KKR have relied heavily on Sunil Narine for the last few seasons but his absence due to a ban on bowing off-spinners, has paved the way for the wily Hogg. And any bowling line-up with Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav and Piyush Chawla can never be taken lightly.
Rain May Play Spoilsport: Bangalore has received heavy showers and the threat of a washout looms large. It had rained heavily till 10 am today but currently the conditions are fine – sunny and warm. But there is no predicting the Bangalore weather.
