Sharjah: Sunil Narine's skills on the field couldn't be combatted by the stars of Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) batters on Monday as they tottered to 138-7 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator round of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here.
The spin-web laid by Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakaravarthy never allowed RCB batters to go for explosive batting that they are known for with Virat Kohli scoring a painful 39 off 33 deliveries, AB de Villiers 11 off 9 and Glen Maxwell 15 off 18.
Narine picked four wickets -- Kohli, Srikar Bharat, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers.
A pitch that looked good for batting got slower and the batters found it difficult to connect the ball with ease.
To start with, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli went with caution but as the innings progressed and the need to accelerate the scoreline became necessary, both the batters failed to shift gears. Padikkal was bowled by Ferguson with a ball that took the inside edge of his bat and thwarted onto the stumps.
Kohli in his bid to play the role of aggressor with Bharat (9 off 16) unable to score quickly and Glenn Maxwell (15 from 18 balls) fairly new to the crease was clean bowled by Narine.
Maxwell, who has looked in the best of touch throughout the tournament, couldn't meet the expectations this time and struggled to find gaps and hitting the ball into the stands.
De Villiers didn't rise on the big occasion and was dismissed cheaply.
For KKR, Eoin Morgan played his cards well with a full-thronged spin attack and choking RCB's batters all through the innings.
Shakib Al Hasan despite ending wicketless used angles well and unleashed a variety of deliveries to RCB batters as he gave away just 24 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
Pacers too contributed and bowled some tight line and length with Lockie Ferguson picking two wickets. Shivam Mavi was the lone bowler who was on the expensive side with 36 runs in his four overs.
KKR look set to win the match if the batters play sensibly but RCB bowlers have been in good form in the tournament and it might be a tall order for Kolkata to get past the total easily.
