IPL 2018, RCB vs KKR: 5 reasons why Bangalore lost

The Royal Challengers Bangalore took on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the second match of today’s doubleheader. Both teams were desperate for a win. Dinesh Karthik won the toss and put RCB into bat.

RCB got off to a subdued start as their openers failed to get going on a slow pitch. A double-wicket over from Andre Russell applied the brakes on RCB’s score as Kohli and Mandeep looked to rebuild.

Kohli’s masterful innings guided RCB to a very competitive score of 175 runs. In reply, Kolkata got off to a strong start as both Lynn and Narine rode their luck. Robin Uthappa too played an attractive cameo to keep the momentum going for the KKR side. In the end, Kolkata chased down the target easily with 5 balls to spare. Let us have a look at the 5 reasons why RCB lost the match.

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#1 Subdued start at the top

Both Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum are pocket-sized dynamos. They are capable of hitting any attack out of the park. But both of them struggled to get going against KKR’s spinners in the powerplay overs.

The duo put on a paltry 40 runs in the powerplay. It was a smart move from Dinesh Karthik who bowled 4 of the 6 powerplay overs from the spinners as both De Kock and Baz enjoy pace on the ball. This subdued start hampered RCB’s chances of putting up a big score on the board.

#2 Russell’s double-wicket over

RCB looked good for a big score after Brendon McCullum got their innings going by smashing Piyush Chawla for a couple of fours and a six in the 8th over. Dinesh Karthik brought on the birthday boy Andre Russell to get the breakthrough and the move paid off.

McCullum was through his pull shot early and could only spoon a simple catch to Karthik behind the stumps. On the very next ball, Manan Vohra dragged a full delivery from Russell on to his stumps and the Bangalore side was in a spot of bother.

This double-wicket over ensured that RCB could not press the accelerator early in their innings and were forced to look for the ones and the twos.

#3 Robin Uthappa’s counter-attacking cameo

Robin Uthappa came in to bat in the 8th over of innings with Kolkata still needing 117 runs from 13 overs. The game was nicely poised and the RCB’s leg spinners were turning it square. Then, Robin decided to counter-attack to throw the spinners off their lengths.

His belligerent hitting down the ground brought the pressure back on to the bowlers. His 36 runs from just 21 balls shifted the momentum towards KKR and did not allow RCB’s spinners to dominate the match.

#4 Sloppy fielding

RCB have been struggling with their death overs bowling and were hoping for some wickets at the top. However, their fielding let them down as both Narine and Lynn rode their luck.

Narine, in particular, was very lucky as some of his ill-timed shots failed to reach the fielders, while some just cleared the fielders. Kohli had a difficult chance at slip but could not quite reach the ball in time while Umesh slipped in an attempt to take a return catch.

Lynn managed to scoop an inside-out drive but Murugun Ashwin dropped the simplest of the chances. It turned out to be the turning point of the match. Not only this, there were numerous misfields which cost them a lot of runs.

#5 Lynn’s calculated knock

Chris Lynn has not quite lit up the IPL this season. He has struggled to get going this year. Today, as well he was not really hitting the ball very well but stuck it out for his team. Known for his big hitting,

Lynn showcased a different aspect of his game today as he nudged the singles around. He brought out the sweep shot against the wrist spinners of RCB to good effect. He got lucky at the start as Ashwin dropped a simple chance at extra cover.

Lynn made the most of the dropped chance as he batted through the innings to guide Kolkata home in a tough chase on a slow surface.

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