IPL 2018: KKR vs RCB: 3 key points from the match
The two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders faced the dynamic Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata in the 3rd match of the ongoing IPL. Knight Riders won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first on a hard wicket.
The Virat Kohli led side managed to score 176/7 courtesy to De Villiers' aggressive 44 off 23 balls and Brendon Mccullum's 43 off 27 balls. The Knight Riders' spinners bowled well but the star of the bowling was Nitish Rana who picked up AB Devilliers and Virat Kohli (31 off 33 balls) off two successive deliveries.
Chasing a target of 177, KKR started off on a high note with Sunil Narine charging from the very first ball and eventually scoring 50 off just 17 balls. Handy contributions from Nitish Rana (34 off 25 balls) and skipper Dinesh Karthik (35 off 29 balls) ensured that the Kolkata based franchise begin their journey in this season on a positive note.
Being the first high scoring encounter of the season, let us look at the three key important points from the match.
#3 RCB need to find answers to their worries
Over last decade, RCB have always been looking for that perfect combination which may lead them to glory. While their batting lineup is arguably the best in the tournament, a lot of questions have been raised on their bowling department. Until last year, they were heavily relying on Virat Kohli and AB Devilliers to score the lion’s share of their runs. But they failed to defend them.
Going by the first match of this season it seems they are yet to figure out the remedies. A score of 176 was defendable on the Eden Gardens' tracks but the Virat Kohli led side were running short of a prominent 5th bowler. It seemed they were playing with a bowler less. The only stand out performer was Umesh Yadav. The former Knight Riders ‘Vidarbha Express’ clocked 145 kph regularly and troubled the KKR batsmen with his raw pace and variations of short balls. He ended up with an impressive figure of 2/27 off his 4 overs.
Another aspect they would have to look into is their bowling is discipline. Last night they went for 10 wide deliveries and that by standards of T20 is itself alarming. If they look to further strengthen their batting, they can go with Parthiv Patel at the top of the order replacing Quinton De Kock and an in-form all-rounder like Colin de Grandhomme to fit down the order.
Also, last night was an encounter to forget for young Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal. While Sundar finished with 1 wicket for 48 runs, Chahal couldn’t finish his entire spell and gave away 29 runs off his 3 overs.
RCB need to figure out their best possible combination as soon as possible. With a lot of important matches lined up, players like Chris Woakes, Chahal and Sundar need to step up learning from their mistakes to lead their team to glory.