IPL: 3 memorable clashes between RCB and KXIP at Chinnaswamy Stadium

Royal Challengers Bangalore will be clashing against Kings XI Punjab at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore tonight. This game promises to be a mouth-watering prospect as both the teams are evenly matched with stars studded players from both the sides. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week and will be looking to register their first win of this season in their home ground.

On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab have won their opening game against Delhi Daredevils convincingly by 6 wickets and will look to carry forward that momentum going ahead into today’s match. Both the team possess strong batting lineups, however, Royal Challengers take a backseat when it comes to their bowling attack, which is their weak link.

Both the teams have clashed against each other in 20 matches out of which Kings XI Punjab have won 12 games while Royal Challengers have won only 8 games. In Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kings have won 5 games and Royal Challengers have won only 4 out of 9 games.

Let us look at 3 memorable games between both the teams from the past played in Chinnaswamy Stadium.

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#3 David Miller and Sandeep Sharma steal the show for Kings XI Punjab – 2014

Put into bat first on a flat deck, Kings XI Punjab got off to a great start thanks to their openers Virender Sehwag and Mandeep Singh. The pair added 60 runs for the first wicket before Mandeep got out on the penultimate ball of the 6 over. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals but runs were scored at a decent clip.

David Miller held up one end and clobbered the Bangalore bowlers all over the ground. He smashed his way to 66 of just 29 deliveries, which consisted of 8 fours and 3 maximums. In the end, Kings XI Punjab reached a daunting total of 198/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Mitchell Starc, Harshal Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 2 wickets each for Bangalore.

In reply, Bangalore didn’t have an ideal start they lost their top 3 batsmen (Chris Gayle, Parthiv Patel, and Virat Kohli) within first 6 overs. Medium pacer Sandeep Sharma was the chief destroyer as he picked up all the 3 wickets. RCB never had any momentum and were behind the required run rate as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Although a late blitz from AB de Villiers (53 of 26) and Mitchell Starc (29 of 23) raised hopes of winning the game but it was a bridge too far for the home team. They ended up at 166/9 losing by 32 runs.

For his excellent bowling, Sandeep Sharma was awarded Man of the Match.

#2 King Kohli’s breathtaking 113 gives Bangalore an easy win – 2016

Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to field in a rain-curtailed game, which was reduced to 15 overs per side. Making use of a fresh batting surface, Royal Challengers Bangalore got off an explosive start. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli threw caution to the wind as they started clobbering the Punjab bowlers right from the word go. The pair added a mammoth 147 runs in 11 overs before Chris Gayle was dismissed for a whirl winding innings of 73 of 32 balls, which comprised of 4 boundaries and 8 huge sixes.

Despite getting the wicket of Chris Gayle there was no respite for the Punjab bowlers. Virat Kohli showed no mercy as he started smashing the Punjab bowlers all over the park. Despite having stitches on his left hand he showed no signs of any pain as he eased his way to his fourth century of the season. His century came up in just 47 balls and he celebrated it by pumping his fists towards the dug-out especially indicating his left hand, which had 7 stitches. In the end, Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a massive total of 211/3 in 15 overs.

Chasing a revised target of 203 in 14 overs, Kings XI Punjab were never in the game. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and absence of Glenn Maxwell has hurt them badly. They succumbed to the wily leg spin of Yuzvendra Chahal who picked up 4 wickets for 25 runs in 3 overs. In the end, Kings XI Punjab surrounded to a meager 120/9 losing the game by 82 runs.

For his breathtaking 113 of 50 balls, Virat Kohli was awarded Man of the Match.

#1 Adam Gilchrist and Azhar Mahmood script a famous win for Punjab – 2013

Captain of Kings XI Punjab, Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to field first on a humid afternoon in Bangalore. Royal Challengers got off to a slow start and they could only manage 31 runs in the mandatory power-play losing the solitary wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara.

However, the pair of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle took the responsibility and ensured no further damage was done. The pair milked the Punjab bowlers and the team score reached 52/1 by the halfway mark. Post the halfway mark, the pair decided to cut-loose they started attacking the Punjab bowlers scoring more than 10 per over.

Chris Gayle smashed 3 gigantic sixes of Manpreet Gony in the 15th over and reached his half-century in 40 deliveries. On the other end, Virat Kohli stepped up a gear and reached his half-century in the 17th over. The pair added a mammoth 136 runs for the 2nd wicket before Chris Gayle was dismissed in the penultimate over. In the end, the men in red put up an above par score of 174/5 in the allocated 20 overs thanks to Chris Gayle’s 77 of 53 deliveries and Virat Kohli’s 57 of 43 deliveries. Parwinder Awana picked up 3 wickets, while Azhar Mahmood picked up 2 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs.

Chasing a solid total of 175, Kings XI Punjab lost Shaun Marsh in the 3 over after he was clean bowled by Zaheer Khan for 8. Azhar Mahmood walked out to the crease and him along with captain Adam Gilchrist took up the responsibility of chasing down the target.

The pair scored runs at ease smashing boundaries at will. Adam Gilchrist was at his best showcasing his masterful stroke play and there was no answer from the Bangalore bowlers. He effortlessly cut and pull the fast bowlers, giving a glimpse of his glory days. Veteran all-rounder Azhar Mahmood took on the likes of Moises Henriques, Jaydev Unadat, and Vinay Kumar by smashing them for boundaries all over the Chinnaswamy stadium. The pair added 118 runs for the 2nd wicket and it turned out to be a match-winning partnership. The pair was separated in the 16th over, when Azhar Mahmood handed over a catch to AB de Villiers of the bowling of Jaydev Unadkat for a well made 61 of 41 deliveries.

The most notable factor was how effortlessly both the pair scored runs of Muttiah Muralidaran. The legendary off-spinner was the most expensive bowler conceding 44 runs in his 4 overs and a solitary wicket of David Miller later in the innings.

Adam Gilchrist carried his bat throughout the innings scoring a brilliant 85 of 54 deliveries with 10 boundaries and 3 hits over the fence. Kings XI Punjab reached the target with 11 balls to spare and for playing a Captain’s knock Adam Gilchrist was rightly awarded Man of the Match.