Virat Kohli, who recently announced that this would be his last season as RCB skipper, won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the decision to bat first went horribly wrong for the Challengers as KKR packed them for a mere 92 in 19 overs.
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and star all-rounder Andre Russell completely dominated the proceedings and never really allowed RCB batters to bounce back.
Chakravarthy proved why he was named in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup by displaying outstanding bowling. He picked up a three-wicket haul for just 13 runs in his quota of 4 overs. The right-armer got rid of Glenn Maxwell (10), Sachin Baby (7) and Wanindu Hasaranga (0).
Similarly, Russell also bagged three scalps for just nine runs in 3 overs. Russell sent back Srikar Bharat (16), AB de Villiers (0), Mohammed Siraj (8). Apart from Chakravarthy and Russell, Lockie Ferguson also shined with the ball, picking up two wickets for 24 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
In reply, the two-time champions chased down the paltry target in 10 overs with nine wickets in hand to register their third victory in the fourteenth season.
Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer gave their side a flying start. The duo added 82 runs for the opening wicket and took the game away from RCB. While Gill missed out on his half-century by two runs, Iyer remained unbeaten on 41.
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