RCB vs KKR: A low-scoring thriller comeback of Fan's favourite team - RCB

Royals Challengers Bangalore won against Kolkata Knight Riders by just 3 wickets in hand and 4 balls to spare in one of the best thrillers of this season of IPL 2022

RCB destroyed KKR's batting 

After winning the toss, which was already a winning start for this ground, Captain Faf du Plessis put Kolkata Knight Riders into bat. And then the bowlers of Royal Challengers Bangalore took over the game. They started with Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep's aggression supported by Hasaranga's spin, which ended with Harshal Patel's super spell. They had Kolkata Knight Riders on the ropes and were almost about to finish their inning on less than a 100. But towards the end, Andre Russell and Umesh Yadav took their team to a total of 128.

Captaincy that turned the match from one-sider to a thriller

Kolkata Knight Riders didn't have much to defend in front of the team with such a strong batting line-up, considering the dew factor as an add-on disadvantage to the bowlers. Shreyas Iyer did what any Captain should do- making smart bowling changes throughout the game. The start was perfect as they sent the top orders - Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Anuj Rawat back to the pavilion on a mere 12. This already put Royal Challengers Bangalore on the back, handing over the game's momentum back to Kolkata Knight Riders. He made his bowling changes and field adjustment regularly as much as possible, knowing what he had on the board to defend, and the matter that RCB got the victory with 3 wickets and that too in the last over speaks a lot of the battle they had to fight.

Battle for every run between both the teams

After the fall of the top order, Sherfane Rutherford and David Willey decided to save the wicket as the condition on the ground was known to everyone. Dew coming in will be difficult for bowlers to take wickets, and all they had to do was save the wicket because it wasn't a massive total on the board to chase. They absorbed the pressure as that was the need of the hour and put on a 45-run slow partnership. Sherfane Rutherford held one end strongly, which allowed David Willey and Shahbaz Ahmed to bat bit freely. When the required rate became alarming, Shahbaz made some space for RCB to breathe by taking charge and hitting the boundaries. 

Umesh Yadav has somehow found his rhythm back in the first match against CSK and is enjoying his time with KKR. Like the previous match, he took quick initial wickets for his team. Tim Southee joining in brought a huge experience of such a match to the squad. This was justified in the 18th over when Captain Shreyas Iyer gave him the ball, and he took the game to the next level of excitement by taking two wickets in the same over.Both the spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, made the scoring slow and challenging for the batters. They just had a minor setback as the number of runs Russell conceded in 2.2 overs is the same as what Tim Southee and Umesh conceded together in 8 overs. 

Every single run was precious during this innings, and when boundaries started rolling in, it became like a festival for the fans. Everything happening on the ground was making someone happy in the stadium. There were whistles, claps on every single (dot) ball, wicket, and boundary). That's when you know that match is a blockbuster.

Both teams are even.

After today's match, both  teams have played two games, and both have a winning piece. Kolkata Knight Riders won the first match against defending champion Chennai Super Kings with whom they lost the last final. Royal Challenger Bangalore lost their first game on this ground to the Punjab Kings and would have gained back the confidence as they stood above them in the points table after winning this game.

Shreyas Iyer said, "I thought this game was exciting. Before coming into the bowl, I told the boys this game could define our character. The way we fought reflects our mentality. Proud to have taken it till the last over." 

Eventually, it’s not all about the result; it's about the character and fights that a team shows. After today's game, both Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson will be very proud of their team. They now move forward to play their next match as Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Rajasthan Royals on 5th April, and Kolkata Knight Riders will face Punjab Kings on 1st April.