RCB vs KKR Highlights of VIVO IPL 2021, Eliminator: Kolkata Knight Riders Script Thrilling Win, To Face Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2
Both sides have won their last group games heading into this crucial fixture and a riveting battle awaits as one would progress to the Qualifier 2 while the other would bow out of IPL 2021. Can Virat Kohli keep alive his hopes of winning the IPL title in his last season as captain or would Kolkata Knight Riders steal the show once again?
KKR win an absolute thriller in Sharjah! This match had everything, drama, emotion, aggression and lots of twists but eventually, the two-time champions continue their resurgence in UAE leg of IPL 2021. They were set a low but challenging total on this surface and KKR almost made a fist out of it until the duo of Eoin Morgan and Shakib Al-Hasan won the match in the last two overs. A good 'knight' for Kolkata in Sharjah but a sad ending for Virat Kohli as RCB captain. He has given his best, made some good bowling changes but that was not enough for him have the chance of leading his side in the IPL for another game.
Kolkata, overall, were the better side and now, they would test Delhi Capitals on a difficult batting track in Sharjah. The last two games of this competition would be very interesting ones and today's match was just a preview of it!
Kolkata Knight Riders win an absolute thriller! Sad to see Virat Kohli's time as RCB skipper comes to an end on a losing note but what a match this match has been! KKR's comeback in the UAE this season is to go down as one of the best in the competition's history and the two-time champions are off to the eliminator to take on Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. Absolute nail-biter but Morgan's men win it to live another day!
A nervy ending on the cards here. KKR need seven runs off six balls to win this match. Still can't predict who is going to win and it has been one thrilling encounter. Six balls away from finding a winner!
OUT! TWIST IN THE TALE! Siraj dismisses Dinesh Karthik off a slow ball and KS Bharat takes good catch. The TV Umpire reviewed the catch and gave green light to the dismissal. Two wickets in this over and RCB are still in it!
DROPPED! Sunil Narine is dropped and Bangalore would not want this at all! Padikkal is the culprit and KKR are well on their way to win now. Virat Kohli's reign as RCB captain is looking at a sad end here.
Dinesh Karthik is the new man in for KKR and he would want to restore parity for KKR. They were going great guns but Rana's dismissal has given RCB some hope of a late twist in Virat Kohli's last match as skipper of the franchise.
OUT! That is poor from Rana. He wanted to do what Narine did but ended up offering a catch to de Villiers. Chahal gets one more and RCB have a slight hope. It was not required for KKR at this point
The match has completely turned in KKR's favour now and it would be their game to lose from her one. One Narine over with the bat and RCB seem to lose their sting now. They need quick wickets to have any chance before it gets too late.
The ploy to promote Sunil Narine seems to work for now! Three sixes off Daniel Christian and the left-hander is swinging his bat at every ball. The last one was just like a Rishabh Pant one-hander six! He has released all the pressure RCB built on KKR now and once again, there is a twist in the game. This over is turning out to be a great one for KKR and probably, the turning point of this match.
OUT! Harshal Patel has struck again and he has got Venkatesh Iyer! The left-hander tries to hit a short ball but edges it to KS Bharat at the end. RCB are firmly back in the game
Shahbaz Ahmed drops Venkatesh Iyer! A lazy shot from Iyer and this can prove to be costly. Everything's happening out there. 13 runs off Glenn Maxwell's over and KKR are slowly getting back into the contest again.
RCB have found a way to get themselves back into the contest here. KKR need to rebuild from here and a lot of it depends on this partnership. Glenn Maxwell gets an over and expect Chahal to bowl more now.
OUT! Rahul Tripathi is caught plumb in front and it is unusual that the umpire did not signal it as out. Kohli took the review and it produced a wicket. RCB are chipping away at the wickets now!
Yuzvendra Chahal has his first over and it is tidy one, conceding six runs but
Harshal Patel has pulled things back for RCB with the big wicket of Shubman Gill but Rahul Tripathi has hit a four to finish the powerplay for KKR. They have managed 48/1, five less than what RCB did and this contest is turning out to be interesting. How would KKR go on from here? When will Virat Kohli bring on Yuzvendra Chahal?
OUT! RCB's man with the golden arm, Harshal Patel strikes again and Gill dances down the track but ends up skying the ball. AB de Villiers takes a simple catch and RCB have drawn first blood. What a season he is having! 31 wickets now!
A good over from Mohammed Siraj and he has made it tough for these two batsmen to hit boundaries. Six runs came off that over and KKR are ensuring that they don't play dot balls. At the moment, things are going well for them and they would hope to continue in the same way.
Shubman Gill turning on the heat for KKR here! Garton has been hit for consecutive boundaries and gets aided by luck on the third four. He would be key for KKR in this chase and they would fancy their chances with such a start here. 15 runs came off the over!
Mohammed Siraj gets through with a three-run over and RCB have seemed to respond well after that six. They would plan to not give much room to the batsman to free their arms like Iyer did with that Garton delivery and swatted it for a six.
A tidy over from George Garton and Venkatesh Iyer made it big by hitting the first six of the match on the last ball. KKR have turned a bad over into a great one and they are up and running.
Kolkata Knight Riders would aim to continue their resurgence in the IPL this year when they take on a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore outfit in the Eliminator. Unlike Qualifier where the loser would get a second chance to have a shot at the final, this match is a do-or-die game. The winner progresses to Qualifier 2 whereas for the loser, it is curtains for them in this year's IPL. Both sides have played some really competitive matches of late and it is always interesting to watch whenever they play against each other. KKR have been in good form, defeating Rajasthan Royals in a dominant fashion in their last match while RCB returned to winning ways holding the hands of their new batting hero--KS Bharat, who slammed a last-ball six to win them their match against Delhi Capitals. RCB vs KKR Live Cricket Streaming, IPL 2021 Eliminator: Watch Free Telecast of Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar Online
This match has a lot at stake and apart from staying in the tournament, RCB skipper Virat Kohli would be particularly giving his best like he always does as it might just turn out to be his last match as skipper of the franchise after he had made the decision earlier this season. In his last few matches as RCB skipper, Kohli would want to end on a high with a maiden IPL title and it would be tough to outplay KKR who are in such good form. Eoin Morgan's side had beaten Bangalore earlier this season convincingly but it would not be easy this time as the latter have evolved and grown into a much dominant side. We are in for an exciting contest folks!
IPL 2021 Live Score
Kolkata Knight Riders squad: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi
Royal Challengers Bangalore squad: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Finn Allen (wk), AB de Villiers (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, K.S. Bharat
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 11, 2021 06:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).