This one was one of the better games of the season. Though Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won it easily, in the end, it wasn’t without any action. Setting up a target of 185 for KKR to chase, the Royal Challengers Bangalore thought that the match was as good as won with 8 overs to go.
However, a Yusuf Pathan special coupled with Andre Russell’s brilliant all-round display took them over the line with 5 balls to spare. Virat Kohli has some thinking to do now as his team find themselves in the lower half of the table with less than half of the regular season to go.
There were several memorable moments from the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
Lokesh Rahul continues to impress
Now we can finally say that there is one unknown face that could make a potential entry into the Indian cricket team: Lokesh Rahul.
The man with a distinctive look seems to have an idiosyncratic batting style as well as he has now scored three consecutive 50s. Opening the innings with the returning Chris Gayle, he held the innings when his big name partner couldn’t do so.
As Gayle continued his miserable form in this year’s IPL, Lokesh Rahul made a quick-fire 32-ball 52 to give his team a blistering start that was further exploited by Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli is no ordinary man
What can be said about this man? There aren’t any superlatives left for us to describe him. No player has been as consistent as he has been this year and he is continuing his brilliance in the IPL.
After a poor outing in the last game, the Indian test skipper was back to his belligerent best, making a comeback against KKR as he scored 52 off 44 balls. The innings might have been a slow one, but it anchored the innings to the point where the lower order could launch them to a big total.
Stuart Binny’s cameo
And the final onslaught of RCB’s batting innings was dealt by Stuart Binny. His form in this tournament has been erratic, but he provided the goods against KKR with his late display of wrath.
Despite facing just 4 balls, he gave the fans plenty to remember the match by. What did he do in those 4 balls? He smacked 2 sixes and a 4 before blasting a full-toss down the throat of the long on.
His blast gave RCB the extra 10 runs that got them over the 180 barrier.
Yusuf Pathan’s fury
One of the biggest disadvantages of having Yusuf Pathan in your team is that he is the one of the most inconsistent players around. However, the best thing about him is that on his day, he is a match-winner—someone who can win you games from the jaws of defeat.
And today was one of his better days. KKR were looking set to taste defeat as the required run rate was getting higher and higher. But then the elder Pathan took it on him to get them over the line.
In 29 balls, he scored 60 runs to get them across the divide with 5 balls to spare—something that seemed almost impossible at one point.
Andre Russell’s all-round display
It is an asset to have genuinely world class all-rounders because they give a team the strength of two players simultaneously. Andre Russell is that sort of player.
He opened the innings with the ball, giving away 24 runs in the 4 overs he bowled while picking up a wicket.
But he was only half done. With the bat, he scored 39 off just 24 balls, giving Yusuf Pathan the perfect partner. In the end, he was announced as the man of the match, a decision that surprised many, but it was well-deserved—especially if you consider the fact he gave away only 6 runs per over in a game where each over bled over 9 runs.
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