Ajinkya Rahane started his captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with a solid 56 off 31 runs, forming a strong partnership with Sunil Narine, who scored 44 off 26. Despite a promising start at 107 for 2 after ten overs, KKR struggled to add runs, finishing with only 67 in the second half. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Krunal Pandya led a comeback, taking three key wickets. Suyash Sharma contributed by dismissing Andre Russell. Josh Hazlewood restricted KKR’s early runs, while Rahane aggressively accelerated the innings. Ultimately, RCB’s bowlers secured a tight grip, leaving KKR with a challenging chase ahead.
The slowdown in runs towards the end mirrored how Josh Hazlewood compelled KKR to start slowly. The opening three overs yielded just nine runs and the wicket of Quinton de Kock. The new ball behaved erratically, decreasing in pace and bouncing inconsistently.
Once Rahane settled in following a leg-side gift, the subsequent seven overs produced 98 runs. Rahane was relentless, minimizing the value of his wicket and seizing every opportunity to take risks. Narine transformed his score from 1 off eight balls to 43 off the following 18 balls he faced, including a remarkable performance against his former teammate, the legspinner Suyash, who he treated like an offspinner.
Krunal, however, stabilized the innings after Narine fell to Rasikh Salam. He even experimented with bouncers in a spell where he frequently altered his pace. Two of his three wickets came from being bowled, showcasing his remarkable accuracy.
Hazlewood and Yash Dayal executed a fantastic finish for RCB, setting what appeared to be an easily attainable target, assuming Narine and Varun Chakravarthy would not inflict too much damage.