Kolkata Knight Riders dominated Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens, winning by a whopping 81 runs. Shardul Thakur was the star of the show, smashing a 29-ball 68 and taking one wicket. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Suyash Sharma also shone with the ball.
KKR's victory was all the more impressive given their shaky start. They were 89 for 5 in the 12th over, but thanks to Thakur's rapid half-century and Rahmanullah Gurbaz's more sedate 57, they recovered to post 204 for 7 off their 20 overs.
RCB's response was lackluster, especially considering their recent spectacular chase against Mumbai Indians. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell all struggled against KKR's superior bowling attack. Kohli and du Plessis started well, but were soon derailed by the KKR spinners. Narine removed Kohli for 21 in the 5th over, while Chakravarthy took out du Plessis, Maxwell, and Harshal Patel.
RCB made a strange decision by not sending Dinesh Karthik earlier, instead opting for Michael Bracewell at No.3. He was flummoxed by the collapse around him, and Shahbaz Ahmed was just as clueless. RCB were 5 for 61 off 8.5 overs with little hope of a comeback.
Shardul Thakur was a force to be reckoned with on the field. Not only did he impress with his batting skills, but he also made an impact in his first over by taking out Michael Bracewell. Meanwhile, Suyash Sharma, a 19-year-old leg-break bowler making his IPL debut, had a night to remember as he joined the party with wickets of Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik.
Chasing a target of 205 runs, RCB were bowled out for 123 in 17.3 overs, with Varun Chakravarthy taking four wickets for KKR and Suyash Sharma bagging three dismissals.
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