| 0.0 : Warm welcome everyone for yet another dose of T20 cricket from this exciting Indian T20 League. It's between Bangalore and Kolkata at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The hosts are down in the dumps after losing all their games so far and are in an urgent need of a big turnaround. Given the stars they possess, the result is something hard to digest but it also reminds you that cricket is a team game and you need every facet of the game to click in order to win. Kolkata, on the flip side, ha |
| PITCH REPORT - Brendon McCullum with the pitch report says the wicket is an absolute beauty. He mentions it is really hard and has an even covering of grass. He expects a high-scoring game with the batsmen expected to make merry. Baz reminds us that the ball flies here and it is a six-hitting ground. Informs us that one side has a slightly longer boundary than the other so the bowlers should try and make the batsmen hit to the longer side. States that the wicket is a 175-180 one usually but he r |
| TOSS - Kolkata win the toss and elect to field first! |
| Kolkata skipper, Dinesh Karthik says that they had a 5-day break after a tough game against Delhi and have regrouped well. He wants to bowl first and informs that Sunil Narine is back in place of Nikhil Naik. On sledging Kohli from behind the wickets, DK smiles and replies that Virat is a class act and he will play even better then. Also states that they want to play in the right spirit of the game. |
| Virat Kohli, the Bangalore skipper states that it is important not to be desperate for the win and try to enjoy the cricket they play. He mentions that the team just needs to go out there and be fearless and not come under pressure of the result. Further says that he needs to step up himself and score runs for his team and help them to win, especially having played for so long. He informs us that there are a couple of changes in his side, Tim Southee coming in for Shimron Hetmyer and Pawan Negi |
| Kolkata (Playing XI) - Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(WK/C), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna. |
| Bangalore (Playing XI) - Virat Kohli(C), Parthiv Patel(WK), AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Akshdeep Nath, Pawan Negi, Tim Southee, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj. |
| We are all set for the first ball. The players and the umpires are out in the middle taking their positions on the field. Dinesh Karthik is seen looking up at the sky momentarily before heading behind the wickets. The opening batsmen for Bangalore are Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel. The new ball is in the hands of Prasidh Krishna, a Karnataka lad. Time for action!!! |
| 0.1 : P Krishna to P Patel, Around the wicket, straightaway some inward movement as Prasidh lands this nice and full on middle. Parthiv misses his flick and gets hit on the pads but there is no appeal as the ball was surely going down leg there. |
| 0.2 : P Krishna to P Patel, FOUR! The first runs of the evening and it is a boundary. A short length ball, Prasidh errs in line as the ball is at the hips. Parthiv just has to swivel and pull it over short fine leg, which he does with ease. The ball goes to the fence on a single bounce. The crowd erupts! |
| 0.3 : P Krishna to P Patel, Another one on the pads, off a good length. Patel misses his flick and the ball rolls off the pads to short fine leg. No run there though. |
| 0.4 : P Krishna to P Patel, Outside off and slightly shorter in length, Parthiv runs it down to third man for a single. |
| 0.5 : P Krishna to V Kohli, FOUR! PERFECTTT! That is the only way to describe that shot! A half-volley outside off, Kohli gets a little ahead before playing the textbook cover drive. Finds the gap, no one moves there. Sublime way to get off the mark! |
| 0.6 : P Krishna to V Kohli, FOUR! Make that two in two! A fuller length ball, even more wider outside off this time. Kohli has no intention of letting the ball go. Wants to make full use of the fielding restrictions knowing this is a great surface to bat on. Plays the exact same shot, finds the gap and the fence again. 13 runs off the first over, Bangalore off to a good start. |
| Piyush Chawla to bowl from the other end. Watch out for his googlies, especially against the Bangalore skipper. First up though, Parthiv is on strike. |
| 1.1 : P Chawla to P Patel, Starts with a full and flighted ball on middle, Patel knocks it down to long on and takes a single. |
| 1.2 : P Chawla to V Kohli, The length is very full from Chawla, it's around off and Kohli eases it down through mid on for a run. |
| 1.3 : P Chawla to P Patel, A mishit! No harm done though. Floated and full on off, Patel top edges his attempted slog sweep over mid-wicket and it falls in no man's land in the deep. A couple taken. |
| 1.4 : P Chawla to P Patel, Flatter and fuller outside off, Patel goes down on one knee and smacks it to long on for one. |
| 1.5 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Here comes the googly to Kohli... the length though is on the shorter side and Virat pulls it across the line. Finds square leg. |
| 1.6 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Another googly on the shorter side, the line is wide outside off, Virat plays it late and dabs it past short third man for a couple. 7 from this over, 20 in the first two, a good start from Bangalore. |
| Sunil Narine to bowl now. |
| 2.1 : S Narine to P Patel, FOUR! Welcome Narine! Flights this ball up outside off, Parthiv goes down on his knee and slogs this over mid-wicket's head. The ball reaches the fence on one bounce. |
| 2.2 : S Narine to P Patel, Shortens the length outside off, cut away by Parthiv to wide long off. Good batting this. A single after a boundary. |
| 2.3 : S Narine to V Kohli, Flighted outside off to Kohli this time, the BLR skipper pats it towards the off side and sets off for a quick run. |
| 2.4 : S Narine to P Patel, This short one on middle has been pulled away by Parthiv but he finds the mid-wicket fielder this time. A little to his left or right, this would have been a boundary. |
| 2.5 : S Narine to P Patel, Another flatter one on a shorter length, punched back to long on for a single by PP. |
| 2.6 : S Narine to V Kohli, Kohli rocks back and pushes this one to long on for a run to end the over. 8 runs off Narine's first. |
| Lockie Ferguson is on now. |
| 3.1 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, FOUR! Those wrists of steel. Wow. Kohli is looking in mood this evening. Ferguson delivers it full and on middle, Virat flicks it over mid-wicket and finds the fence easily. 8000 T20 runs for Kohli, only the second Indian to reach this mark. |
| 3.2 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, Shorter length outside off, punched off the back foot this time by Kohli but he finds the cover-point fielder at the edge of the circle. |
| 3.3 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, FOUR! This is on a length outside off, Kohli reaches out and pushes this one wide of point. The ball beats third man to his right and his timing is looking ominous so far tonight. |
| 3.4 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, Bouncer! Good ball on the off stump line. Kohli does well to sway away and evade the ball. |
| 3.5 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, FOUR! Shot of the night so far! Maybe in comparison to the first four otherwise! A full length ball on middle, Kohli brings the straight bat down and drives this past the bowler. There is no chance for the mid on fielder to reach that. |
| 3.6 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, Outside off and slightly slower, Kohli pats it towards point and gets to the other end. He will retain strike for the next over. 13 off this one, an expensive beginning for the Kiwi speedster. |
| Piyush Chawla is back on. |
| 4.1 : P Chawla to V Kohli, The batsman works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 4.2 : P Chawla to P Patel, FOUR! Just cannot bowl that line to any batsman! Full and flighted but down the leg side, Parthiv sits down on one knee and smashes it behind square leg for a boundary. |
| 4.3 : P Chawla to P Patel, Chawla drags his length short and bowls it outside off, Patel mistimes his back foot punch to cover-point. |
| 4.4 : P Chawla to P Patel, A googly this time, on the pads, Parthiv stands back and hits it through square leg for a couple of runs. It's already looking like a batting paradise. |
| 4.5 : P Chawla to P Patel, Misses out, Parthiv. Short and wide outside off, Patel rocks back and punches with good timing but finds the cover fielder inside the ring. |
| 4.6 : P Chawla to P Patel, Short again, on off, Patel goes back and pulls it down to long on for one. 8 from the over, Bangalore one short of the 50-run mark. What a start, this! |
| Narine is back into the attack. |
| 5.1 : S Narine to P Patel, Flatter one outside off, guided to the right of short third man for a single by Parthiv. That brings up the 50 for the hosts! |
| 5.2 : S Narine to V Kohli, Worked off the pads to mid-wicket by Kohli for a run. |
| 5.3 : S Narine to P Patel, Good fielding! A short one on middle, pulled away by Parthiv and the ball gets faster off the practice pitches at wide long on. Andre Russell there though dives and does well to stop the ball. Saves 3 runs for his team. |
| 5.4 : S Narine to V Kohli, This ball is down the leg side, Kohli gets a fine tickle on it. The ball does not have too much pace on it and the fielder at short fine leg stops the ball moving to his right. A run is taken. |
| 5.5 : S Narine to P Patel, How did that miss the stumps? A flatter one on middle, Parthiv looks to hit it over the bowler's head but misses the ball completely. The ball goes over the stumps as well. Lucky escape for the batsman! |
| 5.6 : S Narine to P Patel, Cut away fine by Parthiv but he finds the short third man fielder. No run there. Bangalore are 53/0 at the end of the Powerplay. One of their best this season if not the best. |
| Kuldeep Yadav is into the attack now. |
| 6.1 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Spinning back into the batsman from around off, Kohli gets back and flicks it down to fine leg for a couple of runs. |
| 6.2 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Flatter and shorter on off, it's punched off the back foot to mid-wicket where Rana dives to his left to make a fine stop. |
| 6.3 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Allows the ball to spin back in and then nudges it behind square leg for one. |
| 6.4 : K Yadav to P Patel, Shorter delivery, on off and spinning away, Patel sticks on the back foot and drags his pull down to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 6.5 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Short and pulled to deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. |
| 6.6 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Strides forward and drives it down to long on for one. 7 from Kuldeep's first over. |
| Nitish Rana comes on to bowl now. |
| 7.1 : N Rana to V Kohli, Was that a chance? Shorter one to start off with, Kohli pulls it away through mid-wicket for a couple of runs. That was very close to Narine at mid-wicket but he could not get a hand on the ball. Looks to have misjudged where the ball was. |
| 7.2 : N Rana to V Kohli, Well outside off on a length this time, cut away to deep cover for a run. |
| 7.3 : N Rana to P Patel, Bowled flatter and quicker on middle, Parthiv misses his pull and gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 7.4 : N Rana to P Patel, Quicker outside off, Parthiv pushes it to cover. Good over so far from Rana! |
| 7.5 : N Rana to P Patel, Wide! This ball is way outside off, given wide by the umpire. |
| N Rana to P Patel, OUT! Rana strikes! Parthiv is dismissed. He looked out of touch in this over so far and has finally fallen. Around the wicket and Rana fires it in on off and middle, Patel misses the flick and gets struck right in front of the wickets. The appeal is made and the finger goes up straightaway. Parthiv decides not to take it upstairs as it looked plumb and it was a smart decision. The stand of 64 has been broken. |
| AB de Villiers walks in at number 3. |
| 7.6 : N Rana to de Villiers, De Villiers pushes this one to cover to end a successful over for the away side. |
| 8.1 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Flighted and on middle, flicked in front of square leg for a run. |
| 8.2 : P Chawla to de Villiers, A leg spinner on off, on the shorter side, de Villiers goes back and punches it down to long on for a run. Gets off the mark. |
| 8.3 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Turning back in from around off, Kohli closes the face of his bat and helps it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 8.4 : P Chawla to de Villiers, Shortish and hit firmly on the leg side, it's straight to mid-wicket though. |
| 8.5 : P Chawla to de Villiers, Gets forward to a full ball and drives it with the spin to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 8.6 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Too full and on off, Kohli leans forward and gently knocks it down through mid on for a single. Five singles from the over! |
| Strategic Break - The hosts have gotten off to a brilliant start but have just slowed the tad bit down in the last 3-4 overs. The ball is holding up slightly for the spinners and the Kolkata tweakers are doing well to hold a tight line. The duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is out in the middle and they'd like to stitch a big partnership for the home side. On the other hand, the visitors would like a few more wickets to fall so that they can really wrest control of this game. Kuldeep Yadav t |
| 9.1 : K Yadav to V Kohli, FOUR! Bowled down the leg side and punished. Kohli stands tall and swipes it down the leg side. Gets the ball nice and fine. The short fine leg fielder is beaten in his chase. |
| 9.2 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Virat flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 9.3 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Pushed back to the bowler by de Villiers as this ball is flighted on middle. |
| 9.4 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Another flighted one on middle, AB de Villiers flicks it away to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 9.5 : K Yadav to V Kohli, A googly on middle, Kohli reads it well and pushes it to long off all along the ground. A run is taken. |
| 9.6 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Excellent running! A googly on middle and off, de Villiers looks to flick it and closes the bat early. The ball goes off the leading edge and runs wide of point. The batsmen come running back for the second and finish it quite easily in the end. |
| 10.1 : P Chawla to V Kohli, Floated leg spinner outside off, spinning away a bit, Kohli gets forward to reach out for it and hits it down to long off for a run. |
| 10.2 : P Chawla to de Villiers, FOUR! ABD goes inside-out and finds the fence. Loopy and on off, turning away, the South African legend goes with the spin and effortlessly lofts it over covers. |
| Direct hit at the non-striker's end. The appeal is made and it's referred upstairs. Is AB de Villiers safe? |
| 10.3 : P Chawla to de Villiers, Not out! Safely in, ABD! Flatter delivery on middle, de Villiers turns it to mid-wicket and rushes to the other end. Rana scores a direct hit at the non-striker's end and it's taken upstairs. The replays find nothing wrong. AB can continue... |
| 10.4 : P Chawla to V Kohli, FOUR! Deft! 35th Indian T20 League fifty for Virat Kohli, his first this season. Chawla delivers it outside off, Kohli uses the width on offer and gently plays it past short third man for a boundary. Well batted, skipper! |
| 10.5 : P Chawla to V Kohli, A short delivery which has been pulled away. They pick up a single. |
| 10.6 : P Chawla to de Villiers, Fuller and flatter on middle, eased to long on for one. 12 coming off this over, Bangalore continue to march forward. |
| 11.1 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Oooh! AB brings his bat down at the right time! A flatter one on middle, de Villiers should have been on the front foot for that one. He remains in the crease and does well to keep that out in the end. |
| 11.2 : K Yadav to de Villiers, DROPPED! That could be a huge miss! A flighted ball on middle, de Villiers looks for the slog but top edges it. The ball goes high in the air! Lockie Ferguson from long on covers a lot of distance to catch that but fails to hold on as he puts in a dive. This could be a huge point in the game but kudos to Lockie. He did well there to even reach the ball. |
| 11.3 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Pushed back to the bowler off the back foot. |
| 11.4 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Shorter outside off, cut away to the right of deep cover. Two runs are taken. |
| 11.5 : K Yadav to de Villiers, Pushed through to long off for a single. |
| 11.6 : K Yadav to V Kohli, Punched away to deep cover for a single by Kohli. A run is added. End of a good over from Kuldeep, just 6 off it in the end. |
| Sunil Narine is back on. |
| 12.1 : S Narine to V Kohli, Short in length on middle, Kohli pulls it down to fine leg for a run. |
| 12.2 : S Narine to de Villiers, FOUR! 100 up for Bangalore in the 13th over! What a great shot to reach that mark. A back foot punch over covers by de Villiers and he finds the fence. Narine needs to get his line right here. |
| 12.3 : S Narine to de Villiers, Quicker one, on middle and skidding down, de Villiers tries to work it around but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 12.4 : S Narine to de Villiers, Goes short and wide outside off, it's been cut square of the wicket on the off side for a boundary. |
| 12.5 : S Narine to de Villiers, FOUR! Keep bowling short to this batsman and he will keep putting you to the boundary every single time. Narine ain't learning. Serves a long hop outside off and it's cracked off the back foot by de Villiers. Goes over extra cover and reaches the fence in no time. |
| 12.6 : S Narine to de Villiers, Short again on off, punched to sweeper cover for one. 12 from the over, Bangalore are keeping a good run rate in the middle overs. |
| Strategic break! Only a period of 4 overs has gone between the last time out and this one but a lot has happened since. AB de Villiers has been given a life and he is looking like he might make the Kolkata bowlers pay for that. Kohli has got to his fifty but faced only a few balls after that. The stage is set for a big total to be posted by Bangalore and it is up to Kolkata to stop them from doing so. What will happen? An exciting 7 overs left in the innings! Andre Russell will bowl after the br |
| 13.1 : A Russell to de Villiers, On a length on top of middle, pushed back to long on for a single by de Villiers. |
| 13.2 : A Russell to V Kohli, Dabbed down to third man for a single by Kohli. |
| 13.3 : A Russell to de Villiers, SIX! That is massive! A short length ball on middle, de Villiers stands tall and pulls it way over deep square leg for a maximum. The crowd erupts. That shot also brings up the 50-run stand between these two. |
| 13.4 : A Russell to de Villiers, Full toss outside off, ABD comes running at the ball but fails to get good connection on the ball. It runs off the bottom part of the willow towards cover. A quick single is taken. |
| 13.5 : A Russell to V Kohli, Kohli looks to run it down to third man off a short length delivery outside off. The ball goes off the gloves but the intention to get the single does not fail. |
| 13.6 : A Russell to de Villiers, SIX! Fuller length outside off, de Villiers gets nice and low before hitting this over long off. The ball goes way back into the stands. End of a 16-run over from Russell! |
| Nitish Rana is back on. |
| 14.1 : N Rana to V Kohli, FOUR! No bowler will be spared now! Both batsmen are set and motoring now. Flatter and fuller ball on middle, Kohli, with his strong bottom hand, whips it through mid-wicket. No chance for the fielder in the deep. |
| 14.2 : N Rana to V Kohli, SIX! This one has gone the distance! Flatter delivery, pitched up to the batsman, Kohli goes down the ground and clears long on with utmost ease. |
| 14.3 : N Rana to V Kohli, Misses out this time. Short and wide outside off, Kohli tries to cut but misses. |
| 14.4 : N Rana to V Kohli, Flighted and full outside off, Kohli drives it well but finds sweeper cover. A single taken. |
| 14.5 : N Rana to de Villiers, Wide! Spinning down the leg side, de Villiers leaves it in the end. |
| N Rana to de Villiers, SIX! Go fetch that! Nitish Rana has been taken to the cleaners. A flatter delivery, on the shorter side outside off, de Villiers keeps his weight on the back foot and hammers it over long off. |
| 14.6 : N Rana to de Villiers, Dot to end the over but 18 comes from it! Short in length and outside off, AB rocks back and punches but finds point. |
| Prasidh Krishna to bowl now. |
| 15.1 : P Krishna to V Kohli, Shorter length slower ball on middle, punched off the back foot to deep mid-wicket by Kohli. The batsmen scamper back for the second run. Amazing running! |
| 15.2 : P Krishna to V Kohli, Short of a length outside off, Kohli looks to flay it away on the off side but gets it off the under edge and the ball goes back to the bowler. |
| 15.3 : P Krishna to V Kohli, Excellent ball! Attempted yorker, goes very low full on the off side, Kohli fails to time it well. Ends up getting an inside edge onto the pads. A quick single is stolen. |
| 15.4 : P Krishna to de Villiers, Short of a length on off, de Villiers looks to heave it away over mid-wicket but fails to put bat on ball. Lucky escape there for Prasidh, that was there to be hit. |
| 15.5 : P Krishna to de Villiers, FOUR! Just short of the fence! That is also the fifty for ABD! His 30th in the Indian T20 League! A slower bouncer outside off, de Villiers waits for the ball and hits it over cover to get to the landmark. This has been an excellent innings so far and Bangalore would love for it to continue. |
| 15.6 : P Krishna to de Villiers, FOUR! Back of a length well outside off, de Villiers just slices it away and gets it wide of point. The ball flies with insane pace and no fielder on the ground had a chance of even thinking to stop that. This is brilliant batting! 11 runs off this over. |
| Change in bowling. Lockie Ferguson is back on. |
| 16.1 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, SIX! The Kiwi is greeted with a biggie! From 'round the wicket angle, Ferguson angles across a length ball outside off, Virat stays back and powers it over wide long on for a biggie. |
| 16.2 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, FOUR! Kohli in full throttle! Ferguson pitches it up and outside off, this time Virat opens the face of his bat and lofts it over covers for a boundary. |
| 16.3 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, You won't see better running between the wickets than this! 100-run stand comes up! Full and on middle, Kohli knocks it down to the right of the long on fielder and rushes back for the second run. The umpire is keeping a close eye on the danger area as the two batsmen switch ends. |
| 16.4 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, A cracking drive through the line by Virat but he finds the extra cover fielder at the edge of the ring. |
| 16.5 : L Ferguson to V Kohli, Shortish and Kohli drags his pull down to long on for one. ABD was looking for the second run even there. Not on. |
| 16.6 : L Ferguson to de Villiers, SIX! De Villiers has sent this packing over the fence. A flat hit. Short and on middle, ABD turns inside the crease and hammer-pulls it over square leg. 19 from the over, this is relentless batting from Bangalore. They have finally arrived in this season. The fun is not over yet, 3 more overs to go. |
| Kuldeep Yadav to bowl now. |
| 17.1 : K Yadav to V Kohli, OUT! Caught and bowled! Silence envelops the stadium quips Harsha Bhogle on air! A fuller ball on middle, bowled at a good pace. Kohli smashes it back hard but fails to keep it down. Kuldeep reacts really fast and moves to his left and takes the catch with both hands. Kohli has a stunned look on his face. The stand worth 108 off just 56 balls comes to an end. The Bangalore skipper ends with 84 and gets a standing ovation as he walks off. |
| 0.0 : Marcus Stoinis arrives in the middle. |
| 17.2 : K Yadav to M Stoinis, Slower through the air on the pads, Stoinis defends it on the leg side. |
| 17.3 : K Yadav to M Stoinis, Edged and four! Flighted on off, Stoinis looks to flick it away to deep mid-wicket but gets an outside edge. The ball runs fine on the off side and to the fence. It is a moral victory for the bowler but Bangalore will not mind as long as runs come for them. |
| 17.4 : K Yadav to M Stoinis, Slower through the air this time, Marcus pushes it to mid-wicket and comes back for the second run. Brilliant running! |
| 17.5 : K Yadav to M Stoinis, Flighted ball on the pads, flicked away by Stoinis for a couple again. De Villiers dives to make it in but the throw was well wide anyway. |
| 17.6 : K Yadav to M Stoinis, Another one slower through the air, Stoinis comes down the track and pushes it to cover for a single. End of a good over from Kuldeep given the context of the game. 9 runs and a wicket off it. Yadav ends with figures of 4-0-31-1! |
| Sunil Narine to bowl. |
| 18.1 : S Narine to M Stoinis, Smart bowling. Narine sees the batsman moving down to his leg and bowls it short and wide outside off. Stoinis punches it to covers. |
| 18.2 : S Narine to M Stoinis, Short again, cut from the Aussie but once again he finds the cover fielder. |
| 18.3 : S Narine to M Stoinis, Fullish and on middle, flicked down to deep mid-wicket for a run. ABD is back on strike and the crowd is going mad. |
| 18.4 : S Narine to de Villiers, Very good ball from Narine. Hits the yorker mark outside leg, following the batsman down there and de Villiers flicks it to wide long on for a couple. |
| 18.5 : S Narine to de Villiers, Wide! Narine tries to stay away from de Villiers' hitting zone but in the process bowls it way wide outside off. |
| S Narine to de Villiers, OUT! AB de Villiers holes out and this will cost Bangalore at least 15-20 runs. Narine has done his job here. A shortish ball around off, AB rocks back to pummel it over wide long off but fails to give it the desired elevation. It goes flatter and Shubman Gill at the edge of the rope makes no mistake. A whirlwind knock comes to an end but it has surely powered Bangalore to a big score. |
| Moeen Ali walks out next. |
| 18.6 : S Narine to M Stoinis, Flatter and shorter outside off, forced through extra cover for a single. The throw from the deep wasn't collected by Karthik and they stole the second run. What an over at this stage, just 6 coming from it along with the prized scalp of AB de Villiers. 4-0-30-1, Narine's spell this evening. |
| Prasidh Krishna to bowl the final over of the innings. |
| 19.1 : P Krishna to M Ali, Wide! Way, way down the leg side. Nerves maybe. An extra run has been conceded. |
| P Krishna to M Ali, Swing and a miss! From around the wicket, Prasidh bowls it short of a length outside off. Moeen goes for a swipe over wide long on but fails to put bat on ball. |
| 19.2 : P Krishna to M Ali, Good ball! Really full on the pads, Ali misses his flick and gets rapped on the pads. A leg bye is taken as the ball rolls towards point. 2 runs off 2 balls so far. Kolkata will not mind the singles and twos. |
| 19.3 : P Krishna to M Stoinis, FOUR! Misses the yorker by a couple of inches and ends up conceding a boundary. Prasidh looks for the full ball outside off, but Stoinis takes it on the full and hits it away wide of point for a boundary. |
| 19.4 : P Krishna to M Stoinis, SIX! Four earlier, six now! A slower ball from Krishna now, Stoinis waits for the ball and deposits it way back over the long on rope for a maximum. This is what Bangalore would have wanted. 199 now! |
| 19.5 : P Krishna to M Stoinis, 200 comes up for Bangalore! A really full ball on middle and off, driven away hard wide of long off for a couple. 14 off the over so far! |
| 19.6 : P Krishna to M Stoinis, FOUR! Make that 18! A fuller ball outside off, Stoinis comes inside the line and scoops it over the head of short fine leg for a boundary. This is a great finish for Bangalore! They end with 205/3 on the board! |
| A spectacular batting innings comes to an end. As Brendon McCullum suggested at the Pitch Report, the wicket has turned out to be a belter and the faltering Bangalore batting line-up corrected itself tonight and has posted an excellent score of 205. After Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bowl first, Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel started off beautifully and looked in full flow. The skipper especially looked in murderous mood as he plundered runs all around the ground. |
| The opening stand was broken with 64 on the board but that only was a brief moment of happiness for the away side. Out walked, the superman AB de Villiers. He joined hands with his captain and the dynamic duo stitched a 108-run partnership in less than 10 overs. Both fell eventually trying to get the maximum during the death overs but they had laid the platform for a big score to be put on the board. Kohli ended up with 84 and de Villiers fell for 63. Marcus Stoinis played a really good cameo of |
| Coming to the bowling, the stand-out bowlers were the trio of spinners. Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine all went for either 8 runs per over or less and ensured that the total was not even bigger. That said, the pitch is a belter and the bowlers have really little margin for error. 206 is the target and it is not really a match-winning total on this wicket and this kind of ground with small boundaries. The away side certainly have the arsenal to chase this total down and it will be |
| 0.0 : We are back for the chase. The fielders make their way out and into the positions. Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn are the opening batsmen for Kolkata while Tim Southee of Bangalore has the new ball is his hands. Should be an exciting 20 overs of cricket if Kolkata manage to get near this total, let's play! |
| 0.1 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Starts off with a length ball outside off. Slight away movement. Lynn cuts it away to deep cover for a single. He and Kolkata are off the mark straightaway! |
| 0.2 : Tim Southee to S Narine, Really good ball first up to Narine! Full on middle, Sunil does well to dig it out and push it back to the bowler. |
| 0.3 : Tim Southee to S Narine, Very full and swinging into the left-hander once more. The line is on the pads, Narine makes room to hit it through cover but the ball goes off the pads to fine leg for a leg bye. |
| 0.4 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, DROPPED! How big will this miss prove to be? A short length ball on off, Lynn looks to pull it over mid-wicket but gets a top edge and the ball flies high in the air. Saini from short fine leg runs to catch that, covers a long distance but fails to hold on at the last moment. Really good effort but such catches win you matches. The ball is pulled back inside the rope and a couple of runs are taken. |
| 0.5 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, FOUR! On the hips, turned away by Lynn this time, it is wide of short fine leg. The ball runs away to the fence. That is like adding insult to injury. |
| 0.6 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, FIVE WIDES! Southee goes for a bouncer but goes really short. The ball bounces way over the head of the batsman who was ducking. Parthiv Patel cannot reach the ball either. Those are free runs for Kolkata. |
| Tim Southee to C Lynn, FOUR! After an excellent start to the over, Southee has ended up conceding 17! A short ball wide outside off to end the over, Lynn stays tall and cuts it wide of deep cover for a boundary. The fielder in the deep makes a valiant dive to his right but does not manage to reach the ball. The start that Kolkata would have liked has come to them. |
| Navdeep Saini to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : N Saini to S Narine, Starts with a length ball in the line of the stumps, Narine goes deep inside the crease and hits it firmly through the line. Moeen stops the ball on one bounce at extra cover. |
| 1.2 : N Saini to S Narine, Play and a miss! A sharp delivery by Saini. Clocks 145 clicks and lets out a short delivery around leg. Narine shapes up for a big pull shot but is beaten by pace. |
| 1.3 : N Saini to S Narine, FOUR! Connects this time and will get a boundary. Saini digs in a short delivery again, at 132 kph, Narine gets inside the bounce and pulls it down to fine leg for a boundary. 2000 T20 runs for Sunil Narine! |
| 1.4 : N Saini to S Narine, Very full and on middle and off at 152.1 kph, Narine hops back to make room and throws his bat at it. He ends up squeezing it through the gap between short third man and backward point for a couple. Oh dear, it's called a no ball for overstepping. Bonus delivery coming up... |
| Free Hit coming up... |
| N Saini to S Narine, FOUR! No stopping this one. Saini continues to pack his deliveries with pace. Seems to not have the real slower ones. Delivers a full toss at 149 kph, following the batsman down the leg side, Narine just clips it off his pads and finds the gap at mid-wicket. |
| Narine is caught brilliantly near the fine leg fence by Negi! The umpire is checking for the no ball. |
| 1.5 : N Saini to S Narine, OUT! It's a fair delivery. Saini strikes gold and has the last laugh in his battle against Narine. Yet another short ball by the bowler has been pulled across the line by Narine. It goes aerially towards fine leg where Negi comes running across to his right, keeps one eye on the rope and smartly catches the ball. A big breakthrough for Bangalore as Narine is that kind of a batsman who has the license to attack and can take the match very quickly away from the opposition |
| Robin Uthappa walks out to bat next. |
| 1.6 : N Saini to R Uthappa, Full and angling in on off at 149.2 kph, Uthappa gets forward and pushes it down to mid on. Expensive but a successful over from Saini. |
| 2.1 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Missed out there did Lynn! A short length ball on the pads, Chris looks to flick the ball away to fine leg but misses the ball and gets hit on the thigh pad. The ball rolls to short fine leg and no runs can be taken. |
| 2.2 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Really good yorker! Nice and up in the blockhole down leg, right at the base of the batsman. The ball is dug out to the leg side by Lynn and he gets to the other end. |
| 2.3 : Tim Southee to R Uthappa, Full length ball on middle, pushed towards mid on by Uthappa. |
| 2.4 : Tim Southee to R Uthappa, On a length outside off, Uthappa comes ahead and pushes the ball to cover. Fails to find the gap and it is the 2nd dot ball in a row. |
| Direct hit! The appeal is taken upstairs! Klaasen at cover-point picks up the ball and hits the stumps at the striker's end. Looked like Lynn was just in though to the naked eye. Let's see what replays have to say... |
| 2.5 : Tim Southee to R Uthappa, NOT OUT! Lynn is in and pretty comfortably! A length ball outside off, Uthappa drops it towards cover-point and sets for a quick single. Heinrich Klaasen at cover-point comes running in and picks up the ball before scoring a direct hit at the striker's end. There is an appeal which is taken upstairs but the replays show that the batsman was well inside. Chris and Kolkata can breathe easy for now! |
| 2.6 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Fuller length ball swinging away outside off, Lynn looks to drive it through the off side but gets a thick inside edge towards mid-wicket. A single is taken and Lynn will be on strike for the next over. |
| 3.1 : N Saini to C Lynn, Beaten! Short and on off at 144.5 kph, angling in, Lynn leans back to cut but misses. |
| 3.2 : N Saini to C Lynn, Short ball again, on middle, a mistimed pull shot towards mid-wicket and Chris rushes across to the other end. |
| 3.3 : N Saini to R Uthappa, A 148.2 kph delivery, it's on a length around middle and angling down, Robin tries flicking but misses. It rolls on the leg side, Lynn looks for a run but is sent back. |
| 3.4 : N Saini to R Uthappa, Not in the coaching manual but this delivery has been pulled down to mid off. Short and on middle, Uthappa stays back to pull but it takes the bottom half of his blade and goes to mid off. |
| 3.5 : N Saini to R Uthappa, FOUR! A well-directed short delivery from Saini, Uthappa takes his eyes off the ball as he attempts to pull. It takes the top edge of his bat and goes over the keeper for a boundary. |
| 3.6 : N Saini to R Uthappa, Fetches a short ball from outside off and pulls it properly to deep square leg for a couple of runs. 7 from the over. |
| 4.1 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, On a length outside off, Lynn looks to flat bat it right back over the bowler's head but fails to connect bat to ball. |
| 4.2 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Lynn is really struggling with the timing here. A short length ball on middle, he looks to pull it away but gets an inside edge towards short fine leg. Seems to be getting a tad bit restless here. |
| 4.3 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, FOUR! That should ease him up a bit. A really full ball on the pads, Lynn gets the bottom hand into play and manages to put it over the head of mid on. The ball goes for a boundary on a single bounce. |
| 4.4 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, FOUR! Two in two and now it is Southee who is under pressure! A short length ball on middle, Lynn pulls it away over deep fine leg. The ball goes to the fence as the fielder at deep square leg has no chance to reach that one. |
| 4.5 : Tim Southee to C Lynn, Fuller one on middle and leg, Lynn looks to make room and whip it away using his bottom hand. The ball though takes the leading edge of the bottom of the blade and runs to wide mid off for a single. |
| 4.6 : Tim Southee to R Uthappa, FOUR! Excellent shot! A slower ball outside off, Uthappa stands tall and lifts the ball over the head of extra cover. The fielders have only one thing to do there, go and retrieve the ball. |
| Yuzvendra Chahal is into the attack now. A slip in place... |
| 5.1 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Starts with a fuller length ball on middle and leg, Lynn drives it down through mid off for a run. |
| 0.0 : Deep square leg moves to deep mid-wicket. Uthappa loves slogging and Bangalore have done their homework. |
| 5.2 : Y Chahal to R Uthappa, Driven towards the mid on region. They pick up a single. |
| 5.3 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Nearly deceives the batsman! A googly by Chahal, landing outside off, Lynn is early in his charge down the track and at the last moment brings his bat and pad together in defense. |
| 5.4 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Short and outside off, cut through the line but straight to cover-point. |
| 5.5 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, SIX! Dismissed! Disappeared. He is a powerful striker of the ball. Lynn reads the googly this time and launches it over long on and out of the stadium. Into orbit. Lightning Lynn flashes the giant screen. 102m on the radar, the biggest six of this season. 'Lynnsanity' mode is switched on! |
| 5.6 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Good response from the bowler. Chahal shows the courage to toss this one and lands it in the blockhole, Lynn digs it out safely. 59/1 in the Powerplay, Kolkata. |
| Strategic break! Time for both sides to get a breather. Kolkata have lost Narine early but they are well in the game. The duo of Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn have got boundaries at good consistency and their side is rolling at almost 10 runs per over but now the Powerplay is over and it will be tougher to do so. Virat Kohli and co. will like wickets to keep the run rate under check and to keep pressure on the visitors. Turning out to be quite exciting! Mohammed Siraj to bowl after the break. |
| 6.1 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, Starts off with a full one outside off, pushed towards cover by Uthappa. |
| 6.2 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, FOUR! The slightest bit of room and Uthappa takes advantage! A length ball just outside off, Robin cuts it away past point for a boundary. No chance for third man! |
| 6.3 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, Driven to mid off by Uthappa. No run there. |
| 6.4 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, FOUR! Excellent usage of the bowler's pace by the batsman! A ball on the middle and leg stump line, Uthappa glances it really fine and beats fine leg easily. Really smart batting this! |
| 6.5 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, A half-pull on this ball takes it towards wide long on. Single taken. |
| 6.6 : M Siraj to C Lynn, Slower bouncer outside off, Lynn looks to cut the ball away but makes contact with only thin air. The batsman looks for a wide call due to the height but finds no support from the umpire. End of the over, Siraj concedes 9 runs off his first. |
| 7.1 : Y Chahal to R Uthappa, Flighted and full on off, driven down through mid off for a run. |
| 7.2 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Fires in a quicker one down the leg side, Lynn nudges it fine down to fine leg for a couple of runs. Moeen does a good job in the deep. |
| 7.3 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Once again Chris is deceived in flight. Comes running down the track and then defends it close to his front pad. A muted appeal for an lbw dies down quickly. |
| 7.4 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Goes on the back foot to a short ball and punches it to sweeper cover for one. |
| 7.5 : Y Chahal to R Uthappa, Fullish and on off, Uthappa drills it right back towards the bowler who makes a partial stop. The long off fielder runs forward to pick the ball and they cross. |
| 7.6 : Y Chahal to C Lynn, Play and a miss! A touch short outside off and spinning away, Lynn tries to slap it through point but misses. Patel collects the ball and breaks the stumps immediately, but the Aussie never left his crease. A top over by the leggie, just 5 coming off it. |
| 8.1 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, In the air... but safe! A length ball outside off, Uthappa looks to flick the ball but gets a thick outside edge that flies towards third man. Chahal out there, looks for safety first and stops the ball on a bounce instead of going for a catch. Kohli is not impressed. A single is taken at the end. |
| 8.2 : M Siraj to C Lynn, No ball and SIX! A full toss above waist height from Siraj! Lynn smashes it over mid-wicket and into the stands. The umpire signals no ball and this is a double bonus for Kolkata. That also brings up the 50-run stand between Lynn and Uthappa. |
| Free Hit loading... |
| M Siraj to C Lynn, Nothing much off the Free Hit! Bowled slower outside off, Lynn looks to smash it over cover, gets a thick outside edge and the ball rolls towards third man for a single only. |
| 8.3 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, FOUR! No need for a Free Hit if such shots can be played! A length ball outside off, Uthappa stands and punches it wide of mid off for a boundary. No one moved there. |
| 8.4 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, Really full outside off, Uthappa gets under the ball and hits it aerially towards deep cover. A single is all that comes off it though. |
| 8.5 : M Siraj to C Lynn, Punched off the back foot but straight to deep cover for a single by Lynn. |
| 8.6 : M Siraj to R Uthappa, FOUR! What a finish to the over. 19 runs off it in the end! Short length ball wide outside off, no pardon for bowling there without a third man in the deep. Uthappa is smart and just lifts the ball over short third man for a boundary. |
| Pawan Negi to bowl... |
| 9.1 : P Negi to C Lynn, Starts his spell with a flatter and fuller ball on leg, Lynn forces it down to long on for a single. |
| 9.2 : P Negi to R Uthappa, This one stops a bit onto the batsman. Negi serves it around off and it spins away a touch, Uthappa goes back and pushes it out from the outer half of his blade. |
| 9.3 : P Negi to R Uthappa, Fullish and outside off, driven straight to covers. |
| 9.4 : P Negi to R Uthappa, Three dots in a row, pressure. Flatter and shorter on middle, Robin moves back and punches it straight to the cover fielder. |
| 9.5 : P Negi to R Uthappa, OUT! Dot balls built pressure and eventually a wicket falls. Top bowling from Negi. A flatter delivery on off, turning away a bit, Uthappa initially looks to chip it over cover but it appears that he checked his shot at the last moment. Continues with his shot and lofts it over mid off. He is disappointed as soon as it left his bat and looks down. A straightforward catch for Southee in the deep. End of a quickfire partnership, 113 needed off 61 balls now. |
| Nitish Rana walks out at number 4. |
| 9.6 : P Negi to N Rana, It's been driven superbly through the covers. They pick up a single. Excellent over, just two runs from it along with the wicket of Robin Uthappa. |
| Marcus Stoinis is brought on to bowl now. |
| 10.1 : M Stoinis to N Rana, Starts off with on the pads, Nitish Rana chips it towards square leg nicely and picks up a run, getting the set man on strike. |
| 10.2 : M Stoinis to C Lynn, DROPPED! This is criminal! This is just criminal! A length ball outside off, Lynn cuts it away hard over cover and the fielder is just positioned exactly for the same thing. Siraj runs slightly to his right and gets to the ball but fails to hold on. The skipper cannot believe and has his face hidden in his cap. Could be a huge moment in the game. A single is taken. |
| 10.3 : M Stoinis to N Rana, Slower ball pitching outside leg. Rana looks to flick it away but misses the ball. It gets him on the pad and the bowler appeals but the ball was landing outside leg so the umpire declines. |
| 10.4 : M Stoinis to N Rana, SIX! Insult to injury for Stoinis. A catch dropped, a good slower ball and then a maximum off this ball. A short length ball on middle, Rana swivels and pulls it deep over the fine leg boundary. Goes into the second tier that one! |
| 10.5 : M Stoinis to N Rana, FIVE RUNS! Overthrows! A length ball outside off, Rana mistimes his cut towards point and sets off for a run. Chahal out there sees Nitish jogging and goes for the throw at the bowler's end. The ball hits the stumps, Rana is inside and the ball then runs towards the opposite direction. It goes to the boundary. Poor cricket this as there was already a fielder backing that up and Moeen Ali who was running there should have anticipated a direct hit and waited probably. |
| 10.6 : M Stoinis to C Lynn, The batsman has attempted to put bat on ball but fails to do so. |
| 11.1 : P Negi to N Rana, Turning back into the batsman from outside off, Rana tries to slap it through covers but is beaten due to turn. |
| 11.2 : P Negi to N Rana, Connects this time. Short and wide outside off, Nitish rocks back and cuts it through point for a run. |
| 11.3 : P Negi to C Lynn, OUT! Pawan Negi has single-handedly brought Bangalore on top here and the crowd is roaring in delight! A delivery bowled in the flatter trajectory around middle, Lynn shimmies down the track and tries to play it with a straight bat. But the ball lands and spins away to beat the outside edge and goes on to disturb the stumps behind. 98 needed off 51 balls. This game is heading towards an interesting finish with the firepower that is left to come for Kolkata. |
| Dinesh Karthik walks out next to bat. |
| 11.4 : P Negi to D Karthik, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. |
| 11.5 : P Negi to N Rana, Quicker one, flat and short on off, Rana turns it in front of square leg and runs the first run hard. That's all he will get. |
| 11.6 : P Negi to D Karthik, Strides forward to a full ball and drives it down to long off for a run. Negi's figure so far reads - 2-0-6-2! Amidst carnage, this spell truly has been a potentially match-winning one. |
| Navdeep Saini is back into the attack. |
| 12.1 : N Saini to D Karthik, Short of a length on middle, Karthik defends it onto the surface. |
| 12.2 : N Saini to D Karthik, Another back of a length delivery on top of off, Karthik drops it towards the off side and gets to the other end. |
| 12.3 : N Saini to N Rana, Run down to third man for a single by Rana. |
| 12.4 : N Saini to D Karthik, Short of a length on top of off stump, Karthik looks to pull it away. The ball does not have the best timing and runs to deep mid-wicket for a single. The batsmen looked for the second run but it was not possible there. |
| 12.5 : N Saini to N Rana, On a length outside off, defended towards point by NR. Karthik wanted the single there but is sent back by his partner. |
| 12.6 : N Saini to N Rana, Good ball! Excellent over! A length ball on top of off, Rana can only defend it back towards the bowler. Just 3 runs off this one. 92 runs off 42 balls required now. |
| Strategic break! The match is poised really delicately at this stage but one would have to say that Pawan Negi has turned this game towards his team. Bangalore do look like they have an upper hand right now but Kolkata, with the firepower they have, will not give up. A certain Andre Russell is waiting in the wings but before that, the away side would like these two out in the middle to add as many as possible and take it close. Meanwhile, the hosts would want a few more quick wickets to complete |
| 13.1 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, Loopy delivery, landing full on middle, Karthik gets forward and gently flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 13.2 : Y Chahal to N Rana, Edged but safe! Width on offer outside off, Rana tries to play the square cut but gets an outside edge. It goes on one drop to Moeen at short third man. They cross over for a run. |
| 13.3 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, Floated one, full and on middle, Karthik quietly pushes it through covers and jogs across to the other end. |
| 13.4 : Y Chahal to N Rana, Edged again, safe again. Short and outside off, Rana outside edges his attempted square cut to short third man. Moeen stops it with a dive to his right and they cross. |
| 13.5 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, Probably a flipper, landing short on middle and off, Karthik is hurried into his pull shot and he sends it down to long on for one. |
| 13.6 : Y Chahal to N Rana, Third edge in the over off Rana's bat, only difference is that this one came from the inside part. Shortish on off, Nitish miscues his shot and it runs closely past the stumps to fine leg. Six singles from the over, 13 runs in the last three overs, Bangalore have built good pressure here. |
| Pawan Negi is back into the attack. First over of spin from this end. |
| 14.1 : P Negi to N Rana, Shorter outside off, Rana lifts it over covers and comes back from the second run. Good running! |
| 14.2 : P Negi to N Rana, Bowled on the pads and Rana has missed out there! Rana gets on his knees and hits it fine on the leg side. The fielder at short fine leg is perfectly placed and makes a stop. Dot ball! |
| 14.3 : P Negi to N Rana, FOUR! Exquisite placement! Rana reaches out to this ball outside off and hits it wide to the right of the deep cover fielder. No stopping that. Some pressure off Nitish's shoulders but he will hope for one or two more in this over. |
| 14.4 : P Negi to N Rana, Bowled wide outside off. Rana looks to reach out but fails to put bat on ball this time. The ball is just inside the tram line and is not a wide. |
| 14.5 : P Negi to N Rana, In the air.., but lands well in no man's land. Negi delivers this wide outside off, Rana looks to hit it over cover but the ball goes off the outside half and over point. A couple of runs are taken as Siraj keeps the ball inside the rope with a diving save. |
| 14.6 : P Negi to N Rana, SIX! 101.2 clicks that one from the left-arm tweaker. Rana stays nice and deep in the crease to get under that full one outside off. He lifts it over the long on fielder's head and manages to get a maximum. 72 needed off 30 balls now. |
| 15.1 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, Turning away from the batsman, DK opens the face of his bat and pushes it wide of point for a run. |
| 15.2 : Y Chahal to N Rana, The idea was right but not the execution. Rana pre-meditates a reverse-batted shot and Chahal serves it well wide outside off. Nitish swings his blade and mistimes it over covers for a couple. A better throw from the deep would have made it interesting at the striker's end. |
| 15.3 : Y Chahal to N Rana, DROPPED! Siraj once again is the culprit. Tossed up ball outside off, a googly, Rana slices his drive towards point where Siraj stretches to his left but puts down the catch. Two taken. |
| 15.4 : Y Chahal to N Rana, OUT! Rana departs! The catch is taken in the deep this time. A flighted delivery wide outside off, again a googly, Rana advances down the track and lofts it over covers. Doesn't get the desired connection though and Klaasen (sub) makes no mistake in the deep. A well-constructed knock by Nitish Rana but his team needed him to last the distance. |
| Andre Russell walks out to bat next with 67 runs needed off 26 balls... |
| Review time... Dinesh Karthik has been adjudged LBW here to Chahal but he has gone up straightaway. If there is no edge there, he looks to be struck in front. Let's see what the replays say! |
| 15.5 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, NOT OUT! Just going over the off stump. What a save! Matter of inches. Cricket at its very best. A quicker delivery, a leg spinner from Chahal, landing on middle and straightening from there. Karthik tries to flick but misses and is hit on the back leg. The bowler appeals and the finger goes up after a bit of a delay. DK opts for the replay, the Ultra Edge confirms that there is no bat involved and then the Ball Tracker shows that the ball is heading over. |
| 15.6 : Y Chahal to D Karthik, Bowled flatter and quicker on the pads, Karthik misses his flick and the lobs off the pads to the leg side. A leg bye is stolen. Excellent over from Chahal, 6 runs and a wicket off it at this stage! He ends with amazing figures of 4-0-24-1. |
| Navdeep Saini to bowl out. |
| 16.1 : N Saini to D Karthik, Short length ball on top of off, Karthik looks to pull it away but the ball gets big on him as it is really pacy. It lobs back over the bowler's head off the top half of the bat. A single is taken. |
| 16.2 : N Saini to A Russell, Wide! Bouncer from Saini but it goes too high. The umpire signals it as a wide. It was well over Russell's head. |
| N Saini to A Russell, On a length outside off, Russell looks to smash it over cover. He connects only with thin air though. |
| 16.3 : N Saini to A Russell, Short of a length on top of middle, Russell makes room before hitting it hard towards cover. Fails to find the gap and the fielder at the edge of the circle makes a good stop. Single taken. |
| 16.4 : N Saini to D Karthik, DROPPED and FOUR! Excellent try though! A length ball outside off, Karthik smashes it wide of mid off. Kohli runs to his left and dives in an attempt to hold on but that was too well struck. The ball ricochets off the skipper's left hand and goes to the rope. |
| 16.5 : N Saini to D Karthik, SIX! 10 runs off the last two balls! Saini loses the plot and bowls a half-volley on middle at 141 clicks. Karthik gets under it and hits it just over the deep mid-wicket fence. Pressure on the bowler! |
| 16.6 : N Saini to D Karthik, OUT! Saini has the last laugh as DK holes out! The bowler is actually lucky there. A fuller length ball once more, almost similar shot played by Karthik like on the previous delivery where he got it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. This time though he cannot get under the ball properly. The ball flies to deep mid-wicket where Chahal takes the catch comfortably! Kohli is pumped and the crowd is going bonkers here. They sense a win! 53 in 18 is the equation now! |
| Shubman Gill is the new batsman. Mohammed Siraj is back on as well. |
| 17.1 : M Siraj to A Russell, Swing and a miss! A length delivery in the channel wide outside off, Russell winds up for a big shot over the off side but fails to connect. |
| 17.2 : M Siraj to A Russell, Yet another play and a miss for the big West Indian. Kolkata desperately need him to connect here. |
| 17.3 : M Siraj to A Russell, Called a wide for height! A bouncer well over the head of the batsman, Andre tries his best to put his bat on ball but fails. |
| M Siraj to A Russell, SIX! Talk about the power this batsman possesses! A high full toss on off, Russell packs a punch and middles his shot perfectly. Sends it packing over wide long on for a biggie. Called a no ball for high full toss. Wait more drama here. We are hearing that this is the second high full toss (beamer) that Siraj has bowled and he has to be taken off. |
| Marcus Stoinis is called on to bowl now... the ball is also a Free Hit! |
| M Stoinis to A Russell, SIX! Effortless hitting! Stoinis delivers a short ball outside off, gentle pace really, Russell shows his brute power there and spanks it over long on. Is this the momentum shift? |
| 17.4 : M Stoinis to A Russell, SIX! Over long off this time! Russell has unleashed. A fuller length ball outside off, the West Indian pounces onto it and hoists it over the fence. Into the crowd. The Aussie under immense pressure. He was not supposed to bowl this over and it seems that he isn't well warmed up. Well, shots like these will surely warm up the batsman. |
| 17.5 : M Stoinis to A Russell, Wide! Russell is smart also. It's not all about throwing his bat at the ball. This one is outside off, just outside the tramline, Russell picks it and makes a leave. |
| M Stoinis to A Russell, Chases a short ball wide outside off and slaps it to deep point for a run. |
| 17.6 : M Stoinis to S Gill, Slower one, on a length around middle, Gill forces it down to long on for one. 23 from the over, 30 needed off 12 balls. Going right down to the wire, this run chase. |
| Tim Southee will bowl the penultimate over of the game. 30 off 12 is the equation! |
| 18.1 : Tim Southee to S Gill, Slower ball outside off, Shubhman Gill hits it in the air towards long on. The ball goes on a few bounces to the fielder. Single taken, Russell back on strike. |
| 18.2 : Tim Southee to A Russell, SIX! Into the stands! The length ball again, this time from the Kiwi! Russell clears his front leg and hits the ball way over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. 23 off 10, Kolkata look the favourites now with the way things are going! |
| 18.3 : Tim Southee to A Russell, SIX! Another six, this time is it just over the rope at third man. A short ball wide outside off, Russell backs away and cuts it over backward point. The ball flies just over the rope. The crowd has gone silent here! |
| 18.4 : Tim Southee to A Russell, SIX! This man is making a mockery of the chase! Around the wicket this time, low full toss on middle, Russell smashes this one over wide long on. No stopping this guy. This is just striking of the greatest quality. Just 11 off 8 needed now. |
| 18.5 : Tim Southee to A Russell, FOUR! What a shot! A bouncer on middle, Russell waits for a bit and then ramps it over the head of the keeper. The ball is not going to be stopped. 7 off 7, Kolkata running away with the game here! |
| 18.6 : Tim Southee to A Russell, SIX! Is this even real? Another six! Just another day for Russell in the park? A full length ball outside off, Andre hits it over long off and sends the ball sailing into the stands. 1 run needed off 6 balls. 29 runs off this one, 23 off the previous over. Bangalore have been stunned! |
| 52 runs in the last two overs and Andre Russell has made a complete mockery off Bangalore's bowling. One more needed. |
| 19.1 : P Negi to S Gill, KOLKATA WIN BY 5 WICKETS! The match is calmly finished by Shubman Gill. No heroics. He patiently turns a delivery off his pads towards short fine leg for the winning run. Hard to believe, the visitors have managed to scale the target with 5 balls to go. Brutal batting. Making impossible, possible - Andre Russell. |
| Bangalore have just been shocked here. There are no words to describe the class and the power of Andre Russell. With 53 runs needed in the last 18 balls, the hosts were certainly the favorites but Andre Russell made a scintillating 13-ball 48 which helped Kolkata win with 5 balls left. What a magnificent show of power-hitting we have witnessed. |
| The chase started off not on the best of notes for the away side as they lost Sunil Narine early in the innings. The duo of Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn then joined hands and had a good stand of 65 runs before they were separated. Thereafter, the Bangalore tweakers kept plugging away and picked wickets at decent intervals to keep their team in front. All this lasted only till the end of the 17th over though. Siraj was taken off post bowling a second beamer and the momentum that Kolkata garnered |
| Coming to the bowling, well what can be said? The spin duo of Pawan Negi and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled really well. The same can be said to some extent for Navdeep Saini as well but the rest of the bowlers were ripped apart. In the end, the Men in Purple coasted to an incredible win, snatching it from the jaws of defeat. Unbelievable hitting witnessed but one has to feel for Virat Kohli and co. who certainly have nothing going their way this year so far. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony! |
| Bangalore skipper, Virat Kohli says that they bowled very poorly in the last 4 overs and admits that they have not been playing at the level of the League. He wants his bowlers to be more clever and terms his bowling one dimensional. States that he was not happy with the timing of his dismissal as he could have got 20-25 runs more. Points out that AB de Villiers didn't get much strike towards the end. Feels that there were enough runs on the board and they didn't have enough composure. Further s |
| Chris Lynn is up for a little chat as well. He is all smiles and praises Andre Russell by saying that they keep putting him in difficult situations and he keeps on lifting his game. Feels that 220 was probably par on that wicket. On the luck factor, the Aussie responds that both teams got that as they also put down AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Terms Russell as the million dollar man for Kolkata as the West Indian keeps on doing it again and again. |
| Dinesh Karthik, the victorious Kolkata skipper is all smiles and says that the whole team trusts in the ability of Andre Russell. States that he just does the best for the team every single time he goes out there in the middle. Mentions that the ball was gripping a bit and assisting the spinners in the middle. He feels that the bowling has to be looked at and would like his side to restrict the opposition as it would help their batsmen during a chase. He also has praise for the way Chris Lynn ba |
| Andre Russell is the Man of the Match. He believes that no game is over till the last ball is bowled. He informs us that the skipper told him that he might need a few balls to get in but he was going to play only one way ever since the time he was watching the game from the sidelines. He reckons that on another day, this might not be possible and says that the sometimes the players need to put their body on the line, feels that is the nature of T20 cricket. States that he has a never say die att |
| So that is it from Bengaluru! The home side has been given a rude shock and they remain at the bottom of table, without posting a single win on the board till now having played 5 games. Meanwhile, Kolkata has posted their third win of this season and look really strong. Super Saturday up next, and a double-header in the offing! Chennai host Punjab in the first game of the day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium while Mumbai visit Hyderabad for the second match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium |
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