Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 57 Match Summary

That's a wrap from Raipur - This was the last game in Raipur, and we have witnessed two very entertaining matches at this venue, gift-wrapped with a Kohli special. Now then, the action moves back to the hills for another important clash. A very desperate Punjab Kings will host the Mumbai Indians, who are already knocked out of the playoff race. While MI will be playing for pride, they could very well spoil PBKS' party, who are already on a four-match losing slide. That should be a cracker of a game as well, and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), on Thursday, 14th May. But, as usual, our buildup begins well in advance, so mark your presence to catch all the pre-match analysis as well. Until then, we sign off. Take care, cheers.

RCB march ahead in their title defence - A very crucial win for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and now, all their home games are done. They will be on the road for their last two league games. They will now take a trip to Dharamsala for their next assignment against the Punjab Kings on Sunday, May 17. As for the Kolkata Knight Riders, while their playoff hopes have taken a bit of a hit with this defeat, they are pretty much alive in the race. They have three games left to play, and more importantly, their remaining three fixtures are at home. But crucially, winning all of those is a non-negotiable for them now. They face the Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, 16th May.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - For his outstanding 105*(60), Virat Kohli collects the award, which is met with a big cheer from the crowd. Kohli says his hundred celebration was not too animated because of the importance of the two points at this stage of the tournament. He adds that there is a conscious effort from him to contribute more consistently towards the team's cause. Virat believes that the longer he bats, the better the team’s chances of winning become. Opines that whether he gets to three figures or not is secondary, with finishing the game for the side being the bigger priority. On handling pressure, Kohli says pressure is actually a privilege. He feels it keeps players humble, focused and constantly looking to improve. According to him, good pressure pushes cricketers to work harder on their game in the nets. VK shares he was particularly pleased with how clear his approach felt during the chase. Adds that being able to trust and back his natural game while playing risk-free cricket was especially satisfying for him. Kohli speaks passionately about his love for batting and calls it an honour to still be performing at this level. He says cricket is all he has done throughout his life and that he wants to make the most of every single day he gets on the field.

The captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Rajat Patidar says that he is feeling fine now, but cheekily calls Tyagi's bouncer a proper headshot. Adds that it feels good to be at the top, and they have played some really good cricket all season, but are taking one game at a time. Patidar mentions that the way they restricted KKR under 200 was a great effort from the bowlers. Says that, looking at how the pitch behaved in the last game, they went with four seamers. Rajat shares that he has no words for Virat Kohli, he is used to doing great things. Says that they have two more league games, both away from home. Next up is Dharamsala, and it is a good batting wicket there, so they are looking forward to it. Ends by saying that he is not exactly sure about Phil Salt's availability, but he will be back soon.

... Time for the post-match Presentation ...

Raghuvanshi powered KKR to a fighting score - No single batter dominated, but almost every KKR batter contributed. Finn Allen teed off early before falling short of a prolonged stay in the Powerplay, and Ajinkya Rahane chipped in at the top as well. The innings truly found its footing when Cameron Green and Angkrish Raghuvanshi came together. Raghuvanshi was the standout, striking a quality half-century and finishing with 71* off 46, holding firm at one end while never allowing the rate to slip. Green provided the initial impetus alongside him, before Rinku Singh applied the finishing touches.  For RCB, nobody ran riot, and nobody got carted around the park either. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was metronomic as ever, finishing with the best economy in the attack and a wicket for good measure. Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam made their presence felt with one scalp apiece on a two-paced wicket.

The chase master unleashes his mastery - KKR's bowling did not help their own cause, straying too short and too wide far too often, handing Kohli and Padikkal all the width they needed to free their arms. Kohli brought up another fifty in the chase, and RCB were 101/2 at halfway, placed nicely. What the two did particularly well was manage Narine smartly, taking minimal risks against him and playing him out safely. The lack of penetration through the middle phase was evident for KKR with no Varun Chakaravarthy tonight. Padikkal was eventually snared by Kartik, whereas Patidar and David, too, got dismissed later. RCB still needed 36 runs from the last 4 overs, but more importantly, Kohli was still out there and ensured that he got the job done. While doing so, he scored a graceful century and also crossed 14,000 T20 runs ​​​​​​en route.

Dropped chances cost KKR dearly - Two consecutive ducks behind him, but Kohli looked like a completely different batter this time around. Bethell set the tone early with some bold strokeplay before falling within the powerplay again. On a surface far more accommodating to bat than the previous game in Raipur, Kohli made his time count. A drop by Powell on 21 kept him going, and from there, he and Padikkal took over. Padikkal himself was put down by Arora on 22, and KKR paid the price for both moments of generosity as the duo added 92 runs together.

RCB's star performer - Devdutt Padikkal says it was an important game for RCB, especially with the team wanting to keep putting pressure on the other sides in the race for the playoffs. He adds that he is glad that they came away with the win. Padikkal also mentions that it is important for him personally to keep contributing consistently for the side. Speaking about batting alongside Virat Kohli, he calls it incredible and says Kohli’s ability to chase games is something special. You wake him up at any time of the day, and he is going to do that, says Padikkal with a smile. DDP signs off by saying they aim to finish in the top two and he hopes the team can carry the momentum forward into the remainder of the tournament.

A reflection on the defeat - The captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane​​​​​​, says that they thought 190-odd was a competitive score on this wicket. Adds that the batters who spent time in the middle believed that it was a challenging surface, especially when the ball got older. You can always say after the game that you are 10-15 runs short, but it was a good effort from the batting unit. Rahane mentions that in the last 3-4 games, their fielding has been really good, but when you are defending, you have to take any chance of Virat Kohli on a wicket that was a bit tricky. Says that Virat is always dangerous while chasing, but Devdutt Padikkal also batted well, and it was the partnership between those two that took the game away from them. Jinx shares that they have been winning the key moments in the previous games, but sometimes catches can go down, and it is part of the game. Reckons they knew that the ball would come on nicely onto the bat in the first six overs before slowing down. Their spinners have done well in the middle overs consistently, but Virat and Devdutt batted really well.  Ajinkya ends by saying that Tyagi has been outstanding for them. He's working really hard, and what stands out is the clarity that he has about his plans and execution, which is a big positive for a young bowler.

Defending champions flex themselves - Two wins in two games for RCB in Raipur, and that takes them to the top of the table. With 16 points now, the Royal Challengers have one foot in the playoffs. The game was delayed by almost an hour and a half due to the weather, but the home crowd's patience was rewarded with another memorable knock from Kohli in the chase. Some things, it seems, are worth waiting for. And the chase master didn't disappoint. Lost in his own greatness, he produced one of the finest knocks of this season, graced with some breathtaking strokes on display.

FOUR! Done and dusted! RCB ace the chase with 5 balls to spare, with Virat Kohli playing right through. Saurabh Dubey bends his back and bowls the short ball, on off. Jitesh gets on his toes and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it to the right of long on for a boundary to seal the win.

RCB are just one hit away from the win here. Saurabh Dubey to bowl the final over.

Banged into the surface, on off, Jitesh Sharma gets his hands high for the pull. He is early into the stroke and it goes off the toe end to the right of the keeper for a single. 3 runs needed off the final over.

Not a lot going in favour of Arora in the LBW appeal. Low full toss, on leg from around the stumps. Kohli has a swipe across the line but misses and is hit on the front pad. The ball rolls to mid-wicket, and Virat crosses over. He wants another but Jitesh is not alert to the possibility of a second, and they settle with one. Vaibhav convinces Rahane to go for the review. The UltraEdge comes up with a spike, confirming the inside edge. Anyway, the impact looked outside the line of the leg stump there.

FOUR! Nicely done! Arora sticks to the wide yorker plan from around the wicket. Kohli reaches out to slice it with an open bat face. There is a man at point inside the circle but Virat plays it to his left and the ball speeds away to the fence.

Very full, on off. Sharma digs it out to long off and turns the strike over.

HUNDRED FOR KOHLI! From just 58 balls. 9th hundred in IPL cricket for Virat. A knock of the highest order from the chase master. The Raipur crowd, who had to wait patiently through the rain earlier in the evening, have been treated to a special knock in what is the final game of the season at this venue. Low full toss, outside off. Kohli walks across and drills it to long off for a single to reach his hundred. Just a raise of the bat from Virat to acknowledge the applause from the crowd and his teammates.

Full and going across the right-hander. Jitesh leans into the drive and plays it to deep cover for a single.

Who bowls the 19th? It will be Vaibhav Arora.

Off-pace delivery, on a short of a length, on middle. Sharma works it to wide mid on and takes a single.

The next batter in is Jitesh Sharma.

OUT! TAKEN! An absolute blinder from Manish Pandey. The stunned expression on Tim David's face mirrors that of almost everyone out in the middle. This is served on a good length and skidding through just outside off, David throws his hands at it and cuts it hard behind point. He hits it uppishly and the ball flies quickly towards backward point, where Pandey reacts brilliantly to his non-dominant side. Manish flings himself low to his left full-stretch by sticking out the left hand and the ball just sticks in the palm.

Is that a clean catch? Well, no one in the ground can believe it and Tim David has been asked to wait. The third umpire sees a lot of replays from different angles, and he is convinced that Manish Pandey has taken a left-handed stunner. He did well to keep it under control as well.

Off-pace delivery, on a good length, around off. Kohli shuffles across to flick it away. Gets a soft leading edge and the ball rolls to point for one. Moves to 99, does Virat.

SIX! Just a flick of the wrists and it goes all the way! A bit too full by Tyagi, on middle and leg. Kohli snaps his wrists in a flash and whips it way over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. Virat follows it up with a little jig as well. He certainly enjoyed that one himself.

Takes pace off and bowls it into the wicket again. This is around leg and there to be put away. Kohli rolls his wrists and helps the pull but picks out short fine leg.

Slams in the short ball, on middle. David drags it without much timing to mid-wicket. Rinku Singh sprints to his right and slides to cut it off. Just a single.

Kartik Tyagi to finish his spell now. 3-0-23-2 so far for him.

Pushed through, on a good length, on middle and leg. David pushes it to long on for a single.