SHARJAH - For most part of the match, it seemed like Royal Challengers Bangalore would add Kolkata Knight Riders to their list of victims. However, a combination of brilliance on the field from Chris Lynn and an outstanding last over Vinay Kumar provided a late twist in the tale as KKR held their nerves to come out on top by two runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Thursday.
KKR, coming off a loss at the hands of Delhi Daredevils, were put into bat by Virat Kohli. Gautam Gambhir's horror run in the tournament continued as Starc removed him first ball for a third successive duck in as many matches. Manish Pandey cracked a boundary over point off Albie Morkel to introduce himself to the crease before lofting a simple catch to Virat Kohli at covers off the very next ball. Totterring at 10/2, Chris Lynn - playing his first match for KKR, joined Kallis in the middle and the pair guided KKR past 50 in the seventh over.
Lynn welcomed Muttiah Muralitharan - playing his first game of IPL 7 - with two sixes over deep-midwicket to set the ball rolling. Kallis went about his game quietly as Lynn continued being the aggressor. The 24-year-old Australian got a lifeline in the eighth over while batting on 32. Off a flatter delivery from Yuzvendra Chahal, Lynn was caught by Starc at deep midwicket, who in the process touched the boundary rope with his legs.
Kallis and Lynn had put on 80 runs for the third wicket before Lynn perished for 45 picking out AB de Villiers at long-off. Another out of form KKR batsman, Yusuf Pathan survived just two more balls before falling to Aaron for nought as KKR went past 100 in the 14th over. Going at a little more than seven runs per over, Kallis and Robin Uthappa consolidated the innings without further damage.
At 106 for 4 in 15 overs, RCB tightened things and got rid of Kallis for 43 [42b, 2x4, 1x6]. The 38-year-old mistimed an inside out shot to find Yogesh Takawale at sweeper cover giving ligspinner Yuzvendra Chahal his first wicket of the match. Both Uthappa and Surya Kumar Yadav did well to accumulate 16 runs off Mitchell Starc as the run-rate continued to fluctuate.
Aaron struck for a third time getting Uthappa to lob a catch straight down Starc's throat for 22. Towards the end, Yadav's 18-ball 24 got KKR some momentum as Mitchell Starc gave away only eight runs in what turned out to be an exceptional 20th over.
In reply, Parthiv Patel and Yogesh Takawale rose to the occasion and launched an early onslaught on the likes of Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav. Parthiv who took a liking to Morkel generated a few words from the South African fast bowler but it did little to faze him. Takawale added to Morkel's misery clobbering him for six out of the eight fours he scored as the openers brought up the fifty in the seventh over.
The Tripura batsman had raced to 40 before falling leg-before to an off-cutter from Kallis. In the very next over, Parthiv followed Takawale back in the hut after a top edge from the left-hander's bat landed in the hands of Lynn at covers. RCB's men in form Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh took center stage and began to consolidate. Yadav, who came back in the 11th over for his second spell was demolished for a six and a four from Yuvraj and Kohli.
KKR, in order to pull things back, reintroduced Sunil Narine who bowled just a one over in the initial stage of the innings. Both Yuvraj and Kohli played him with caution and simultaneously went after the bowling at the other end. Narine, in his next over, cleaned up Kohli for 31 but one got a feeling it all came a little too late for the 2012 champions. With 10 needed off the last nine balls, Umesh removed Yuvraj (31) to provide a late twist in the tale.
The match was poised for a tense finish with nine needed off the last over and with With AB de Villiers and Albie Morkel at the crease, it was RCB's game. Just when the South African duo looked set to finish the match off, Lynn provided the moment of the match plucking a sensational catch at long-on to dismiss de Villiers (110). RCB failed to score the remaining six runs denying RCB a hat-trick of wins.
Scoreboard
KOLKATA:
JH Kallis c Takawale b Chahal 43
G Gambhir lbw b Starc 0
MK Pandey c Kohli b Morkel 5
CA Lynn c de Villiers b Aaron 45
YK Pathan c Kohli b Aaron 0
RV Uthappa c Starc b Aaron 22
SA Yadav not out 24
R Vinay Kumar c Morkel b Starc 4
EXTRAS: (b 1, lb 2, w 4) 7
TOTAL: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 150
FOW: 1-1, 2-10, 3-90, 4-90, 5-107, 6-129, 7-150
BOWLING: MA Starc 4-0-33-2, JA Morkel 2-0-21-1, VR Aaron 4-0-16-3, M Muralitharan 2-0-25-0, YS Chahal 4-0-26-1, AB Dinda 4-0-26-0.
BANGALORE:
PA Patel c Lynn b Vinay Kumar 21
YV Takawale lbw b Kallis 40
V Kohli b Narine 31
Yuvraj Singh c Pathan b UT Yadav 31
AB de Villiers c Lynn b Vinay Kumar 11
JA Morke not out 6
MA Starc not out 0
EXTRAS: (lb 5, w 2, nb 1) 8
TOTAL: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 148
FOW: 1-67, 2-67m, 3-122, 4-141, 5-145
BOWLING: UT Yadav 4-0-40-1, M Morkel 4-0-34-0, SP Narine 4-0-17-1, R Vinay Kumar 4-0-26-2, JH Kallis 4-0-26-1
TOSS: Bangalore
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pak), VA Kulkarni (Ind)
TV UMPIRE: AK Chaudhary (Ind)
MATCH REFEREE: AJ Pycroft (Zim)