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IPL 2019: RCB bowling still in question after KKR come mighty close in Eden run fest

RCB only managed to eke out a 10-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders to register their second success of the season after Andre Russell and Nitish Rana almost took the game away from the visitors.

IPL 2019: RCB bowling still in question after KKR come mighty close in Eden run fest
Author
Bengaluru, First Published Apr 20, 2019, 12:28 PM IST

kolkata: Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a massive total in the absence of AB De Villiers on Friday. With 213 on the board, any side batting first would be confident of a win, but as long as Russell is yet to bat, one can never be too certain about their chances of a win.

RCB only managed to eke out a 10-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders to register their second success of the season after Andre Russell and Nitish Rana almost took the game away from the visitors.

Needing 113 runs off the last six overs, Russell (65 off 25) and Rana (85 not out of 46) came mighty close to getting their team over the line but Moeen Ali managed to defend 24 in the final over.

The tense climax came after Virat Kohli smashed 100 off 58 balls for his fifth century in the IPL and first this season. RCB hammered 91 runs off the last five overs to reach 213 for four, their highest total this year.

Ali's 66 off 28 while batting alongside Kohli also proved crucial for RCB's cause as they finally managed to defend.

The win keeps RCB mathematically alive in the tournament while KKR suffered their fourth loss in as many games.

Following a Kohli special, it was the turn of swing king Dale Steyn to land some body blows on the opposition. Playing his first game of the season after having come in as a replacement, the South African great removed Chris Lynn and Shubman Gill to leave KKR reeling at 33 for three in five overs.

Russell tried his best to pull off another improbable chase for KKR in the company of Nitish Rana but this time it wasn't to be.

Earlier, it was Ali who gave the much-needed oxygen to their innings, smashing six sixes and five fours to seize momentum after a slow start. Kohli and Ali shared 90 runs off 43 balls and there was no looking back after Ali's assault.

The match swung in the 16th over when Kuldeep Yadav bled 27 runs with Ali going berserk, smashing the star India spinner for three sixes and two boundaries. The chinaman ended with figures of 1/59 in four overs.

Kohli, who scored his first 50 off 40 balls, changed gears in the second half of his innings. Such was his domination that Kohli took just 17 balls for his second fifty.

Put in, RCB got off to an ordinary start and the absence of AB de Villiers, who was indisposed following dehydration, was felt very much.

Kohli mistimed the ball with a couple of inside-edges to the boundary, while his left-handed opening parter Parthiv Patel (11 off 11) had a hit-and-miss stay before falling to Sunil Narine inside the powerplay.

In the middle of all this, RCB sent in Akshdeep Nath (13 off 15) at number three keeping the in-form Ali in waiting. RCB made only 42 inside the powerplay.

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