Kolkata Knight Riders bowled out Royal Challengers Bangalore for 49 runs, the lowest ever total in the history of the Indian Premier League as they romped to a thumping 82-run win at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Defending a modest total of 131, it was KKR’s pacers, who came to the fore. Using the overcast conditions to their advantage, Nathan Coulter-Nile (3/21) and Chris Woakes (3/6) ran through the RCB batting order. Incidentally, none of the RCB batsmen managed to get a double-digit score.
Earlier, after a delayed start due to rain, KKR were restricted to a low total as Yuzvendra Chahal (3/16) produced a clinical performance to restrict KKR, who at one stage were looking at a solid total with opener Sunil Narine (34 off 17) getting them off to a great start.
But, it was in the second half of the game that the fortunes changes as Virat Kohli’s men slumped to one of the worst defeats in IPL history.
Sunil Narine provides KKR another solid start
Kolkata Knight Riders have enjoyed a fair spell with its openers. It was Chris Lynn and Gautam Gambhir first, who got their campaign off to a brilliant as they won by 10 wickets. Lynn had then scored an unbeaten 93.
The effort had helped the side chase down 183. His subsequent injury and exit from the IPL had raised concern for KKR. The KKR management had then pulled off a shocking move by sending Sunil Narine in Lynn’s slot. To the amazement of most, the Trinidadian was hardly out of his comfort zone. He smashed a match-winning off 18 balls against Kings XI Punjab.
His consistent performances have meant KKR have gotten off to solid starts in most games this season. With Gambhir providing a conservative approach from the other end, it has allowed Narine to play without hindrance. It is an arrangement that seems to have played quite well for Narine, who has enjoyed himself.
On Sunday, it was rain that delayed his entry to the crease. Narine, though, made up for the delay as he got into the act in the opening over itself. He smashed compatriot Samuel Badree for three boundaries and a six off the first six balls. He scored 34 runs off 17 balls in the innings that included six boundaries and one six.
He and Gambhir shared a 48-run stand for the opening wicket, handing Kolkata a solid start. Gambhir’s departure did not slow him down as he took KKR to 65/1 before perishing while trying to hit another expansive shot.
Yuzvendra Chahal pulls things back
Narine’s good work, though, was undone as KKR suffered a mini-collapse soon after his dismissal. From 65/1, KKR lost six wickets by the time they reached 93. Three of thise wickets fell to Yuzvendra Chahal, who was in the thick of things and skipper Virat Kohli’s go-to man as he looked to pulled things back.
Chahal was up to the task. He sent back the in-form Yusuf Pathan and Manish Pandey after Badree had caught Robin Uthappa plumb in front of the stumps. Chahal then removed Colin de Grandhomme to help send the middle order back to the pavilion before the end of the 12th over.
The 26-year-old, who had also bagged three wickets in RCB’s previous game against Gujarat Lions, has earned a penchant for his impact in the T20 format. His effort completely deflated the KKR charge on Sunday. The hosts failed to recover from the setback in the middle overs and had to settle for a modest total of 131.
Chahal has been impressive for India in the briefest format of the game. His six-wicket haul during India’s 75-run win over England in the third T20I in Februrary was one such instance of his prowess. With the selectors yet to announce the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the performance comes at an opportune time.
Virat Kohli’s sight-screen distractions
Since coming back from injury, Kohli has looked impressive. Despite the soreness in his shoulder, the India skipper has hardly been uncomfortable in the middle. The scores have followed, not the centuries like last season, but he’s making his mark. On Sunday, though, it was a different story.
Coming into bat along side Chris Gayle, the pressure was largely off his shoulders. They faced a modest target of 132 for victory. For many, it seemed like a formality. As Kohli prepared to face his first delivery, another solid knock was expected.
But, against his grain and against all expectations, Kohli went after a ball pitched full outside off. A slight movement, meant Kohli’s attempt at a drive away from his body could only amount to an edge, which was comfortably caught in the second slip. It was a first ball duck and Kohli was incensed.
He walked off the ground clearly unhappy with himself and more notably at someone who allegedly came near the sightscreen just as Nathon Coulter-Nile ran in to bowl. He continued to gesticulate even when he came and sat down in the dug-out. He ensured the fourth official knew what irked him. Despite his protests, the game had to move on and the skipper’s early exit did not augur well for the rest of the team.
“The sightscreen at the Eden Gardens is a little smaller. Someone got up above the screen just as the bowler was coming into bowl, and came right behind the bowler’s arm. Its a small thing, but such things matter in a game,” Kohli explained after the match.
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Chris Woakes script RCB’s dramatic collapse
Defending a modest total of 131 was never going to be an easy task. KKR needed their bowlers to come to the fore. With RCB’s intimidating batting line-up that included Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, the job was going to be a challenging to say the least. It Australian Coulter-Nile, who was up to the task. The lanky pacer made most of the swing-friendly conditions on hand. He cleaned up the middle-order after dismissing Kohli. First it was De Villiers and the Kedar Jadhav.
Englishman Chris Woakes picked up from where Coulter-Nile left off. After Kohli and De Villiers’ exit, it was up to Chris Gayle to take RCB home. But the big Jamaican could not keep not qquite fend off Woakes, who got Gayle to rush into a shot only to be holed out in the deep. He followed it up with two more wickets as Samuel Badree and Stuart Binny departed.
Woakes and Coulter-Nile bowled with pace and bowled well over 140 kmph and picked up three wickets apiece. Chris de Grandhomme picked up two, while Umesh Yadav had one to his credit. The pacers helped KKR romp to a comfortable win even as RCB were bowled out in just 9.4 overs.
Brief scores
- Kolkata Knight Riders 131 in 19.3 overs (Sunil Narine 34; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 49 in 9.4 overs (Nathan Coulter-Nile 3/21, Chris Woakes 3/6) by 82 runs.