KKR vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2023: Spinners, Shardul help Kolkata defeat Bangalore by 81 runs

Chandrakant Pandit: "Good win, I can say. The way the boys have shown characters: having lost early wickets, but bouncing back to score 200 runs. Must congratulate Shardul and Rinku to counterattack the bowlers in that situation." 

On Suyash Sharma: "The spinners got good support from newcomer, Suyash. We have seen him in trial matches. We were happy to see how he was bowling today. He's quick in the air. Bowls both ways. He's inexperienced, but shows very good attitude."

"Shardul played unbelievable today with the bat. The leg spinners got on top of us today. Narine and Varun are pretty high-class bowlers. I thought we were pretty average with the bat," the RCB captain conceded post-match.

Sandip G: Suyash Sharma, Kolkata Knight Riders’ 19-year-old mystery spinner, seems like someone who had wandered off into the cricket field from a Qawwali night at the Eden maidan. Flock of hair, girdled in a bandana, dangling down his shoulders, fresh-faced and quick hands, he looks like the understudy of the lead-man, then guy on the sarangi or dholak. He ambles in diagonally from a short run-up and then arches his body sideways, holds the ball beside his chest and winds up like a fast-bowler, an Imran Khan in super super slo-mo. His stock ball, like most leg-spinners, is the wrong’un that he releases with a vigorous flap of the wrists. A few times, he slipped in the standard leg-break, though without the bite of  the wrong’un. 

The nerves showed; he sometimes was too short and bowled a horrendous wide (a wide bouncer!). The leg-break, which he tossed up more lavishly in the air, nailed Dinesh Karthik, who attempted an ambitious drive but found himself not anywhere near the pitch of the ball. Anuj Rawat was his first wicket, the youngster sweeping a ball that reached slower than he had anticipated and spun a tad away. He packed up his memorable night with a third scalp, that of Karn Sharma, with another wrong’un. There is a bit of spunk about him too—he celebrated the wicket with a main-hoo-na tribute to Shah Rukh Khan, the team owner. Quite what the mystery about his bowling is, remained a mystery, maybe it would unfold as the tournament progresses, but there certainly is something about him.

Varun Chakravarthy returns for one final over and Akash Deep skies it, the off spinner runs all the way to the edge of the 30 yard circle to claim it himself. A fourth wicket for him, nine wickets for the KKR spinners, and RCB are all out for 123. An 81-run win for the Knight Riders on their return to Eden Gardens.

Suyash for one last time this evening. Gets smashes for a four and a six from David Willey and Akash Deep respectively and finishes with figures of 3/30. RCB, 121/9. 

Sunil Narine comes on for his final over. KKR looking to wrap this up now. RCB survive to lose in another over though. Akash Deep goes for a blind heave off the last delivery and gets an inside edge to whisker past the stumps. About as close KKR have come to that 10th wicket. 109/0 after 16 overs.

A 3-fer on debut for Suyash Sharma. Wasn't deemed out from the on field umpire but KKR go for a review. At first it looked like an lbw appeal but an inside edge and Rana has completed the catch. 'I'm here,' the 19-year-old gestures for a third time in the evening and announces his arrival. RCB nine down for 95.

David Willey the new batter in last over. Well, one of the two new batters in. Finds width off the next one from Shardul and punches one through covers for four. Not sure if that helps RCB's case now (well, polite) but it surely counts on the scorecard. Nine from that over, 95/8 after 14 overs.

A first IPL wicket for Suyash Sharma. Does the 'I got this' celebration to follow. Anuj Rawat miscues it behind to Sunil Narine at short third and RCB are just fizzling out of this contest not. The similar celebration comes again as DK edges it behind to Varun Chakravarthy similarly. What a day for the 19-year-old from Delhi! What a day for KKR spinners, a joint seven wickets between them! RCB eight down for 86.

Shardul with the wicket. It's all going his way tonight. A sharp short one around leg and Michael Bracewell bats it straight to the KKR skipper Nitish Rana, who'll thank his stars for Lord Thakur tonight. RCB six down for 83.

Slotted in as the mystery spinner, Suyash Sharma replaces THE big mustery spinner in KKR history. Big shoes to fill and he hasn't got off to a bad start. Barring the half tracker he served Bracewell on the platter to be dished over deep mid-wicket for six. RCB, 78/5 after 11 overs.

A short ball outside off from Varun Chakravarthy and Michael Bracewell cuts it past backward point for four. Dinesh Karthik has joined him in the middle. Halfway through the innings, RCB are 69/5. 136 required off the last 10 and one has to think that it will have to be these two to pile on something special if RCB are to win. 

It's almost like KKR have typed in the cheat code and RCB batters are going down one by one. Shahbaz Ahmed goes for the reverse sweep, but plays it too squirer and is caught by Shardul Thakur. A second wicket for Sunil Narine and RCB are five down for 61.

Sriram Veera: When he has to attack the pacers, Virat Kohli does charge a lot more than he does to the spinners. He rushed out to lift Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 4th over. But he doesn’t do it against the spinners, and often gets into trouble trying to stretch out for an expansive drive. Sunil Narine did a Mooen Ali, tossing the off break on a length outside off and Kohli lunged from his crease and tried to whip it with the turn to the on side. But in doing that, the bat-pad-gap had yawned open and the lovely off break found its way to the stumps. 
Then it was the case of Faf du Plessis being done in by another spinner. Varun Chakravarthy slipped in a wrong-un, sliding it in a little but Faf had gone after the width. Like Kohli, he lunged out and he tried to thrash it through the off but the slight inward-break meant it collided with the inside-edge and fell on the stumps. Two batsmen, done in by the turn. 

Narine continues. And induces an lbw appeal, coming round the wicket to left-handed Michael Bracewell. Gurbaz is excited behind the stumps. But no reviews follow. It's pitched outside the line. Good second over from Narine to follow after that Kohli wicket one. 53/2 after seven overs.

Sriram Veera: Of the three boundaries - two sixes and a four - he hit off Tim Southee in the 4th over, Faf du Plessis’s last one was spectacular. And almost Kevin Pietersen-ish. After being smashed for two boundaries, Southee had dragged this one slower but Faf had picked it early, waited, and almost helicoptered it up and over cow corner. The pause for the ball to arrive, and then the weight-transfer on the front foot and the flourishing finish reminded one of KP. Incidentally, by his own admission, Faf fusses a lot on his technique: the front shoulder position, the hands spread on the handle - more gap between them than most others, how high he lifts his bat, how much he flexes his knee for spinners … everything is calibrated carefully. And then he says he lets his instinct to take over.

One brings two!

Sunil Narine's success brings in Varun Chakravarthy into the attack and it's a classic off breaker in the most faithful of ways. Off stump affected and Chakravarthy does a little RDJ Tony Stark's Iron Man 1 pose from the desert bit. RCB lose both the openers. 50/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Sunil Narine comes into the attack and cleans up Virat Kohli (21 off 18) in the powerplay. There was a visible gap between mid on and square leg and Kohli went for the bait. Much needed first wicket for KKR. RCB, 45/1 after five overs.

Kohli dances down the ground and clears the infield to bag a third boundary of the evening. As straight as it gets. Flicks it down the deep mid wicket for a quick three. The running between the wickets is just 'uff'. du Plessis comes on strike and smears Southee over wide long on for six. What a start to this over! 

And the domination continues. A slash over the infield on the off for four followed by a nonchalant flick over deep mid wicket for another six. JEEZ, KKR have been pushed on the backfoot this over. 23 off the over. 42/0 after four.

"They're chanting Kohli at the Eden Gardens," Ian Bishop wows over the aura of the man in form as Umesh Yadav continues from the other end. Meanwhile, Faf du Plessis opens his hands, slashing over covers for a four. RCB, 19/0 after three overs.

Tim Southee has begun well. After a dot on the first ball, on the third he gets some gentle swing to beat Kohli's bat! Menacing! 

So two fours bookending that first over as RCB score 10 runs in Over No 1. If the first ball was flicked to the legside for a boundary, the sixth ball was guided on the offside for the same result by Kohli. 

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in the middle for RCB, Umesh Yadav handed the ball for KKR.

And Virat starts RCB's chase of 205 with an effortlessly-timed flick to the boundary. The Eden Gardens crowd is up on its feet!  

A first ball slap from Shardul Thakur over extra cover for four to start the over. Goes for a pull later but is caught by Glenn Maxwell. He's done his job though. 68 off 29 deliverises. Umesh Yadav comes on and manages to clear mid off to find a boundary. 200 up for KKR. 204/7 is where they finish.

Rinku Singh takes over the pandemonium around Eden. A dot off the first is followed by a smack over the bowler's head for four. A low full toss is heaved for a maximum. Harshal has lost his line now. Wide. Banged in short and a pull over wide long on for another maximum. In the end, a slower-short delivery does the trick. Gloved behind and Dinesh Karthik completes the catch. Partnership brokena and KKR are six down for 192 going into the last over.

Sandip G: Shardul Thakur heaved a brace of sixes off Michael Bracewell that whipped up memories of Sachin Tendulkar in his peak. The first of two was pure Tendulkar. He glided down the track, the bat swung over his head, then paused, stretched his arms and swung the off-break with the sweetest of bat-swing over long-on. For the next ball, Bracewell dropped his length back a bit, bowled it an inch wider,  but Thakur’s swing still swung the ball over deep midwicket. Rushing down the track, he realised that he would not reach the pitch of the ball, but he did not panic or change his plan. He stopped, waited for the ball to reach him, sweet-spotted the ball beyond the ropes and struck a pose in the follow-through. If this IPL were an audition for the seam-bowling all-rounder’s spot, for the WTC and beyond, Thakur was winning it hands down.

It doesn't matter to Shardul Thakur at the moment. Mohammed Siraj has shared the ball with the KKR batter in India colors. For now, even he is not being spared by the swashbuckling bowling-all rounder as he advances down track and thumps him for four through long off. Mid off stands and gazes. 

You can see how much the past few overs have affected the RCB bowlers. Siraj loses his length, bangs it too short and Rinku Singh laps it behind for six over the shorter boundary. Add a no-ball to it as well. Eden Gardens getting behind their team as well. 15 off the over, KKR are 175/5.

WOW!

That is the joint fastest fifty this season. Alongside Jos Buttler. That is some league to be in. Short ball from Harshal Patel, dispatched down deep mid-wicket for four. What an incredible shot! What an incredible knock this has been from Thakur! After 17 overs, KKR are 160/5.

David Willey (2/9) returns for his last over. And gets greeted with a Shardul Thakur heave down long off for four. "The kind of shot you can find in the game of Tennis. Almost like a forehand," exclaims one Sunil Gavaskar from the commentary box. That's his highest T20 score now. Seven come off the over. KKR, 147/5 after 16. Umpire signals for the second strategic timeout. 

Back to back sixes for Shardul Thakur off Michael Bracewell. DAMN! Those who watched him bat at Gabba 2021, will see shades off that aggressive batter in those maximums. Fifty partnership up between Thakur and Rinku Singh. 16 runs off the over. 140/5 after 15.

He may have gotten only three deliveries to bat in a rain-shortened first game of the season for KKR, but Shardul Thakur is taking no prisoners in his first home game for his franchise. Got off to a mark with a boundary before amassing three of those in the last over. Rotating the strike as well to ensure no dots are offered to RCB. And that slash off Karn to wrap up the over is just him at his brutal best. KKR, 124/5 after 14 overs.

RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar has just revealed to the broadcasters on air that Reece Topley has been ruled out of IPL 2023 after he sustained a right shoulder injury in the first game against Mumbai Indians. Josh Hazlewood to join RCB camp on April 14 and likely to play against CSK on April 17.

Meanwhile, in the 13th over, Akash Deep gets smacked for back to back boundaries from Shardul Thakur off the first two deliveries. Hundred up for KKR. 12 off the over, or so it seems as the last one is ruled out as a no-ball by the third umpire. A maximum from Thakur over long on to seal a brilliant over for KKR. 19 runs off it. 113/5.

AND ANOTHER ONE FOLLOWS!

Andre Russell, playing his 100th game in the league, hands it straight to long off and KKR are on the backfoot. Karn Sharma is on a hattrick, what a turn of events at the Eden Gardens.

Shardul Thakur comes and bottom edges behind the hattrick ball for a four down long leg. Seven runs come off a successful over for RCB. KKR, 94/5 after 12 overs.

THAT'S THE BIG WICKET RCB WANTED!

He'd got a couple in the last over and Karn Sharma has got one tonight. Rahmanullah Gurbaz going for the reverse sweep, perfectly locates the fielder at short third. KKR four down for 89.

Harshal Patel comes on for a first over this evening. Good running between the wickets from Gurbaz and Rinku Singh to snatch a double. The latter gets his first boundary. That's actually the first boundary by a KKR batter not named Rahmanullah Gurbaz tonight. 87/3 after 11 overs. Can KKR eye 180-190 here? 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz picks up Karn Sharma with a fierce sweep for four and that brings up his half century. His first in the league and a first for KKR in the league this season. KKR will need him to fire for more runs in the middle overs passage. 79/3 after 10 overs.

It's very clear as to the wicket RCB want desperately at the moment. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has had his foot on the pedal from the word go. Bracewell had made the impact in his first over and the Afghan wants to go after him in the next one. In the slot, and slog swept over deep mid wicket for a BIGGIE! Pierces the gap between the fielder on square and long on again to get a boundary down the same region in the over. Takes the single off the last one to keep strike. 71/3, KKR after nine overs. The umpire signals for strategic timeout.

Left-arm spin! Shahbaz Ahmed comes on. And just like Bracewell in the last over, induces an appeal off the first ball. Umpire raises his finger for the lbw. KKR go upstairs. Gurbaz is confident that it hit the hand first. And that is the case. A largely fine over except for the width offered on the off, slapped towards the leg in front of the square for four. Six off the over. 57/3 after eight overs.

Sandip G: Two wobble seamers. Two wickets. David Willey justified his reputation as one of the finest exponents of the wobble-seam deliveries in white-ball cricket. The first of them swung into left-handed Venkatesh Iyer so massively that his bat was a few inches outside the off-stump and the stump crashed onto his leg-stump. Iyer’s eyes almost dropped off its socket. The second wobble-seamer was inch-perfect, a monument of subtlety. It landed on middle and off-stump, more good than full length and swung just a fraction to beat the weak poke of Mandeep Singh and cannoned onto the off-stump.

Michael Bracewell into the attack. A fullish delivery right down the middle to start with and Nitish Rana goes for the reverse sweep but misses it altogether. A third wicket for Bangalore. Four runs come off the over. Fifty up for KKR. 51/3 after seven. 

Willey has been largely accurate and simple so far in his spell, gives just the most marginal of lengths to Gurbaz and the Afghan is so in tune that he latches onto it with a pull down deep mid-wicket for four. The left armer goes for just the two more in his third over. 47/2, KKR after six overs.

Akash Deep comes in for Siraj, goes out almost straightaway as Gurbaz pulls him over short fine for six. AND IT'S A NO BALL AS WELL! There've been far too many off those so far this season. The ball goes down the same territory again in the over, four down short fine. 41/2 after five overs.

Sandip G: The first ball Mohammed Siraj bowled was a ripper. It veered inwardly to the right-handed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and then swung away, late and extravagantly, squaring up the opener from Afghanistan. The  second ball was identical, though without the zipping bounce of the first ball. Dinesh Karthik picked the first in level with his head and the second on one knee and one bounce. A satisfied smile on Siraj’s face. The stage was deliciously set up for his in-swinger. And in-swinger it turned out to be only that it landed on the edge of pitch on Gurbaz’s leg-side, swung further away, and flew past where a wide leg-slip would have been to the fence. The ball had slipped out of his palms, and it was so wide that Karthik did not even give a pretence of a dive. Siraj sheepishly apologised to his teammates, especially the unamused Virat Kohli, who threw a stink eye. Gurbaz, though, could not resist a chuckle.

David Willey from over the wicket to left handed Venkatesh Iyer, cleans him up. RCB have their first wicket!

Next up, Mandeep Singh comes in. AND WILLEY GETS THE BALL TO KISS HIS OFF STUMP! Two wickets in two balls. Both bowled. From over the wicket, with the wobble seam delivery. And guess what, Willey is on a hattrick!

Denied by Nitish Rana but what an over it's been for RCB after 14 runs went in the previous one.

A strong leg side field setup and Siraj gave the Afghan opener opener room outside the off. A whack over covers for four. The next one cuts him in half, Gurbaz manages to get enough bat onto it to get it behind Karthik for another boundary. Another wide one outside off is placed for a third straight four. 14 off the over. KKR, 26/0 after three.

Left arm pace brought in from the other end. It's been an attacking field setup from RCB early on with the movement on offer. Pace off in this over. Just the three run come off it. 12/0 after two.

A good length delivery from Siraj coming over the wicket to start off, slanted in before it nips away from the round hander. Takes it slightly too far down the leg side and Dinesh Karthik is unable to stop it. Five wides. Later in the over, the Afghan opener gets bat onto a wide one outside off to punch it behind point for four. 9/0 after the first over.

"Strap yourself in, folks," proclaims Ian Bishop on-air. The wicket suggests a high scoring encounter coming our way. Two superstar boasting lineups, two franchises with quite a bit of history between them. This should be one fun IPL night. Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are all padded up and ready to go. It was Mandeep Singh, who opened for KKR last game. The RCB XI are in their pre-game huddle as we move closer to that first IPL ball at Eden Gardens after almost four years. 

Dinesh Karthik: There is a good nervous energy around the group which shows that we care, we had a good start, but we also want to keep continuing the same sort of process and momentum we can achieve over a period of games is what's gonna help us through this IPL. This first month is all about making sure you get the process right and not get too ahead of yourself the second month is where it really counts and you need make sure all your guns blazing and have that constant energy through that second month which is always gonna help you cross the line. There's gonna be a lot of support for us, that's one great thing. The pitch, it looks very different to what it could be, so to see how it will behave - is it gonna turn, is it gonna have less bounce or is it gonna be the usual Eden Gardens wicket which obviously has a lot of runs in it. So, we gotta assess that and make sure we got on top of that real quick.

KKR: Mandeep Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.

RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.

Faf du Plessis: Going to have a bowl. Bit of a misunderstanding with the accent there (confusion at the toss). Was dew last night. Hoping it will get skiddy in the second innings. That's a long way away. Today is a completely new game. Really motivated to put in a good performance. Forced change with Topley being injured. Willey comes in.

Nitish Rana: Was looking to bowl as well because of the dew factor. Obviously the Impact Player rule is beneficial then. You can bring in a batter or a bowler per your convenience batting second. One change for us. Anukul is replaced by Suyash. 

Bit of a miscommunication there. Nitish Rana reckons Faf du Plessis called tails but heads it was. RCB have won it and opted to field first. 

The square boundaries are pretty short at the Eden Gardens. Straight boundary is slightly longer at 75 meters from one end. 195 is the average first innings score here over the last nine matches. The team batting first will need to get around that kind of score on this pitch, reckons Danny Morrison. 200 might be the bare minimum.

KKR: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee/Lockie Ferguson, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.

RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Shabaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, David Willey, Mohammed Siraj.

Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel saw some success for India in the most recent T20I at the Eden Gardens. All eyes will be on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy and how early they are brought into the attack against a firing RCB top order featuring Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. It'll also be crucial to see who Bangalore turn to in the spin department following a largely pace heavy bowling attack featuring in their opener against MI.