In an electrifying encounter at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, the 36th match of the IPL 2024 season unfolded between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (KKR vs RCB).
The match was a nail-biting affair that concluded with KKR clinching victory by the slimmest margin of one run.
Let check out KKR vs RCB head to head in the IPL.
Venue: Eden Gardens
33 matches played between the KKR vs RCB at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Kolkata Knight Riders has won 19 matches while Royal Challengers Bengaluru has won 14 matches.
Toss Moment
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, having won the toss, opted to field first, setting the stage for KKR’s batsmen to showcase their prowess.
“We’ve decided to chase. Eden Gardens has a history of favoring the chasing side, and we’ll stick to that strategy today. We observed the conditions yesterday, and it did get cooler after a while, so we’ll look to adapt accordingly.
Faf du Plessis, RCB Skipper
T20 cricket has evolved, and even conceding runs in the powerplay doesn’t necessarily mean poor bowling. The key is to take wickets consistently, even if the opposition is scoring, and capitalize on the latter part of their innings.”
“Last time around, we played an afternoon game here, so we’ve got a good sense of how the pitch behaves. We’d have preferred to bowl first given the conditions, but now that we’re batting, we’ll focus on tiring them out in this sweltering heat.
Shreyas Iyer, KKR Skipper
Our batsmen are in fine touch, so we’ll aim to keep it simple and stick to the basics. No changes in our lineup. It’s crucial to adapt quickly to the conditions, execute our plans, and play each ball on its merit. Let’s stay focused on the present and adjust our target accordingly if the pitch conditions change.”
First Innings
KKR Batting
The first innings was a display of sheer batting brilliance from KKR.
Shreyas Iyer, the captain, led from the front with a well-crafted 50 off 36 balls, including seven boundaries and a six.
Phil Salt provided a rapid start with 48 runs off just 14 balls, his innings peppered with seven fours and three sixes.
The power-hitting continued with Andre Russell smashing an unbeaten 27 off 20 balls. Both Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh contributing valuable runs to the total.
KKR set a formidable target of 222 runs for the loss of six wickets.
RCB Bowling
RCB’s bowlers had moments of success amidst the onslaught.
Cameron Green was the pick of the bowlers with 2/35, claiming the crucial wickets of Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer.
Yash Dayal also bagged two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and Lockie Ferguson chipped in with a wicket each.
Second Innings
RCB Batting
The chase by RCB was equally thrilling. Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar were the standout performers with the bat, scoring 55 and 52 runs respectively.
Their efforts, along with contributions from Dinesh Karthik and Suyash S Prabhudessai, brought RCB tantalizingly close to the target.
However, they finished at 221 runs, just one run short of KKR’s total.
KKR Bowling
KKR’s bowlers rose to the occasion in the second innings.
Andre Russell was the hero with the ball as well, taking 3 wickets for 25 runs.
Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine each took two wickets, and Varun Chakaravarthy and Mitchell Starc contributed with a wicket apiece.
Man of the Match
The match reached its climax in the final over, with RCB needing just a few runs to win.
However, KKR’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding ensured they defended their total, winning by just one run.
Andre Russell’s all-round performance earned him the Man of the Match award, as he contributed significantly with both bat and ball.
“Thanks to the almighty. I always back my bowling as I said earlier. Getting the ball at a crucial time, I knew that I had to come good and thankfully it happened today. Happy for the two points. When I was batting earlier, change of pace was difficult to hit. As a bowler that’s what I wanted to do. The slower balls were gripping and holding.
Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders
Was happy to get the two set batters out and I think that’s what changed the game. Those two wickets from Narine were also very important and that’s what started the slide for RCB. When I look at the bowling equation, I had two left and I conditioned myself to bowl that (19th) over. Tried to give Starc as many runs as I could. DK wasn’t getting off strike so I looked at bowling 6 deliveries to him and mix it up, thankfully it worked.”
The KKR vs RCB match was a testament to the unpredictable and thrilling nature of cricket.
KKR’s narrow victory by one run was a result of exceptional teamwork and individual brilliance, particularly from Andre Russell, whose all-round capabilities swung the match in KKR’s favor.
This match will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most exciting fixtures of the IPL 2024 season.