IPL 2020, RCB vs KXIP as it happened: Rahul, Gayle take KXIP to a thrilling 8-wicket win

KL Rahul: I have no idea, it’s (heart beat) the highest it can be. I don’t even have words. We knew we had to scrape and get over the line. We are a far better side than where we are in the points table. It just got too close for comfort, happy that we crossed the line.

Chris Gayle: Not really nervous. I mean, come on. It’s Universe Boss batting, how can I be nervous. It was a very sticky surface, very slow, but it was better batting second. Team asked me to do a job at 3 and it wasn’t an issue. Openers been batting well throughout the tournament and we didn’t want to disturb that. Like I said, I was given a job and took it.

Kohli *tries* to explain ABD batting at 6: We had a chat, a message from outside about left-right combination and we wanted to go with it because they had two leggies. Sometimes things don’t come off. We’re pretty happy with the decisions we took, but it didn’t come off.

KXIP 177/2 after 19.5 overs (Rahul 61, Pooran 6)

Pooran wins it with a six but not before KXIP almost managed to mess up another chase.

KXIP 171/1 after 19.5 overs (Rahul 61)

Run out! A brilliant over by Chahal. Just one run off the first five balls and then Gayle is run out. They sure don’t make things easy for themselves.

Gayle run out (Devdutt Padikkal/de Villiers) 53(45)

KXIP 170/1 after 19 overs (Rahul 61, Gayle 52)

Kings XI Punjab need 2 runs in 6 balls

KXIP 165/1 after 18 overs (Rahul 59, Gayle 51)

Good over for RCB by Morris, just 4 runs off it. But the damage has already been done.

KXIP 161/1 after 17 overs (Rahul 58, Gayle 50)

50 off 36 balls, Gayle gets to his 29th IPL fifty. Gayle bats well against Sundar, he can just sit back and power it over the field or wait for Sundar to pitch up. Bad match-up for Sundar. 15 runs off the over. Kings XI Punjab need 10 runs in 18 balls.

KXIP 146/1 after 16 overs (Rahul 58, Gayle 36)

Siraj started the over with a wide and then it got progressively worse. The second was hit by Gayle for four straight down the ground. Then a six down the ground. Another six, a couple of balls later by Rahul 20 runs from the over. Kings XI Punjab need 26 runs in 24 balls

KXIP 126/1 after 15 overs (Rahul 51, Gayle 24)

Another good over for RCB. Saini gives away just 3 runs. KXIP playing a bit too many dot balls. Kings XI Punjab need 45 runs in 30 balls.

KXIP 123/1 after 14 overs (Rahul 50, Gayle 22)

Just four runs off the Morris over. A good one for RCB. Rahul got to his fifty off 37 balls. Kings XI Punjab need 49 runs in 36 balls.

KXIP 119/1 after 13 overs (Rahul 48, Gayle 20)

Another two sixes – this time by Gayle, this time off Sundar. The off-spinner just overpitched a little and the big Jamaican was onto it in a flash.

KXIP 103/1 after 12 overs (Rahul 46, Gayle 7)

Rahul finally break the deadlock, slams two big sixes as KXIP get 15 runs from the Siraj over. Kings XI Punjab need 69 runs in 48 balls.

KXIP 88/1 after 11 overs (Rahul 33, Gayle 4)

Gayle has 4 off 12 balls. He has just not be able to get the ball away. RCB have bowled well to him so far. But it takes just a few hits for him to get going.

KXIP 84/1 after 10 overs (Rahul 31, Gayle 2)

As Gayle tries to get his eye in, KXIP slow down. Kings XI Punjab need 87 runs in 59 balls and their problem this seasons has been finishing games.

KXIP 78/1 after 8 overs (Rahul 28)

WICKET! One ball after having hit a six, Agarwal tried to repeat the dose. He attempted to hit across the line, missed and got bowled. This will hurt KXIP.

Agarwal b Chahal 45(25)

KXIP 56/0 after 6 overs (Rahul 25, Mayank 30)

After a slowish start, the KXIP openers have picked up. Their openers have once again done the job. Two century stands and 3 fifty stand for Agarwal-Rahul in 8 matches!

KXIP 29/0 after 4 overs (Rahul 15, Mayank 17)

Mayank taking the attack to Chahal. One six and two fours in the over. This should be fun. Chahal isn’t going to stop flighting the ball.

KXIP 18/0 after 3 overs (Rahul 13, Mayank 3)

Slow start by KXIP but RCB have, to their credit, kept things tight. But Rahul, with a pull shot for six, showed that he is slowly getting into the groove.

KXIP 1/0 after 1 over (Rahul 1, Mayank 0)

Just one run from the Morris over. He was getting some movement. But the KXIP openers have been in form in IPL 2020.

KXIP keep the opening combo together. Mayank and Rahul come out to open. Gayle likely to come out at three.

RCB 171/6 after 20 overs (Morris 25, Udana 10)

24 runs off the last over from Shami to end things. Poor, poor bowling from Shami. He just kept experimenting with knuckle balls, slower balls and bounders instead of sticking to his strength and he paid the price. This will give RCB a bit of a boost.

RCB 147/6 after 19 overs (Morris 8, Udana 3)

Morris got a six in the over but the focus still has to be how RCB got their batting order absolutely wrong today.

RCB 136/6 after 17.5 overs (Morris 0)

WICKET! Now Kohli gone too. RCB in some trouble here. But they have only themselves to blame.

Kohli c Rahul b Shami 48(39)

RCB 134/5 after 17.3 overs (Kohli 46)

WICKET! ABD gone. Too much pressure and too few balls to make an impact. RCB’s experiment fails. Shami gets the wicket. Sometimes one can’t help but think IPL teams try and tinker a bit too much.

de Villiers c Hooda b Shami 2(5)

RCB 133/4 after 17 overs (Kohli 45, de Villiers 2)

Just three overs left for ABD to make an impact. One can’t help but think he could have had a lot more.

RCB 127/4 after 16 overs (Kohli 41)

WICKET! Dube went for the pull, got a top edge and it was taken by KL Rahul. Wicket for Jordan. It is finally ABD time.

Shivam Dube c Rahul b Jordan 23(19)

RCB 122/3 after 15 overs (Kohli 40, Dube 21)

Back-to-back sixes for Dube off Bishnoi showed that the left-hander was finally going to throw caution to the winds. About time too.

RCB 103/3 after 14 overs (Kohli 36, Dube 8)

Bit of a slowdown for RCB here. Have they made a mistake by holding ABD back or will not having him bat against the spinners help them at the death?

RCB 94/3 after 12 overs (Kohli 31, Dube 5)

Could the loss of momentum hurt RCB or will ABD come and blast their blues away?

RCB 86/3 after 10.3 overs (Kohli 25)

WICKET! Sundar falls after making 13 off 14 balls, caught in the deep off M Ashwin. Not quite sure what he was sent out to do but safe to say the experiment didn’t work.

Washington Sundar c Jordan b Murugan Ashwin 13(14)

RCB 83/2 after 10 overs (Kohli 25, Sundar 13)

KXIP have just continued to bowl that one bad ball every over. This time Maxwell bowls one down the leg-side, Sundar just need to get his bat to it and he did for an easy four runs.

RCB 75/2 after 9 overs (Kohli 23, Sundar 7)

RCB have the base now. At what point will they go on an all-out attack? Time for a strategic timeout.

RCB 69/2 after 8 overs (Kohli 19, Sundar 5)

Maybe RCB just want to save ABD for the back ten where he is really dangerous against pace.

Washington Sundar has been sent up the order at No 4, ahead of AB de Villiers.

RCB 62/2 after 6.3 overs (Kohli 17)

M Ashwin into the attack and he sends Finch’s off-stump for a walk with a lovely orthodox leg-spin delivery. Turned just enough to beat Finch’s bat.

Finch b Murugan Ashwin 20(18)

RCB 57/1 after 6 overs (Finch 16, Kohli 16)

The Powerplay overs are done. RCB have done pretty well. Just one wicket lost, good runs on the board.

RCB 38/1 after 4.1 overs (Finch 15)

WICKET! Arshdeep strikes to send back Padikkal, who seemed to just punch it to extra cover. KXIP needed this! The ball seemed to stop on the batsman a bit.

Devdutt Padikkal c Pooran b Arshdeep Singh 18(12)

RCB 38/0 after 4 overs (Padikkal 18, Finch 15)

The sequence continues. One six ball but this time Shami just drifted onto Padikkal’s pads a little. The left-hander just flicked it away for six. Wonderful timing on the shot.

RCB 27/0 after 3 overs (Padikkal 9, Finch 13)

Arshdeep into the attack but RCB have accelerated seamlessly thanks to a few loose deliveries. KXIP have bowled well but there has been a four/six ball in every over.

RCB 18/0 (Padikkal 2, Finch 12)

A good over from Shami but RCB still got ten off it. Four runs came off byes as a brilliant Shami delivery cut through the batsman’s defence and beat the keeper too.

RCB 8/0 (Padikkal 1, Finch 7)

Maxwell over seemed to be going pretty well until he got hit for six off the last ball. It was in the slot and Finch slog-swept it for six. 8 runs off the over.

RCB openers out in the middle. The match is all set to begin. Maxwell has the new ball?!!

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7.09 pm: Playing XIs
KXIP: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh.
RCB: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (w), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

7.06 pm: KXIP have three changes: Mandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Mujeeb ur Rahman are out, CHRIS GAYLE, M Ashwin and Deepak Hooda are in. RCB are unchanged.

7.02 pm: TOSS – Virat Kohli has won the toss and RCB will bat first! “Huge honour for me to play my 200th game for RCB,” says Kohli.

6.48 pm: Good news for Kings XI fans as Chris Gayle has said he is likely to play tonight. “It is time to see the Universe Boss out there in the middle,” says the big man.

6.40 pm: Hello everyone and welcome to live coverage of match No 31 of Indian Premier League 2020. Tonight, Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Kings XI Punjab at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.