NEWS
Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) once again rode on a brilliant half-century from Virat Kohli (83* off 59) to get to 182/6, which seemed to be under-par, especially after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pulled things back with the ball in the final five overs. KKR chose the target down seven wickets and 19 balls to spare, making them the first away team to win away from home in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
However, RCB Faf du Plessis believes it was the opening duo of Sunil Narine (47) and Phil Salt (30), who put on 86 for the first wicket in just 39 deliveries, took the game away from his side.
"You can always know after the game, we can say perhaps try one or two things, but the way the two of them were striking the ball, some really good batting there, they put pressure on our bowlers," du Plessis said after the match.
"They hit strong cricket shots and pretty much took the game away. With Narine there, you can't really go to spin, you want to use pace upfront. That's also a really good match-up for Salt and the way he plays. They were excellent, really broke the game in the first six overs."
KKR captain Shreyas Iyer, too, lauded Narine for his efforts. "When Narine comes in to open, he knows he has one job, which is to clear the infield. Today, we were contemplating whether to start with him or not, but he did a brilliant job. From one end, it was good to bat on. From the other end it was two paced," Shreyas said.
Shreyas was also pleased with how Andre Russell assessed the conditions quickly, and as a result, KKR started to take the pace off the ball to make it tough for the batters to hit.
"The way Russell came in and realised the wicket wasn't giving much from bowlers and went to slower ones, analysing the conditions on the spot, was pleasing to the eye. The communication was brilliant," Shreyas said.
Playing his 500th T20 game, Playe of the Match Narine said, "It is a nice milestone. Hopefully, there are 500 more to come. Great to perform like this. "Just self belief and support staff giving encouragement. Little bit of hard work and it is helping," the all-rounder said of his batting.
After conceding 15 in his first over, Narine bounced back well in the next three overs in which the batters managed to score just 25. "Powerplay is always the hardest over to bowl, so you have to forget that. When you come back later, you have to capitalise and pull things back," he said.
KKR are next in action against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vizag on April 3 (Wednesday), while RCB take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 2 (Tuesday).
