KKRvsRCB: 5 reasons why RCB lost
The third match of IPL 2018 was a clash between the fan favorites Royal Challengers Bangalore and two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
It was the first time that KKR were playing under the captaincy of Dinesh Karthik. DK won the toss and invited RCB to bat.
The RCB side got off to a reasonable start courtesy Brendon McCullum’s power hitting. AB De Villiers joined the party afterward with his imperious hitting.
However, both Virat Kohli and De Villiers fell to Nitish Rana on consecutive balls which applied the brakes on the scoring. RCB eventually posted 176 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Kolkata got off to a flier with the help of some amazing hitting by Sunil Narine. Although RCB pegged them back with wickets at regular intervals, the partnership between Karthik and Rana brought the game in Kolkata’s court.
Let us have a look at the five reasons why the Virat Kohli led side lost the contest.
#5 Kohli’s unusual struggle
Kohli is easily the best batsman in the limited overs format. He rarely struggles with his timing.
However, today was one such occasion. Having come into bat in the second over of the innings, he struggled to get the wrist spinners away.
On a pitch that was conducive to stroke play, it was a bit surprising to see Virat struggle the way he did. He managed to score a paltry 31 runs off 33 balls, striking it at less than run a ball.
His innings included just two boundaries. Kohli’s misery was ended by a fast yorker from “would you believe it” – Rana.
RCB fans would hope that this was just one off occasion and Kohli would soon be back to his best.
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