So there you have it! The first reverse fixture of IPL 2023 is done and we're in for another cracker tomorrow. Rajasthan Royals breached the Chepauk fortress a couple of weeks ago and denied MS Dhoni at the death but the Chennai Super Kings have a chance to pull one back as they lock horns with the Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Do join us for our coverage of that contest right here on Sportskeeda while keeping yourselves updated with further cricketing news and action from around the world on this very platform. For the moment, this is the duo of Shashwat Kumar and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for joining us as we hope you enjoyed our coverage. See you tomorrow - take care and good night!

His focus on accuracy over more variations has worked beautifully this season. Chakravarthy has been magnificent for KKR and was instrumental towards his team's cause today. Never easy staying away from your family during such an important time too having just become a father but we do hope he gets to see the little one soon. Will this get the Knights rolling along for the rest of the season is something that remains to be seen but this is a good start. As for RCB, they've continued their trend of winning and losing alternately at home. They're now going to travel for their next five matches now and that is bound to pose new challenges along the way. How will they step up? Will getting away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium prove to be a blessing in disguise? Time will tell...

Varun Chakravarthy is the Player of the Match for his superb spell of 3/27. Here's what he has to say: (On turning up against RCB again) Nothing much, that's how the game of cricket is. Last match I went for 49, this match I did well. That's how crazy life is. More focused on my accuracy than more variations. I didn't want to add more variations. I thought it was time to be more accurate. I've been working a lot and I would definitely credit AC Prathiban - he has been working with me and also Abhishek Nayar. I definitely like the challenge (of bowling in the powerplay) and Nitish is giving me the ball whenever I want to. I would like to credit this to my new-born son - I'm still not able to see him but I would like to dedicate this to him and my wife. (When does he meet him?) After the IPL (gives a wry smile).

Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders captain): In the last 3-4 matches I have been saying at the toss that if we play collectively as a team the result will come in our favor. The way Jason Roy is batting in the last three games and I'd like to say the environment in the dressing room, you need a lot of character after the last few performances. Credit goes to the full team. Belief plays a huge role - there was always belief that we would bounce back. (On his knock today) As long as we win it's good (grins). We thought of putting a total on the board and then bringing the spinners into play. It felt as though the ball would spin and dew wouldn't come in but it didn't spin as such in the second innings. Credit to the spinners and Dre (Russell). (On Suyash Sharma) He has always been positive and always says that he'll do the job for us. That boy is playing his 3rd or 4th game and is doing so well.

Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): We really needed that victory. We've been under the pump for the last couple of games. We've been playing some good cricket but it feels better when you have two points at the end of the night. Batting first tonight, we knew once we got a good total on the board and it was anything over 200 runs, runs on the board are special. With the ball we wanted to keep it simple. We wanted to keep them under 55 in the powerplay but they got away by a couple. But we managed to pull it back. I think we kept our calm tonight and hats off to the guys. Once I get the ball I try to do my best and contribute in whatever way. I've been struggling with the bat but I'm still confident and know what I can do. I got a very good yorker tonight. It's all part of the game. The runs were on the board and we worked with it. We just have to take it day by day and for me, recovery is very important as well. The older I get, the more conscious I am about my body.

Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain: (On where it went wrong) We handed over the game to them. We deserved to lose because we were not professional enough in the field. Bowlers bowled decent areas but we could not hold on to our chances. This is what you call a freebie, we handed over the win to them. Tonight we were not up to the standard and we are not shy to admit it. If you look at the game, there was just a few instances when we did not capitalise on the crunch moments. In the field, in a period of 4-5 overs, we dropped chances and it cost us 20-30 runs. Batting, we set ourselves up well but gave away too many soft dismissals. These are some of the soft plays in cricket that you want to avoid. If you do 6-7 of those in one night, obviously you will be on the losing side. (On practicing six-hitting) We do not think about these things. It is about how many are on the board and how we can get there. Even after losing wickets, I thought one partnership brought us back, we were just one more partnership away (from winning the game). We have won one and lost one on the road, so obviously it is going to be tougher. On the road, it gives you a chance to toughen yourselves up. We want to be on the road and want to get some momentum moving into the second half. 

Match Summary: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs.

Jason Roy 56 (29) | Varun Chakravarthy 3/27 (4)
Virat Kohli 54 (37) | Wanindu Hasaranga 2/24 (4)

Smiles all around the faces of the Kolkata Knight Riders players, team management and the owners. It's been a tough tournament for them and entering the cauldron of the Chinnaswamy which is a graveyard for bowlers was not going to make their job easy. But they showed just why they wanted to defend today had they won the toss, even as Jason Roy and Nitish Rana set it up with a big total of 200 on the board.

It was a wicket where the slower ones were gripping but on this ground, 200 isn't often safe. The way Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli took off in the first couple of overs, that notion was being proved right again. Within no time, Rana was forced to turn to spin and it worked a charm instantly as the Knight Riders pulled things back incredibly. Young Suyash Sharma enhanced a burgeoning reputation with the big wicket of du Plessis before following it up with Shahbaz Ahmed's scalp. When Glenn Maxwell perished inside the powerplay as well, it made life difficult for the Royal Challengers.

Kohli was running the singles hard and didn't show any discomfort against spin either. Sunil Narine's poor tournament continued as he dished out too many short deliveries which Mahipal Lomror latched onto. With the asking rate mounting, RCB needed a liftoff and Lomror provided them that with an invaluable cameo as that partnership brought the rate within check. Lomror looked to keep attacking but Chakravarthy prized him out before a ridiculous catch by the ropes by Venkatesh Iyer sent Kohli packing for a well compiled 54.

That was always going to complicate matters for RCB with Dinesh Karthik struggling ahead of this game. He took his time although Suyash Prabhudessai failed to respond to a call on time and found himself short. The spinners continued to keep it tight and sent the asking rate to gargantuan proportions, even as Andre Russell did his bit with the ball himself. Even as wickets tumbled, Karthik harbored RCB's hopes but it was his dismissal that was the final nail in the coffin for the hosts.

There was no evident dew as such but one stark difference between the two sides was the way they fielded - RCB shelled some sitters, KKR caught everything and flung themselves around the park. The energy was up and Nitish Rana got most things right. The moment they nipped du Plessis and Maxwell inside the powerplay though, the onus fell on Kohli to do bulk of the heavy-lifting. As it turned out, the middle-order came a cropper again to surrender the initiative even as KKR walked away with two pivotal points to keep their hopes alive. Stick around for the presentations...

Defending at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium isn't easy. They entered this game on the back of four losses on the spin. But Nitish Rana and Co. have stepped up and how! A win they should be very satisfied with.

19.6 Vaibhav Arora to Vijaykumar Vyshak, KKR WIN BY 21 RUNS! Full delivery just outside off stump. Vyshak swings like a rusty gate and squirts it towards deep mid wicket. Gets back for a couple but that does not alter the result! KKR have snapped their four-match losing streak; RCB, meanwhile, lose another night game at home! 

19.5 Vaibhav Arora to David Willey, OH DEAR! Low full toss just outside off stump. Willey, for the umpteenth time, tries the reverse scoop and makes a mess of it. Cops a blow on the toe for his troubles

Around the wicket now.

19.4 Vaibhav Arora to David Willey, low full toss outside off stump. Willey throws his hands at it and slices it towards deep cover point for a couple of runs

19.3 Vaibhav Arora to David Willey, FOUR! In the slot just outside off stump. Willey clears his front leg and hacks it towards deep mid wicket for a boundary!

19.3 Vaibhav Arora to Vijaykumar Vyshak, slower bumper outside off stump. Vyshak looks for the upper cut and misses. The keeper does not gather, though, and concedes a single. Called a wide too! 

19.2 Vaibhav Arora to David Willey, OH WELL! Full delivery outside off stump. Willey tries the reverse scoop again and somehow manages to get it down to square leg for a single

Third man is up. Still some chants of 'RCB! RCB!' around the ground. Their fans are always passionate alright!

19.1 Vaibhav Arora to Vijaykumar Vyshak, length delivery on off stump. Vyshak swings for the hills and jams it off the inside edge into his pads

Not a run out, but that last throw tells you all you need to know about the difference in fielding between the two sides. RCB slacked on that front, KKR haven't and the situation of the game is a poetic reflection of how things stand. Royal Challengers Bangalore require 35 runs to win off the final over! Six sixes, anybody?