The IPL 2021 has successfully restarted in the gulf country of the UAE. In Match 31, Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, as the race for playoffs is still alive.
It was finally an emphatic win for KKR, winning by nine wickets. Gill was the only man to fall,just a couple short of his eight IPL half-century. With 60 balls to spare, the win is sure to soar KKR's net run-rate.
KKR 94/1 (10). Batting: Venkatesh Iyer- 41 (27), Andre Russell- 0 (0).
With no harm being done so far, KKR is on course for a commendable win, as it is just 11 runs short.
KKR 82/0 (9). Batting: Shubman Gill 48 (33), Venkatsh Iyer 29 (22)
There seems to be no stopping KKR, even with the bat, as the openers continue their onslaught.
KKR 56/0 (6). Batting: Shubman Gill- 30 (21), Venkatesh Iyer- 22 (16).
Meanwhile, here's Venkatesh's journey to KKR. Guess who he idolised....
KKR has been off to a steady start, with openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer taking it to the RCB bowlers, who seem clueless right now.
KKR 22/0 (3). Batting: Shubman Gill- 8 (7), Venkatesh Iyer- 11 (11).
RCB's dreadful performance in the game has finally come to an end, with Harshal Patel (12) and Mohammed Siraj (8) being the last men to fall. The side has been bundled out for 91, with Chakravarthy and Russell claiming three each. KKR needs 93 to win in 20 overs, which should be a cakewalk for it.
Harshal b Ferguson 12 (10), Siraj c Chakravarthy b Russell 8 (10). RCB 92 (19). Batting: Yuzvendra Chahal 2 (6).
In the 16th over, Jamieson was run our for just four, courtesy of a brilliant throw from Chakravarthy. The countdown to the innings closure begins.
Jamieson run out (Chakravarthy) 4 (12). RCB 79/8 (16). Batting: Harshal Patel 8 (7), Mohammed Siraj 2 (1).
Chakravarthy continued his deadly spell, as he also got rid of Sachin Baby for just seven after being caught by Nitish Rana at point. The score of 100 looks like a distant dream now.
Baby c Nitish Rana b Chakravarthy 7(17). RCB 75/7 (15). Batting: Jamieson 3 (10), Harshal 7 (4).
Things just keep getting worse for RCB, as spinner Varun Chakravarthy got rid of Glenn Maxwell (10) and Wanindu Hasaranga (0) successively, while;e he nearly missed out on a hat-trick. What's next for RCB?
Maxwell b Chakravarthy 10 (17), Hasaranga lbw b Chakravarthy 0 (1). RCB 63/6 (12). Batting: Sachin Baby 6 (12), Kyle Jamieson 0 (1)
It was a double strike for Russell, as he got rid of the deadly AB de Villiers or a golden duck, as a perfect yorker knocked him over. Is there any way back for RCB now?
De Villiers b Russell 0(1). RCB 52/4 (9). Batting: Glenn Maxwell 6 (10), Sachin Baby 0 (2)
In the ninth over, it was the third setback for RCB, as Bharat handed an easy catch to Shubman Gill in deep mid-wicket off pacer Andre Russell, as Kohli and co seem to be in jitters.
Bharat c Shubman Gill b Russell 16 (19). RCB 51/3 (8.1). Glenn Maxwell 5 (8).
The conclusion of the powerplay saw another setback for RCB, as Padikkal fell for 22 off the final ball, after trying to be cheeky and trying to loft it over wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. However, pacer Lockie Ferguson did not give him enough bounce to play it.
Padikkal c Karthik b Ferguson 22 (20). RCB 41/2 (6). Srikar Bharat 11 (14).
The loss of Kohli has not really slowed down RCB, as Padikkal and Bharat have capitalised on it, while the KKR bowlers have bowled some no balls of late.
RCB 35/1 (5), Devdutt Padikkal 17 (16), Srikar Bharat 10 (12)
The second over saw the opening setback for RCB, as Kohli was trapped leg-before by pacer Prasidh Krishna for a mere five. Although Kohli was not convinced with the decision and went upstairs, the hawkeye displayed three reds, as Kohli had to walk away, wasting the only review for the side.
Kohli: lbw b Krishna 5 (4). RCB 12/1 (2), Devdutt Padikkal 4 (6), Srikar Bharat 2 (2).
Kohli attained a unique feat on Monday, as he has become the first player to play 200 Indian Premier League matches for a side. Read more here....
Playing XI
KKR: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy and Prasidh Krishna.
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers(w), Wanindu Hasaranga, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal.
RCB wins the toss and elects to bat.
Virat Kohli: 'We will bat first. Looks like a good pitch, the grass will hold it together, will slow down as the game progresses. This one's special (blue jersey), we promised back in May that we'll play for the Covid warriors, here it is - we''' auction this uniform and the proceed will go to them. We are planning on expanding the vaccination drive in the country, and this money would aid it. Tough to remeber the playing XI from the last game (laughs). Two debutants for us - KS Bharat and Wanindu Hasranga."
Eoin Morgan: "The pitch looks really good, it should stay pretty similar for the entire length of the game. Hoping that the performances will change in this phase of the tournament. It's been challenging, but we are happy to be back here."
Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable's live coverage of Match 31 of the 2021 Indian Premier League between former champion Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. In a clash of teams with contrasting differences on the points table, the UAE leg provides fresh opportunities to both sides.
Current form
While KKR is currently placed at the seventh spot, with a couple of wins and seven losses from seven games, RCB is well ahead, in the third spot, with just the opposite from the same number of games. RCB needs three to four wins to seal its playoffs berth, while KKr virtually needs to win every game hereon.
LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - KKR vs RCB
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Head-to-head
The two sides have played 28 matches, with KKR having a lead of 15-13, while in IPL, in 27 games, KKR has a lead of 14-13. In three UAE, RCB has a lead of 2-1, while in Abu Dhabi, the two have clashed once, with RCB possessing the upper hand.
Weather and pitch report
The Abu Dhabi weather is expected to be hot, with 37 degrees of temperature and humidity around 54%. The pitch is generally on the slower side, with some assistance to the spinners. However, the seamer could also prove to be effective, as the side winning the toss might look to bat first.
Catch all the IPL 2021 updates here
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Probable XI
KKR: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shivam Mavi/Kamalesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy and Prasidh Krishna.
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal.
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