Right, that was a bit good, wasn’t it? Afraid I’ve no time to stick around and dissect it as the second match is well underway and I’m needed there. Cheers for reading, bye!
RCB win by seven wickets
9.4 overs (10 overs) RCB 115-3 (M Singh 45, Wiese 9) Short and hooked high over fine leg for six more!
9.3 overs (10 overs) RCB 109-3 (M Singh 39, Wiese 9) 3 needed What a shot! Full and wide and Mandeep opens drives it exquisitely, on his knees, up and over backward point for six!
9.2 overs (10 overs) RCB 103-3 (M Singh 33, Wiese 9) 9 needed Clubbed out to deep mid-on for two.
9.1 overs (10 overs) RCB 101-3 (M Singh 31, Wiese 9) 11 needed Russell with the final over and the first ball is clubbed to long-on for one.
9th over (10 overs) RCB 100-3 (M Singh 31, Wiese 8) target 112 Right, 12 balls left and 25 runs needed. Wiese powers a drive down to long-off for a couple first ball as Suryakumar slides across to save two. Single next up brings Mandeep back on strike but they can’t get him away. Two more singles, then the scoop from Mandeep and it bounces off the practice wickets at fine leg and away for four. Last ball, full-ish, Mandeep gives it the charge and edges it hard down to third man for four! We’re going ball-by ball.
8th over (10 overs) RCB 87-3 (M Singh 22, Wiese 4) target 112 Well that last over certainly resurrected this contest, but Russell may well have just struck the decisive blow. David Wiese comes to the crease. Good yorker bowling from Russell this and it’s just three singles from the three balls that follow the wicket, a two and then one more to finish.
Wicket! Kohli c S Yadav b Russell 34
Slightly back of a length and Kohli looks to hit it straight, but he puts it too high and not long enough and he’s caught on the straight boundary!
7th over (10 overs) RCB 80-2 (M Singh 20, Kohli 34) target 112 Chawla again and Mandeep plays a lovely cover drive, inside-out and over the top, for four. A slog down to cow-corner next, and Russell drops it diving forward! It was a good effort as he ran in from the rope, but two more runs. Mandeep slog-pulls, on one knee, next and finds the gap at mid-wicket for four more. A single from the fifth brings Kohli on strike, and he hits it down the ground for six! 18 from the over.
6th over (10 overs) RCB 62-2 (M Singh 9, Kohli 27) target 112 This looks like it could be terminal for RCB. They can’t read Hogg, it seems and singles are as useful to them as nipples on a Batsuit. Four singles from the first five balls, then Mandeep slog-sweeps hard over square-leg for six.
5th over (10 overs) RCB 52-2 (M Singh 1, Kohli 25) target 112 More spin as Chawla comes on, Gambhir looking to strangle RCB. It’s a very good ploy as De Villiers goes after just two singles had been taken from the first three balls and that’s two of the big three back in the hutch. Just three from the over.
Wicket! de Villiers b Chawla 2
Oh dear. De Villiers looks to cut a low delivery that’s far too close to him and chops on.
4th over (10 overs) RCB 49-1 (de Villiers 1, Kohli 24) target 112 That’s the powerplay done and dusted, so Brad Hogg comes in. He’s in great form, the 900-year-old, but his first ball is a full-toss that Gayle slog-sweeps square and into the stands. Two balls alter he’s short and it’s smacked cleanly, even further over square-leg. And that’s not even out the middle. Another short one but Gayle misses out, the ball drifting into his thigh pad. The fun is over next ball though, meaning AB de Villiers comes in. He gets a single to mid-wicket.
Wicket! Gayle c Russell b Hogg 21
Big, flat, hard hit straight down the throat of long-on. It’s the single most Chris Gayle innings imaginable.
3rd over (10 overs) RCB 36-0 (Gayle 9, Kohli 24) target 112 Cummins with a high full-toss, not called a no-ball but Kohli flicks it behind square on the leg-side for four. A slower ball is nudged to mid-wicket to bring Gayle on strike. He pulls to mid-wicket for one more, then Kohli picks a slower ball and lifts it over mid-on for another six. Two more singles to finish make 14 from the over.
2nd over (10 overs) RCB 22-0 (Gayle 7, Kohli 12) target 112 It’ll be Umesh Yadav from the other end and after one ball his economy rate is 36.00 as Kohli cracks it back over his head for a straight six. Yadav pulls back his length and Kohli swivel-pulls it over square leg for four more. Two more dots after that though as the Indian Test captain can’t find the gaps. A quick single brings Gayle on strike and the first one he faces is a big floaty wide outside off. In the slot next and it’s another straight six, miles back over the bowler’s head!
1st over (10 overs) RCB 4-0 (Gayle 1, Kohli 1) target 112 Right, RCB need that top three to fire, OBVIOUSLY. Pat Cummins has the new ball for the Knight Riders and he begins with a leg-side wide. Make that two. His first legitimate delivery is full, on leg, and flicked round the corner for a single by Gayle. That should really have been two. A couple of dots make up for those wides, in a sense, then Kohli is hit on the pad but it’s adjedged to be going down leg. He’s got away with that one I reckon. This is really good stuff from Cummins, just three from the first five balls, as he’s keeping it full and straight. Kohli pushes the final ball to mid-wicket for one.
The other game is about to start. Niall McVeigh has stepped up to the plate for that one. Cheers, Niall.
Back in 10 mins. When we get to watch Gayle, Kohli and De Villiers go after 112 in 10 overs. Hehe.
End of innings
10th over (10 overs) KKR 111-4 (S Yadav 1, Y Pathan 11) You’ll be unsurprised to hear that Mitchell Starc is going to bowl the final over. He strikes with his first ball and very nearly runs Pathan out off his third. Just two runs off the firs three balls, then Pathan slogs a full-toss down the throat of Kohli at mid-on... but it’s been harshly called a no-ball on height! That’s a bad call. The batsmen run two. A single, then a leg-bye as Starc appeals, but it’s sliding down leg. It’s all going on here. The final ball of the innings... and Pathan calls for a new bat. Sigh. Starc then bowls a wide just down the leg-side as he gets his yorker wrong. Just one off the final ball and just nine from a good final over.
Wicket! ten Doeschate c de Villiers b Starc 12
Ten Doeschate looks to go big over mid-on as Starc takes the pace off. It’s high but hangs in the air and lands in the fielder’s hands just inside the boundary rope.
9th over (10 overs) KKR 102-3 (ten Doeschate 12, Y Pathan 6) Two overs left and Harshal Patel will bowl his second. Ten Doeschate steps a long way across to off and scoops a full, slower ball over square-leg for six. Patel comes back with a nice slower ball, a dot, but then ten Doeschate rocks forward and swishes elegantly through point for four more, great wrists as he opened the face. Russell won’t get the record today as he’s run out and Yousuf Pathan comes to the crease. Karthik has kept magnificently today and now he’s doing so with one glove. Clever thinking. Not so clever bowling though as Pathan whacks the last ball out the slot and over mid-on for six.
Updated
Wicket! Russell run out 45
A slow bouncer from Patel, they look to take a bye and Karthik throws down the stumps with the West Indian well short.
8th over (10 overs) KKR 86-2 (ten Doeschate 2, Russell 45) Wiese again and, after a single, Russell hits a rocket along the ground to long-on for four. Singles from the next two balls, then a precious dot as Russell looks to murder a slower ball out the stadium but misses it by miles, but Wiese’s final ball is in the slot and launched straight back past him for six more. Six from his next ball would give Russell the quickest 50 in this year’s tournament.
7th over (10 overs) KKR 73-2 (ten Doeschate 0, Russell 34) The Knight Riders will be looking at more than 100 here and they’ll need it. It’s the leggie Chahal again to bowl this over and Russell slog-sweeps his googly hard through mid-wicket for a one-bounce four. The next ball is short, wide and cut nicely through point for four more. Uthappa goes, so the hard-hitting Ten Doeschate comes to the crease, albeit at the non-striker’s end as the batsmen crossed. A push to mid-on off the last ball brings two.
Wicket! Uthappa c Karthik b Chahal 23
Goes for the big hit, it heads straight up and the keeper pouches his opposite number safely.
6th over (10 overs) KKR 61-1 (Uthappa 22, Russell 23) Kohli misses out on a wonder catch as Uthappa slogs a short ball from Aaron out to wide mid-on and the captain, running around, takes the catch and lets the ball pop back out of his hands behind him. They take a single, then Russell smashes another short one miles over mid-wicket for six. Aaron comes back with consecutive slower deliveries that beat the batsman though. A thick outside edge from a massive swipe goes down to fine third man for four, through the vacant slip region. Then a straight drive just about makes it over the rope for six more. 17 from the over.
5th over (10 overs) KKR 44-1 (Uthappa 21, Russell 7) With these two liking pace on the ball, Kohli turns to the spin of Chahal. The bowler is at fault, fumbling AB’s return throw lazily and giving away a run. This is decent stuff; Uthappa gives him the charge so Chahal goes flatter and wider, restricting them to just a single. The final ball ruins it though – short, wide and flayed through point for four by Russell.
4th over (10 overs) KKR 34-1 (Uthappa 17, Russell 1) Bowler number four in over number four is David Wiese. A full, wide one really should be dispatched but it’s slapped away for just a single to De Villiers at cover point. Uthappa bottom edges a big heave just past his own off-stump and Karthik dives to his left to make an excellent stop. These two are running everything though and get a single, before Gambhir swings hard over mid-on for four. He’s gone two balls later though. Andre Russell comes in, the big-hitter up the order, and he gets a single when his drive to cover is misfielded.
Wicket! Gambir c M Singh b Wiese 12
Gambhir drives uppishly and Mandeep Singh leaps to take a good catch, one-handed above his head.
3rd over (10 overs) KKR 27-0 (Uthappa 16, Gambhir 7) Kohli is mixing it up with his seamers here – on comes Harshal Patel. He appeals for LBW against Uthappa first up and, although it’s struck him about halfway up the shin, the impact is just outside off. A wide follows even though it’s hit Gambhir’s thigh pad. A quick single to cover, then Patel sends down three dots on the spin. Excellent bowling, but then Uthappa drives up and over cover for four.
2nd over (10 overs) KKR 20-0 (Uthappa 12, Gambhir 6) It’s pace from both ends as Varun Aaron is on from the other end. A single to Gambhir brings Uthappa on strike and he gets two to deep mid-off as Wiese slides over the ball on the edge of the circle, possibly not helped by the wet pitch. Kohli moves himself into that position, but has no chance of stopping a crunching drive from Uthappa that races to the fence. He charges at the next ball and gets a wild top-edge down to third man for four more. A quick single off the inside edge completes a good over for the batting side.
1st over (10 overs) KKR 8-0 (Uthappa 1, Gambhir 5) Slightly odd decision to stick with Gambhir at the top of the order, but so it is. Starc has the new ball in a hell of a noisy stadium. It’s impressively packed, given we were meant to begin nearly three hours ago. The first ball is short, sharp and – er – left alone outside off. Uhttappa looks for a sharp single and Gambhir would have been gone had Kohli hit at the non-striker’s end. A wide swung down leg, then Uthappa gets off the mark with a push down the pitch that would have been four if not for Starc half stopping it with an outstretched boot. Another wide, down the left-hander’s leg-side from over the wicket, then Gambhir pushes on the up to long-on for four. Nice shot, that. One more run down to wide third man and a dot to finish.
Here come the batsmen, Uthappa and Gambhir opening. The bowlers can bowl two overs each, the powerplay is three overs, there will be a 10 minute break between innings and – thank god – there are no strategic toilet breaks timeouts.
This reduced match surely favours RCB, chasing and with that top-heavy batting lineup.
It's on!
We have a match! It will begin at 2.15pm BST and be 10 overs per side.
Inspection in 20.
More music, while we wait for further news.
I did get the cut-off time wrong, mind. The unofficial word is that we have to start by 3.05pm BST.
The covers are off again! The stumps are in, too, and we might well have a match yet.
The covers are brought off... then brought back on minutes later. It’s still drizzling.
The cut-off time is around 4pm BST. So half an hour after the next match is meant to start. This could be fun for your OBOer.
The wind has changed, or something – I dunno, I’m no meteorologist – but the long and the short of it is that the dark clouds are heading back towards the ground. We can go down to five overs per side.
There will be an inspection in 10 minutes. In the meantime, Gregg Bakowski brings you the fine comedy stylings of Newcastle United right here.
Oh for eff’s sake. The rain’s picked up again and the covers are back on.
Danny Morrison?
To bloviate is to talk at length on a subject you know very little about (also known as flapdoodling).
— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 2, 2015
The covers are coming off, but it’ll be a little while before we can start. We’re also losing overs as we speak; one every four minutes, if Cricinfo is to believed.
In case you missed them, the other four teams were in action yesterday. We have match reports from Delhi Daredevils’ resounding win over Kings XI Punjab...
The first over was a battle of the veterans, with Virender Sehwag opening the batting and Zaheer Khan the bowling. It was the latter who proved the unequivocal victor as he removed Sehwag for one with the second ball of the match.
On a pitch whose bounce was about as easy to read as a James Joyce novel, the IPL’s bottom side and last year’s beaten finalists, Kings XI, made a nightmare start as JP Duminy removed Shaun Marsh with the first ball of the second over, Zaheer took his second wicket – Manan Vohra – in the third and Nathan Coulter-Nile removed Wriddhiman Saha in the fourth to reduce them to 10 for four.
And also from Mumbai Indians’ surprise victory against Rajasthan Royals.
The Rajasthan Royals fell nine runs short in a thrilling chase against the unfancied Mumbai Indians, despite Sanju Samson’s hard-fought, vibrant 46-ball 76.
After losing the toss and being put in Mumbai had an escape on the second ball as Samson, also the wicketkeeper, spilled a straightforward catch after Tim Southee found Lendl Simmons’ edge. The batting side responded with some hard hitting, before Parthiv Patel again failed to make good on a start, hitting a return catch to Dhawal Kulkarni after making 23 from 14 balls.
The covers are still on and the rain is still coming down, but the super soppers are on anyway. There’s no news yet on an inspection, but I’ll keep you posted. Fancy some more music? Sure you do.
Prizes* for anyone who can name the song the intro reminds me off.
*There are no prizes.
It’s eased off, but still raining. We start losing overs at 12.30, so the likelihood is a curtailed match.
Oh this is good. And by good I mean stupid. Despite the downpour, most of the outfield is uncovered. Even if and when this blows itself out, it’s going to take a while to get the ground in a playable condition.
It is blowing a gale
Oh grow up.
Update: It is belting it down and blowing a gale.
Didn’t have Iain O’Brien down as a Lorde fan.
Raining in Bangalore, @lordemusic being played in the bar. It's just like being at home. #Bliss.
— Iain O'Brien (@iainobrien) May 2, 2015
I take that back. It’s raining and the covers are coming on.
Weather watch: we’re probably going to start on time, under cloud, but there’s a chance of rain.
RCB: CH Gayle, V Kohli*, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, KD Karthik†, SN Khan, D Wiese, HV Patel, MA Starc, VR Aaron, YS Chahal
Kolkata Knight Riders: RV Uthappa†, G Gambhir*, MK Pandey, SA Yadav, AD Russell, RN ten Doeschate, YK Pathan, PJ Cummins, PP Chawla, GB Hogg, UT Yadav
The teams
Still no Sunil Narine for KKR. Both teams are unchanged, so Morne Morkel misses out for the third successive game despite having been outstanding in the matches he has played. Dirk Nannes says he must therefore be injured and it’s hard to disagree.
The toss
Virat Kohli, the RCB captain, wins the toss and invites KKR to have a bat. No surprise that, as they’ve had a fair bit of success in chasing so far.
Preamble
Morning folks. We’ve been here before. We know what these teams can do, about their strengths and weaknesses. In the away corner, the defending champions with their firing seam attack; at home, the star-studded form team who, having added Mitchell Starc to their XI since the teams last met, look a dangerous prospect.
The Royal Challengers are languishing in mid-table, yes, but that’s because they lost three of their first four – only beating KKR, as it happens – but, since bringing in Starc to complement Gayle, Kohli and ABdV, they’ve picked up a couple of thumping wins.
The Knight Riders on the other hand are in the play-off places, sitting comfortably third thanks to their surprise win over the Super Kings. They’re hardly the most consistent of teams, but Morne Morkel has fired and should enjoy the pace of the Bangalore pitch.
We got that rarest of things, a genuine IPL thriller, last time around. These two sides certainly have the players to give us a repeat. Let’s hope for that, yeah?
Play begins at 11.30 BST, or 4pm local time. Toss and team news when they come through, but in the meantime, here’s your pre-match entertainment.
Updated
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