Royal Challengers Bangalore have come into IPL 2020 with a lot of hunger and Kolkata Knight Riders learnt it the hard way twice this season. After being handed an 82-run defeat earlier in the season by RCB, suffered a bigger embarrassment as the Bengaluru outfit restricted them for a record 84/8 to clinch an 8-wicket win in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
With the score, KKR broke the unwanted record of lowest team score in 20 overs in the 13-year history as pacer Mohammed Siraj (3/8) led the stranglehold for RCB, taking three wickets for eight runs and bowling two maidens in his first two overs. RCB chased down the target at the expense of two wickets and 39 balls to spare.
Siraj and his new-ball partner Navdeep Saini tore into the top half for the KKR batting order in the powerplay overs. While Siraj dismissed opener Rahul Tripathi (1 off 3), Nitish Rana (0 off 1) and Tom Banton (10 off 8), Saini got Tripathi's opening partner Shubman Gill for mere 1 off 6.
Captain Eoin Morgan tried to steady the ship but he never received any support from his fellow batsmen. Dinesh Karthik’s (4 off 14) trouble against leg spinner continues as Yuzvendra Chahal removed him in the 9th over. Chahal picked his second in danger man Pat Cummins (4 off 17) in the 13th over to complete another successful bowling spell of 2/14.
Skipper Morgan (30 off 34) finally departed in the 16th over with the score miserably reading 57/7. An eighth-wicket partnership of 27 runs between Lockie Ferguson and Kuldeep Yadav was KKR's highest in the total.
Chasing the negligible target, Devdutt Paddikal and Aaron Finch ensured the new ball created no issues for the side; adding 44 runs in the powerplay. The duo departed in the seventh over with Lockie Ferguson getting Finch (16 off 21) caught behind while the other was run out for 25 two balls later.
Virat Kohli (21 not out) and Gurkeerat Singh (21 not out) stave off any further trouble to take the side home by the 14th over.
