IPL 2018: Three masterstrokes from RCB vs KXIP match
The first game at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy stadium in this year's IPL promised to be a run feast as the home team was to battle it out against the Kings from the North.
With big hitters featuring in both the lineups, it was an absolute graveyard for a bowler to bowl at such a flat surface.
Put into bat by Virat Kohli, Kings XI Punjab were off to a flier courtesy the Karnataka duo of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul.
The team soon saw themselves in trouble as they were struck by Umesh Yadav as they lost three wickets in a single over.
But some aggressive batting from Rahul and Nair ensured that the run rate was not compromised. Eventually, Kings in their 20 overs were bowled out for 155 runs.
The game was set for RCB when they needed 156 to chase on a batting paradise. They didn't have a great start when they lost McCullum and Kohli in the first six.
But some disciplined batting in the middle overs and despite losing wickets off successive balls, Punjab couldn't resist against the explosive AB de Villiers as they succumbed to defeat by four wickets.
#1 Bowling with Umesh Yadav in the powerplay
It is said that you learn from your mistakes and RCB skipper learned very quickly from his mistakes in the first game.
He brought Umesh Yadav early on in the powerplay overs to help his side put brakes on the flow of the run.
Yadav was in no mood to disappoint his skipper as he struck in his second over of the spell. He was fast, fiery and most importantly, accurate in his length on a wicket that had nothing to offer to the bowlers.
He rattled the Kings XI top order to give them three mighty blows in the same over. This move from Kohli was definitely a masterstroke after the kind of start Punjab got in first three overs.