IPL 2024 | RCB vs PBKS: Kohli, Karthik shine as RCB beat Punjab Kings by 4 wickets

Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on opener Virat Kohli's gritty 77 and a late onslaught by Dinesh Karthik as they defeated Punjab Kings by 4 wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday. It was RCB's first win of the 17th season after they suffered a loss in their opening game.

Bengaluru:Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) rode on opener Virat Kohli's quick-fire 77 to defeat Punjab Kings by four wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.

Put into bat, Punjab Kings posted a challenging 176 for 6 on the board but their bowlers were unable to defend as Kohli, the chase master, was once again at his best. 'Majestic' Kohli hammered 11 boundaries and two sixes in his 49-ball knock to lay the foundation stone of the win. Seasoned Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror then conjured an 48 run-stand for the unbroken 7th wicket to see their side home.

Following the win, RCB has jumped to the sixth spot, while Punjab Kings are placed on the fifth position in the points table.

• Over 19.2 (RCB 178/6)
  It was Dinesh Karthik (28 not out off 10 balls) who finished the game in style with a boundary as RCB recorded their first win of the season as they defeated Punjab Kings by four wickets. RCB needed 10 runs from the last over and Karthik smashed a towering six on the first ball off Arshdeep Singh in the last over. Arshdeep, who was under pressure then bowled a wide. Then Karthik smashed a boundary as celebrations erupted in the RCB dug-out and the Chinnaswamy crowd erupted with joy. Mahipal Lomror (17 not out off 8 balls) played his part to perfection. Dinesh Karthik smashed three boundaries and two sixes in his unbeaten knock, while Lomror hit two boundaries and a maximum.
• Over 19 (RCB 167/6)
  Right arm medium pacer Harshal Patel, a death overs specialist, was punished by Dinesh Karthik, who hit a four and a six over fine leg. Karthik kept the strike with himself as he took a single on the final ball. Harshal conceded 13 runs in the penultimate over. RCB now needed 10 runs from the last over.
• Over 18 (RCB 154/6)
  Mahipal Lomror took on pacer Arshdeep Singh with gusto and hammered him for six over long on and on the next ball struck a boundary. RCB collected 13 runs from the 18th over and brought down the equation down to 23 runs from 12 balls. The Chinnaswamy crowd would be hoping that Lomror and seasoned Dinesh Karthik will romp the side home.
• Over 17 (RCB 141/6)
  Left-arm pacer Sam Curran trapped Anuj Rawat (11) on the second ball of the 17th over as RCB lost their sixth wicket. RCB were starring at their second successive defeat. Curran conceded 11 runs in the 17th over. RCB needed 36 runs in the three overs.
• Over 16 (RCB 130/5)
  Harshal Patel took an important wicket of Virat Kohli at the very crucial time of the game. Virat Kohli departed for 77 off 49 balls. Punjab Kings are still in the game as RCB need 47 more runs off the last four overs. Virat Kohli had hit him for a couple of boundaries, but it was Harshal who had the last laugh. And we are heading into another nail-biting encounter at M Chinnaswamy stadium.
• Over 15 (RCB 118/4)
  What a spell from the left-arm orthodox spinner Harpreet Brar. He conceded only 13 runs in his four overs and picked up two crucial wickets from Glenn Maxwell and Anuj Rawat. There was an appeal for the LBW in the over as well, but the ball was pitched outside the leg stump and hence it was turned down. Five runs came from Brar's final over.
• Over 14 (RCB 113/4)
  Rabada continues from the other end. He conceded only seven runs in the over despite Anuj Rawat getting a boundary on the first ball of the over. It was a brilliant display of pace bowling from Kagiso Rabada today, who finished his spell with two wickets for just 23 runs in four overs. Will Punjab be able to pull the game back into their favour?
• Over 13 (RCB 106/4)
  Harpreet Brar turned out to be the best bowler for Punjab today as he picked the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar in back-to-back overs. He is someone who has brought Punjab back into the game with these wickets. Will Punjab get rid of Virat Kohli here? If they are successful in it, we will have the nail-biting clash at M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.
• Over 12 (RCB 103/3)
  There is no stopping for Virat Kohli. He was waiting for the bouncers and smashed that into the first tier for a six. However, Harshal Patel then made a nice comeback and corrected his length quickly, but couldn't stop singles on the remaining deliveries and a boundary on the final ball. 15-runs came from the over. Kohli single-handedly took RCB closer to the target.
  Maxwell vs Brar in the IPL(before today)
  Runs: 17
  Balls: 14
  Dismissals: 3
  Avg: 5.67
  SR: 121.42
• Over 11 (RCB 88/3)
  Harpreet Brar broke the partnership as Rajat Patidar walked back to the pavilion after scoring 18 off 18 balls and Punjab made a small comeback into the match. Shikhar will be hoping for a wicket of Virat Kohli to boost their chances of winning the second game of the tournament. Just two singles came in the over.
• Over 10 (RCB 85/2)
  Dhawan brought Rabada back into the attack as Punjab were looking for a wicket here to make a comeback in the match and bowl a decent over excluding the delivery which bowled on Patidar's pad which went to a boundary. Eight runs came from the over. Fifty up for Virat Kohli as well.
• Over 9 (RCB 77/2)
  RCB got the over they were looking for. Patidar stayed on the backfoot and played it back towards the sight screen for a six and then Kohli played magnificent cover drive over covers for another six. 16 runs came from the over of right-arm leg spinner Rahul Chahar. RCB need more 100 runs to win the match while Punjab need one more wicket to get back into the game.
• Over 8 (RCB 61/2)
  Harshal Patel bowled his first over of the innings and completed it by conceding only five runs in the over. RCB need one 10-15 run over to release some pressure from themselves while Punjab need one wicket to put the hosts under pressure.
• Over 7 (RCB 56/2)
  Another bowling change from the Punjab skipper as he brought in left-arm off-spinner Harpreet Brar into the attack.He bowled another decent over, just six came from it.
• Over 6 (RCB 50/2)
  Sam Curran came back into the attack to bowl the last over of the powerplay and he did well. He conceded only three runs courtesy of Rabada's two boundary saves at fine-leg. So, RCB finished the powerplay with 50 runs on the board on the loss of two wickets.
• Over 5 (RCB 47/2)
  Rabada provided another wicket for Punjab, this time it was Cameron Green. He tried to go hard, but just got the outside edge of the bat and Jitesh Sharma made no mistake in completing it. Rabada brought Punjab back into the game with these two wickets here. However, Rajat Patidar then showcased his skill with an exceptional cover drive to finish the over.
• Over 4 (RCB 43/2)
  Kohli replicated the same shot that he played against Rabada in his first over. He then flicked on over mid-wicket and then played one fine towards third-man for a couple of boundaries. Three boundaries and a single came from the over.
• Over 3 (RCB 28/1)
  Kohli came down the ground and hit a brilliant lofted cover drive for a boundary on the first ball of the over. But then Faf du Plessis tried to flick one over the mid-wicket boundary, but couldn't middle the ball properly and ended up giving a sitter to Sam Curran at mid-on. Punjab have made a small comeback in the game with this wicket now.
• Over 2 (RCB 21/0)
  Punjab Kings have brought in Arshdeep Singh in the eleven replacing Prabhsimran Singh as an impact player. He got the swing as well. Just five runs came in the over, including a wide.
• Over 1 (RCB 16/0)
  Another expensive first over from Sam Curran, 16 runs came from the first over for RCB. Curran conceded 11 runs in the first over against Delhi Capitals. However, Kohli got the lifeline and got the boundary on the very second ball of the innings and then scored three boundaries with some authority in it.

End of Punjab Kings innings

• Over 20 (PBKS 176/6)
  Just the over Punjab Kings would have wanted before finishing the innings. They have got 20 runs off the last over which take them to 176 runs. Deep Dasgupta has mentioned that this is a competitive total as we have seen there is something for the pacers in the pitch. It was Shashank Singh who scored couple for sixes and a four in the last over against Alzarri Joseph and finished the innings with 21 off 8 balls.
• Over 19 (PBKS 156/6)
  Siraj came out to bowl his final over and the second last of the innings and he finished his spell with two wickets for 26 runs. That was a brilliant display of fast bowling from Siraj. It will be interesting to see how much they can get in the final over and where they will finish after 20 overs.
• Over 18 (PBKS 152/5)
  Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal came back into the attack. Curran hit Dayal for a couple of boundaries on full tosses and then lost his wicket on the bouncer in the process of executing the pull shot. Dayal broke the fifty partnership in his return to the attack. Just 13 runs came from the over. Punjab have to capitalise on those last two overs.
• Over 17 (PBKS 139/4)
  Another good over from Alzarri Joseph, just seven came from it despite Jitesh getting a boundary on the second ball of the over.
• Over 16 (PBKS 132/4)
  RCB pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj came back into the over and conceded only four runs. He also showed some aggression with two bouncers and a small chat with Sam Curran after the final ball. We have witnessed many matches where 200 runs are also not enough. They need to get at least three 20 runs per over in the remaining four. With 12 runs per over, they would end up scoring only 178 runs. Hence, they would need some big overs here to post a challenging total.
• Over 15 (PBKS 128/4)
  Faf du Plessis brought in left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar into the attack and Jitesh Sharma seized the opportunity. He first came dancing down the track for sending one straight towards the sight screen and then stayed on backfoot and flicked one over the mid-wicket fielder for a second six. 17 runs came from the over and they had some more overs like that to achieve that 200-run mark. They really have to reach that 200-run mark.
• Over 14 (PBKS 111/4)
  Curran found a boundary with a pull shot in the gap of square leg and mid-wicket and then both the batters stole five singles to finish Cameron Green's second over.
• Over 13 (PBKS 102/4)
  100-up for Punjab but they have lost both the set batters in the two balls. Dhawan tried to put Maxwell under pressure by scoring a boundary on the first ball of the over, but couldn't connect the fuller-length delivery properly and Virat Kohli completed the simple catch at long-on. Maxwell picked up his second of the match, proving his captain's decision to play with four specialist spinners right.
  Dhawan vs Maxwell in T20s
  Runs: 107
  Balls: 66
  Dismissals: 4
  Avg: 26.75
  SR: 162.12
• Over 12 (PBKS 98/3)
  Right-arm pacer Alzarri Joseph has come into the attack now and picked a wicket of dangerous-looking Liam Livingstone. Joseph bowled decent first five balls and forced Livingstone to go for a big shot on the final ball to find a boundary. In search of the same, Livingstone tried to pull the ball which was well outside off stump and ended up giving a simple catch behind the wickets. Punjab again find themselves under pressure.
• Over 11 (PBKS 92/2)
  Maxwell continued from the other and Livingstone took a charge against him. He hit him for a boundary and a six in the over. They have also accumulated four runs with a couple of singles and a double. An expensive over from the right-arm off-spinner.
• Over 10 (PBKS 78/2)
  Mayank Dagar bowled a decent second over despite conceding a boundary on the final ball. Just six runs came from the over, including two singles.
• Over 9 (PBKS 72/2)
  Glenn Maxwell joined Mayank Dagar in the bowling from the other end and Prabhsimran hit him for a boundary on the first ball. Prabhsimran then went on the backfoot and pulled one for a maximum and lost his wicket trying to replicate the same shot and gave a simple catch to the wicket-keeper. Punjab have now lost their second wicket and they need to increase their run-rate to reach that 200-run mark.
• Over 8 (PBKS 61/1)
  Another bowling change from the RCB skipper. Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar came into the attack to bowl the eighth over of the innings. Dhawan tried to accelerate and shift the momentum on their side by hitting a long-on fielder for six and then both batters took five singles in the over. 11 runs came from the over.
• Over 7 (PBKS 50/1)
  Cameron Green came into the attack in the seventh over and Prabhsimran Singh welcomed him with a massive six over mid-wicket fielder on a flick shot. He then corrected his line and length and finished the over 10 runs from it.
  Mohammed Siraj in the Powerplay at Chinnaswamy Stadium since 2023
  Overs: 18
  Runs conceded: 85
  Wickets: 7
  Average: 12.14
  Economy Rate: 4.72
  Dots Bowls: 72 (66.67%)
• Over 6 (PBKS 40/1)
  Both the batters haven't been able to free their arms so far. RCB's pacers have been brilliant with the ball so far as they haven't given any freebies to Punjab batters. Another economical over from the left-arm pacer Yash Dayal. He has conceded only 10 runs in his three overs. Underwhelming Powerplay for Punjab as they have scored at least 15 less runs than what they would have thought.
• Over 5 (PBKS 34/1)
  First bowling change from RCB, Alzarri Joseph came into the attack as one change bowler and Shikhar Dhawan hit him for a couple of boundaries in his first over. He first drove one towards covers and then found a gap between the deep point and short third-man fielder before taking a couple on the final ball. Ten runs came from Joseph's first over.
• Over 4 (PBKS 24/1)
  Yash Dayal bowled another tidy over. What more can the skipper expect from his young Indian bowler at Chinnaswamy Stadium? Only three runs came from it.
• Over 3 (PBKS 21/1)
  Jonny Bairstow on the strike and Siraj bowling his second over of the innings. Bairstow hit Siraj for a couple of boundaries before giving a sitter to former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Virat Kohli. Siraj did the trick for the hosts as he picked a big fish in the third over of the innings. Prabhsimran Singh then showed the full face of the bat and the ball raced away to the boundary. This was the third boundary of the over. 12 runs from it and a wicket of Bairstow in this over.
  Bairstow vs RCB:
  114(56), Hyderabad, 2019
  61(43), Dubai, 2020
  12(13), Chennai, 2021
  66(29), Brabourne, 2022
  8(6), Bengaluru, 2024
  India fielders with most catches in Men’s T20 cricket
  173 - Virat Kohli
  172 - Suresh Raina
  167 - Rohit Sharma
  146 - Manish Pandey
  136 - Suryakumar Yadav
• Over 2 (PBKS 9/0)
  RCB backing Maxwell and Green to cover the 5th bowler in place of Karn Sharma. They would be expecting them to perform out of their skin as the TV commentators are surprised with RCB's decision to play with only four specialist bowlers. left-arm pacer Yash Dayal bowled a decent first over, only two runs come from it.
• Over 1 (PBKS 7/0)
  Shikhar Dhawan has hit a boundary on the first ball of the innings in the second consecutive game. Siraj then came into the stumps, but Dhawan flicked on towards square leg for a couple. Punjab finished the over with seven runs on the board.

Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow opening the innings for Punjab Kings while Mohammed Siraj is bowling the first over of the match.

• Playing XI
  Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan(captain), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(wicket-keeper), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar
  Royal Challengers Bengaluru:Faf du Plessis(captain), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat(wicket-keeper), Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
• Toss
  RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opt to field against Punjab Kings.

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