In a high-scoring encounter at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 21 runs in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first, KKR posted an imposing total of 200 for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Opening batter Jason Roy gave KKR a flying start, smashing 56 runs off just 29 deliveries, which included four boundaries and five sixes.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana, on the other hand, was even more destructive, hitting 48 runs off just 21 deliveries, including three boundaries and four sixes.
Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers for RCB, picking up two wickets while conceding just 24 runs in his four overs.
In response, RCB got off to a solid start, with captain Virat Kohli leading from the front with a well-crafted innings of 54 runs off 37 balls, which included six boundaries. This innings led to Virat Kohli moving up to the third on the list of most IPL runs scored against KKR, with 858 runs to his name, behind David Warner (1075 runs) and Rohit Sharma (1040 runs).
Left handed Mahipal Lomror played a good supporting role, scoring 34 runs off just 18 balls, including one boundary and three sixes. However, RCB lost wickets at regular intervals and could only manage 179 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs.
Varun Chakaravarthy was the star performer for KKR, picking up three wickets while conceding just 27 runs in his four overs. He was named the man of the match for his impressive bowling performance.
KKR’s victory was their second against RCB this season, with both wins coming on the back of posting 200+ scores and choking RCB with spin. The defeat highlighted RCB’s dependence on their top-order batters and their poor fielding, which proved to be costly in the end.
With this loss, RCB stayed put at fifth in the IPL 2023 points table, while KKR moved up to the seventh spot with this win.
Looking at the history of RCB vs KKR matches in Bengaluru since 2016, KKR has dominated the head-to-head record, winning all five matches played during this period.
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