The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are locking horns with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. After winning the toss, the KXIP skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin asked the hosts to bat first and his decision cost him dearly as Bangalore scored excess of 200.

Parthiv Patel started smashing the KXIP bowlers from the word go. However, RCB lost their skipper in the 4th over of Mohammed Shami and Parthiv took the revenge for the same as he smacked Shami for as many as 18 runs in the final over of the powerplay with the help of three fours and a six. However, in the 7th over itself, Patel was dismissed by Murugan Ashwin.

ABD and Stoinis’ partnership

From 70/1 in the 6 overs, RCB came down to 81/4 at the end of the 9th over as Moeen Ali and Akshdeep Nath were dismissed by R Ashwin and Hardus Viljoen. However, then AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis decided to stay till the end. Both of them stuck in the middle and decided to go behind the bowlers in the last four overs when they smashed as many as 64 runs.

WATCH – Last Over Carnage From De Villiers And Stoinis

However, in the 19th over RCB smashed 21 runs off Shami as De Villiers smashed three consecutive sixes in that over and one of those went out of the ground. The next over of Viljoen was even bigger as they smashed 27 runs in that over with the help of three sixes and a couple of fours. This time Stoinis was the main hitter as he smashed two pairs of six followed by a four on the last fours balls of the over and ABD had started the over with a six. RCB reached a total of 202/4 in their quota of 20 overs.

During the chase, KL Rahul and Chris Gayle came out all guns blazing as they smashed 36 runs in the first three overs itself. Umesh Yadav was bowling the 4th over and Gayle started it with smashing the six over long-on and on the very next ball he attempted the same but failed as De Villiers took a comfortable catch at the long-on. 

WATCH – AB De Villiers Takes Two Incredible Catches In One Over

KXIP scored as many as 68 runs in the powerplay as Rahul and Mayank Agarwal carried forward the momentum but both of them were dismissed in the 10th and 11th over respectively. After their dismissal, David Miller and Pooran decided to take Punjab over the line as they scored as many as 68 runs for the 4th wicket.

Losing wickets in the end

But the former got out in the 19th over of Navdeep Saini followed by Pooran in the same over itself and the game got over after that as they needed 30 runs in the last two overs, still, they lost the game by 17 runs as in the last over as well, KXIP lost two wickets.

Brief Score:

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 202/4 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers: 82*, M Stoinis 46*; R Ashwin 1/15) defeated Kings XI Punjab – 185/7 in 20 overs (N Pooran: 46; U Yadav: 3/36, N Saini: 2/33) by 17 runs