IPL 2021 playoffs, RCB vs KKR (Eliminator) LIVE UPDATES: Kolkata into Qualifier 2, Bangalore eliminated

That's it, as KKR wins by four wickets. Seven needed off six, the opening ball of the final over from Christian saw Shakib scooping it over for four, easing the pressure, as KKR sails through easily. It would now take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Qualifier 1 on Wednesday, at this venue, while RCB walks back home, as its wait for the title continues. Meanwhile, it was Kohli's final game as the RCB skipper. Read the full match report here....

KKR 139/6 (19.4). Batting: Morgan 5 (7), Shakib 9 (6).

And, a couple of wickets have fallen again for KKR, as it has lost Narine and Karthik in quick successions off Siraj. There seems to be a twist in the tale. 12 needed off 12.

OUT! Narine b Siraj 26 (15), Karthik c Bharat b Siraj 10 (12). KKR 127/6 (18). Batting: Morgan 1 (1), Shakib 1 (1).

KKR has lost fourth, as Rana has just thrown away his wicket for 23 to Chahal. Can Narine and Karthik steer KKR home? 27 needed off 30.

OUT! Rana c de Villiers b Chahal 23 (25). KKR 101/4 (15). Batting: Narine 23 (9, Karthik 1 (3).

The third wicket goes down, as Iyer has fallen to Harshal for 26. However, Narine has arrived in an explosive fashion. 33 needed off 48.

OUT! Iyer c Bharat b Harshal 26 (30). KKR 101/3 (12). Batting: Rana 18 (15), Narine 19 (4).

KKR has lost its second, as leg-spinner Chahal has trapped Triptahi leg-before for just six. RCB is trying to pile the pressure upon KKR, while Iyer and Rana would look to consolidate hereon. 78 needed off 66.

OUT! Tripathi lbw b Chahal 6 (5). KKR 74/2 (9). Batting: Iyer 22 (24), Rana 4 (7).

The first wicket is down for KKR, as pacer Harshal has dismissed Gill for 29. Nevertheless, Iyer and Tripathi are at it for KKR. 91 needed off 84.

OUT! Gill c de Villiers b Harshal 29 (18). KKR 48/1 (6). Batting: Iyer 15 (16), Tripathi 4 (2).

The KKR openers are off to a steady start. Nothing else do they need at the moment, besides keeping the wickets in hand.

RCB 19/0 (3). Batting: Gill 10 (9), Iyer 9 (9).

A couple of more wickets fall for RCB, as Shahbaz and Christian have walked back. Meanwhile, RCB has finished on 138/7. KKR should chase it down easily, but it won't be as easy as it appears.

OUT! Shahbaz c Mavi b Ferguson 13 (14), Christian run out (Ferguson/Mavi) (8). RCB 138/7 (20). Batting: Harshal 8 (6), Garton 0 (0).

And, Narine has his fifth, getting rid of Maxwell for 15, while it would have been six, had it not been for a dropped catch by Gill. Narine has bowled out, while RCB struggles to post 140.

OUT! Maxwell c Ferguson b Narine 15(18). RCB 119/5 (18). Batting: Shahbaz 12 (12), Christian 2 (3).

Narine has struck again, and this time, he has knocked over de Villiers for 11 and Kohli for 39. Man! Narine is truly a big-match player. Pressure now mounting on the RCB batters.

OUT! Kohli b Narine 39 (33), de Villiers b Narine 11 (9). RCB 108/4 (15). Batting: Maxwell 13 (13), Shahbaz 5 (2).

The second wicket is down as Bharat has been dismissed for nine by mystery spinner Sunil Narine. While Bharat fails to repeat his Delhi Capitals' heroics, Maxwell is sure to provide some entertainment.

OUT! Bharat c Iyer b Narine 9 (16). RCB 87/2 (12). Batting: Kohli 39 (32), Maxwell 9 (7).

No further harm done, as Kohli and Bharat are taking it in a composed fashion. The KKR bowlers are still in the game.

RCB 66/1 (9). Batting: Kohli 30 (23), Bharat 8 (14).

The opening wicket is down for RCB, with Padikkal falling for 21to pacer Ferguson. Kohli and Bharat would look to consolidate hereon, by the KKR bowlers would look to capitalise hereon.

OUT! Padikkal b Ferguson 21(18). RCB 53/1 (6). Batting: Kohli 23 (15), Bharat 2 (3).

Steady start by the RCB openers, while the KKR pacers and spinners have been decent so far.

RCB 24/0 (3). Batting: Kohli 15 (10), Padikkal 8 (9).

Toss: RCB elects to bat.

Virat Kohli: We will bat first. It looks like a terrific wicket, friendly and hard. It gets tougher to bat here in Sharjah as the game progresses. No changes. A youngster steps up and wins you a game against a top side like Delhi. Very happy for KS. It is what this tournament is all about. Meetings have been pretty short and sharp. We can win games. Nothing changes this being an Eliminator.

Eoin Morgan: We would have loved to bowl first anyway. The toss doesn't bother us. We are feeling confident within the group. We are starting to come good as a team. We are playing with the same team.

Playing XI
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal.
KKR: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (w), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi and Varun Chakravarthy.

Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable's live coverage of the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 playoffs between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. The winner would advance to Qualifier 2 to take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the same venue on Wednesday, while the loser of this game is eliminated.

Current form
RCB finished third, scripting nine victories from 14 games and was locked on 18 points with former champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, the latter edged ahead due to a better net run rate. KKR, on the other hand, ended fourth, acquiring seven wins from 14 and possessed 14 points along with defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI). Notwithstanding, the former advanced, thanks to its higher NRR.

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LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 Playoffs (Eliminator) - RCB vs KKR

Head-to-head
The two teams have clashed on 29 instances, with KKR having a lead of 16-13, while in 28 IPL meetings, KKR holds a charge of 15-13. Both have won on two occasions in the four United Arab Emirates (UAE) encounters. Also, both have won a match each at this venue.

Weather and pitch report
The weather in Sharjah is smoking, with a temperature of 38 degrees and 30% humidity. The pitch will stay dormant, which has been typical this season, while the shorter boundaries are expected to aid the batters. As far as the toss is concerned, chasing would be ideal, considering some dew factors. Read the full match preview here....

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Probable XI
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat (wk), Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, George Garton, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal.
KKR: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi and Varun Chakravarthy.