IPL 2019: 4 mistakes RCB committed against KKR
After the Kohli-de Villiers carnage helped Royal Challengers Bangalore post a mammoth total of 205 in 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders, it seemed as though they were going to end their losing streak.
Even till the no ball bowled by Mohammed Siraj in the second innings, RCB were well in control of the match. However, Andre Russell then happened to snatch the match away from RCB, handing Kohli's side their fifth consecutive defeat of the season.
It is a bitter pill to swallow for a team like RCB. With this defeat against KKR, their playoff hopes are now hanging by a thread. Here is a look at what went wrong for the side on the night.
#1 Wickets of Kohli and de Villiers at the death
It was an absolute assault on the KKR bowlers by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, stiching a 108 run partnership in just 56 balls. However, their dismissals in quick succession slowed down the scoring rate in the death overs.
Athough Marcus Stoinis played a cameo to take the score past 200, had there been a set batsman at the crease, the team could have added another 20-25 runs which could have made the difference.
#2 Leaking runs in the powerplay
Navdeep Saini did well to get rid of the explosive Sunil Narine early to weather a probable storm. But Chris Lynn showed signs of returning to form and took on the RCB bowlers along with Robin Uthappa to amass 59 runs in the powerplay.
Tim Southee and Saini leaked too many runs in the first 6 overs which allowed KKR to lay a strong foundation from where the target seemed well within reach.
#3 The dropped catches
RCB had a horrible show in the fied. Navdeep Saini dropped a skier off Chris Lynn in the very first over and the Aussie then went on to hammer RCB's bowlers in the powerplay. Lynn got another lifeline in the 11th over when Mohammed Siraj dropped a regulation catch. The poor fielding from RCB was surely a reason for the defeat.
#4 No plan for Russell
The decision not to bowl yorkers to Andre Russell raised quite a few eyebrows and why not? Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals bowled consecutive yorkers to tame the Caribbean giant in the Super Over against KKR and was successful in dismissing him in the end.
But Marcus Stoinis and Tim Southee made the mistake of bowling in the swinging arc of Russell instead of executing yorkers and paid the price.
Russell took 19 runs off Stoinis in the 18th over and smashed Southee for 29 runs in the 19th over, winning the game for his team from a nearly impossible situation.
Looking forward
While RCB's batsmen have started to deliver, their bowling unit remains a cause for concern. Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee and Mohammed Siraj have not been able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.
The unavailability of Nathan Coulter-Nile has added to their woes. With 5 losses from 5 matches, RCB will hope to win the remaining encounters to keep their chances alive in the tournament.
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