Here is how the IPL clash between Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore went down on Sunday at Rajkot...
Live updates
Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina says openers played really well and then they didn't lose focus. No idea about Aaron Finch's fitness, which is a bit sad. He has been the pick of the Lions so far this tournament.
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain and Man of the Match Virat Kohli loses the match but gets acknowledged for his super effort with the bat. He says the target had always been 170+. Says Chris Gayle should be back for the next game, but admits batting has not really been their biggest concern. Says he'd rather have won than be wearing that Orange Cap. Yes, you say that now, Virat, but this colour is all the rage; maybe it'll seep into the shoes of Baz and Smith for next game.
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And Watson has only himself to blame in the end for bowling two extras with 7 to defend off a crunch final over. The Gujarat Lions were always very much in the chase after openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum dazzled — with their fashion footwear just as much — and burgled 72 runs in the first six overs of the Powerplay. And the way Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik then went on to bat sensibly and run hard, the middle period ended up belonging to the Lions too. But Royal Challengers kept plugging away with wickets to keep the pressure on, but Dwayne Bravo was like, "What's this thing you call pressure, mon?"
It's sad, though, that Virat Kohli's classy maiden T20 ton went in vain. He and K.L. Rahul had done really well to notch up 180, battling injury, heat and a spin fusillade.
"Aaye, aaye, chaaye, chaaye, Game Maari Chhe, Ho Game Maari Chhe" ☺ Top of the table! >#GameMaariChhe>#GLvRCB>pic.twitter.com/5pODDEV9zK
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) >April 24, 2016
GL 186/4 after 19 overs (D Karthik 50 off 39 | D Bravo 4 off 1 || win by 6 wickets)
And now Watson running in to bowl the final over. And oh no, Watto! Is this any time to overstep, and then look bemused at being called for a no-ball? 6 needed off 6 . But Karthik can't get it through to the boundary, just a single. 5 off 5 . And now, Watto beats Jadeja's stretching bat and it gets called a wide. 4 off 5 . All going wrong for RCB at the end here. But wait! Sir Jadeja (12 from 10) has gone and pushed this next one into the 'keeper's hands. 4 off 4 . But Bravo is itching to do the Champion dance, and he just biffs it down the ground for four . Game maari che , indeed!
GL 174/3 after 19 overs (D Karthik 36 off 33 | R Jadeja 10 off 7 || need 7 from 6 balls)
Karthik sweeps a crucial lofted four through Fine-leg to welcome Abdulla into his final over. Batsmen continuing to run well and convert singles into twos. And Karthik is making sweeping everything here as Abdulla attacks with an off-stump line. And wow. Karthik now blazes the last ball of the over for four past a sprinting Long-on fielder... and "Game maari che" starts playing on TV. This game now does look in the Lions' grasp. Just 7 needed from 6 balls, after that 14-run over.
GL 160/3 after 18 overs (D Karthik 36 off 33 | R Jadeja 10 off 7 || need 21 from 12 balls)
Oh what a drop. Richardson puts Karthik down on his follow-through after bowling an exquisite slower one. He's been quite expensive this match too — economy rate of 14 runs an over. Now, Karthik drives one with power, beats Cover but runs into ABD patrolling the boundary like a boss. Richardson tops the great over off with another slower delivery, a dot-ball, on Karthik's body. Just 6 runs off it.
GL 154/3 after 17 overs (D Karthik 33 off 29 | R Jadeja 8 off 5 || need 27 from 18 balls)
And Jadeja gets one in the slot to bash high up into cow-corner for six . Then the batsmen run some good singles and twos to loot 12 runs off the Abdulla over.
GL 142/3 after 16 overs (D Karthik 29 off 27 | R Jadeja 1 off 1 || need 39 from 24 balls)
Now, the fifty partnership comes up between these two batsmen. Raina and Karthik have negotiated the RCB attack well, running well between the wickets, smashing the odd boundary here and there to keep the momentum going, though they have given a few chances too. But now, Chahal has Raina (28 from 24) slicing a wide one high and into Abdulla's hands at Long-off. And Sir Jadeja is in now.
Finch is yet to come. It looks like his batting entry is delayed by the fact that he left the field for a bit during the RCB innings.
GL 136/2 after 15 overs (D Karthik 25 off 24 | S Raina 27 off 22 || need 45 from 30 balls)
Now Shamsi has a run-out chance as Karthik is desperate to get to the striker's end and is sent back in time. Then off the last ball, Shamsi has Karthik edging one back but too far from him to catch.
GL 130/2 after 14 overs (D Karthik 20 off 21 | S Raina 26 off 19 || need 51 from 36 balls)
Watto bowling quite tight here, changing pace, pushing those cutters through. But Raina now just practically pushes the ball into the Square-leg boundary for four to ease the pressure here. 9 runs off the over, but Required Run-rate still hovers around the 8.50-per-over mark.
GL 121/2 after 13 overs (D Karthik 17 off 18 | S Raina 20 off 16 || need 60 from 42 balls)
Watson is showing signs of sluggishness here. The batsmen get 8 runs just by running between the wickets amid the otherwise tight over from Chahal. Watto was twice guilty of giving away a run where there should have been none. The batsmen are taking advantage of the large outfield and running these well. And the equation is looking comfortable for the hosts barring any untoward wickets. Remember, Shamsi still has overs left yet.
GL 113/2 after 12 overs (D Karthik 13 off 15 | S Raina 15 off 12 || need 68 from 48 balls)
Richardson bowling intelligently here. Forces an inside-edge from Raina. Then Karthik waits and hacks at a slower one, and sends the edge running away towards Third-man, mishits an attempted hoick to Short-Midwicket. But Raina now slaps one through ABD at Long-off for four . 11 came off that one, in the end.
GL 102/2 after 11 overs (D Karthik 9 off 12 | S Raina 10 off 10 || need 79 from 54 balls)
Karthik gets an edge down to Third-man. Shamsi is always going to be in with a chance with these googlies. But Raina hops out to pitch of the ball and hammers it down the ground for four . Tries a similar shot next ball, but — guess what. Yep. A googly. Deceives him with flight and turn and Raina narrowly escapes an LBW. Yet another instance of dancing (down the track) saving one's life.
GL 95/2 after 10 overs (D Karthik 0 off 3 | S Raina 5 off 6 || need 86 from 60 balls)
There's going to be movement off the deck now, as a length ball from Watson kicks off a puff of dust. The next one, Karthik hacks at through Backward Point for four . The next one, though, finds Karthik fending/parrying high over his right shoulder, to send it ballooning up but falling safely to Short Extra Cover.
GL 87/2 after 9 overs (D Karthik 0 off 3 | S Raina 5 off 6 || need 94 from 66 balls)
The Truck-Driver celebration comes out! Shamsi gets McCullum caught & bowled for 42 off 24b, >#GL 87/2 in 8.2 overs >#GLvRCB>#PlayBold
— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) >April 24, 2016
Oh that's the end of Baz. Shamsi gets Brendon McCullum (42 from 24) with a peach of a googly that takes the leading edge and pops back to the bowler himself for a simple catch. Now, he unloads a flurry of googlies on the new batsman Dinesh Karthik.
Tabraiz Shamsi has been brought in now. Bowled beautiful chinaman last match. What can he do now?
GL 83/1 after 8 overs (B McCullum 38 off 22 | S Raina 5 off 6 || need 98 from 72 balls)
Now the field has spread, the batsmen suddenly failing to find the boundary. Just a 5-run over from Abdulla there.
GL 78/1 after 7 overs (B McCullum 35 off 19 | S Raina 3 off 3 || need 103 from 78 balls)
Quiet over. How shocking it is to see a single-digit-run over.
GL 72/1 after 6 overs (B McCullum 33 off 16 | S Raina 0 off 0 || need 109 from 84 balls)
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat kohli looking at bowlers leaking runs and spoiling his 100 >#GLvRCB>pic.twitter.com/Yp2qdVAC2w
— Oye..Guru.. (@gururaj187in) >April 24, 2016
Now, Smith having some trouble with his fancy boots. Someone should've told him nothing that pretty is anything short of high-maintenance. And now, Smith (32 from 21) can kick himself with those boots as he chips a slower one from Richardson straight up and into de Villiers' hands at Short Midwicket. Yikes, Richardson lost the next one down the legside for 5 wides. And now, Wooooooow. Baz is avenging his solemate — swivels with the lubrication of a cartoon-character's hips and pulls a length ball ferociously over Square-leg for six . This one is for your left pixie-shoe, Dwayne . Then, he pulls again for a four through Sarfaraz at Midwicket. This one is for your right pixie-shoe, Dwayne. And then he hoicks one more over Midwicket for six . This one is for your left pixie-shoelace, Dwayne. And now, he just takes a stroll, and meets the ball mid-stride to send it rushing like a tracer bullet into the straight boundary for four . This one is for your right pixie-shoelace, Dwayne. You have been avenged with 25 fierce runs.
GL 47/0 after 5 overs (B McCullum 13 off 12 | D Smith 32 off 19 || need 134 from 90 balls)
Watson rearing in from the Media End, and McCullum takes a step to the front-and-legside to punch it down Long-off for four . Next ball, Baz plays a shot in fast-forward — how quick were those hands — as he tried to get at a full-toss, but gets just an inside-edge.
GL 40/0 after 4 overs (B McCullum 8 off 9 | D Smith 31 off 16 || need 140 from 96 balls)
Iqbal Abdulla to bowl spin in tandem with Chahal. Hang on, even Baz seems to have those retina-puncturing footwear. Sorry for judging you alone, Dwayne. Apology accepted, says Dwayne, gets down on his knees and powers one to the Mid-on boundary for four . Then he cuts through the Covers with another four . Ten off that over. Absolute peach of a start for the Lions here.
If we lose today's match because of you bowlers today, idk what I'll do. >#GLvRCB
— Simran (@ViratKiPagli) >April 24, 2016
GL 31/0 after 3 overs (B McCullum 7 off 8 | D Smith 22 off 11 || need 150 from 102 balls)
Good news, everyone. Kohli is back on the field. Chahal now bowling to Smith with a slip in place. Chahal errs infinitesimally at the bowling crease and the man with the shiny lemon-coloured shoes hoicks him over Midwicket for a barbaric six on the free-hit. Tough no-ball call, there, though — think he had a mouse-whisker sliver of heel behind the crease there.
GL 15/0 after 2 overs (B McCullum 6 off 5 | D Smith 8 off 6 || need 166 from 108 balls)
Soon as he gets a little bit of pace to work with, Dwayne Smith is in his element. Kane Richardson runs in with aggression, and Smith just flicks his forearms to catapult the ball into the Cow-corner stands for six . Ooh, what blindingly fluorescent shoes he has, too. And then Baz swipes Richardson fine, using his pace to squeeze a four through Fine-leg.
GL 3/0 after 1 over (B McCullum 1 off 2 | D Smith 1 off 4 || need 178 from 114 balls)
Yuzvendra Chahal comes in to bowl the first over for RCB. And it's a great one, giving little for either Dwayne Smith or Brendon McCullum to get under or inside. Just three off it.
ABD captaining RCB as Kohli takes a breather, cools off and has someone take a look at his leg cramps/sprain.
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What a finish to the RCB innings there. Gujarat Lions did really well to get the two big fish in Shane Watson and AB de Villiers early. But then, Virat Kohli picked up the gauntlet with K.L. Rahul today, instead of his South-African teammate. It was really hot out there, and the Lions resorted to some quick overs with spinners bowling in tandem through the middle of the innings, and Kohli lost a lot of water from his muscles and, in fact, sprained his ankle. But he still had enough to pack a real punch towards the end and extend the third-wicket partnership to 121 runs, and notching up his maiden hundred in IPL and, indeed, in T20 cricket.
How good does this feel!! What an innings from our captain >@imVkohli ! >#GLvRCB>@RCBTweets>@IPL>#IPL9>@prempanicker>pic.twitter.com/VdBousg3uk
— Nikhil Chinapa (@nikhilchinapa) >April 24, 2016
Kohli says the wicket has been breaking up through the innings. It may be a tough chase. Don't expect the dew to come in too soon, although the hotter the day is, the cooler it gets after sundown in these parts. But when Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith stride, no total will feel safe.
RCB 180/2 after 20 overs (K Rahul 51 off 35 | V Kohli 100 off 63)
Back to back boundaries off the last 2 balls and Virat Kohli gets his first IPL century. What an innings! >#GLvRCB
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) >April 24, 2016
Kohli smacks a full-toss towards Mid-wicket, Rahul doesn't come back for the second even though it's Kohli who's cramping. Now, Rahul swipes like a beast and gets an inside-edge to Long-on. Kohli swishes thin air. Then Kohli bangs it into the stands over cow-corner for six.Now, Kohli lets one go through for a wide. One ball to go, and Kohli needs 4 to get to his first 100 in T20 cricket. And lo and behold! The man slices it through Third-man, one-handed, for a final four . That's a classy moment, watching Kohli exult with a smile. #respect.
Right. How many can RCB muster here?
RCB 163/2 after 19 overs (K Rahul 50 off 34 | V Kohli 85 off 58)
Jadeja slides along the Midwicket boundary and saves a boundary . Kohli now standing and delivering, cracks Kulkarni over the infield through Extra Cover for four . And Rahul gets his fifty in that over too, with Kohli and the partnership nearing 100. They'll be eyeing 180 for sure here with the last over to come. But Bravo it will be, and he's a tricky customer if there ever was one.
RCB 152/2 after 18 overs (K Rahul 49 off 33 | V Kohli 75 off 53)
Now Bravo has Rahul play an awkward leading edge to a slower ball. Yowzer. Bravo has absolutely impaled Kohli with pace, cutting him in half. Bravo would be sad there wasn't an inside edge or something there. Kohli steps down again and muscles one through Cover, but McCullum gets a hand to it and saves 3 runs. Now, Kohli gets a ball that takes ages and ages to get to him, but Kohli waits ages and ages and thwacks it into the air and it falls just short of Midwicket.
Great over to watch, that one.
RCB 144/2 after 17 overs (K Rahul 47 off 31 | V Kohli 69 off 49)
Oof. Kohli whips Praveen Kumar — all wristy elegance — through Mid-wicket, through a misfielding McCullum, for four . And then, Rahul uncocks his wrists for a floaty four through Mid-wicket and then steps out for a one-handed inside-out four through Cover.
RCB 128/2 after 16 overs (K Rahul 38 off 28 | V Kohli 62 off 46)
Bowls this over quite well too, beating Rahul with pace and movement, until the fifth ball. Which goes way back in the stands for six . And then the final one is walloped over Long-off for yet another six . And that's how you turn a 1-run over into a 13-run over.
Kulkarni back into the attack for his third over. He's bowled really well till now, picking up a wicket for just 15 runs from his first two overs.
RCB 115/2 after 15 overs (K Rahul 26 off 23 | V Kohli 61 off 45)
Bravo still giving the batsman something to think about every ball. But Kohli now essays his masterful slice-chop to an attempted yorker through Point for four .
RCB 104/2 after 14 overs (K Rahul 25 off 21 | V Kohli 52 off 41)
Now, Rahul smashes Jakati down the ground for six . Good timing too, run-rate was dropping along with their hydration levesl. And Kohli gets one more fifty in his kitty. Quite a huge kitty, that.
RCB 92/2 after 13 overs (K Rahul 17 off 18 | V Kohli 48 off 38)
Dwayne Bravo in to the attack. Can bowl just as slow as any spinner, although he will have a longer run-up. Rahul strikes a really cool cover drive for four but is troubled with the pace — lack thereof — from Bravo. Just 7 runs come from the over again.
RCB 85/2 after 12 overs (K Rahul 12 off 15 | V Kohli 46 off 35)
Now, Jakati. More spin. Looks like the fielding team is feeling the Rajkot sun, and looking to get their bowling innings done with as soon as possible. And a batsmann is cramping up. Must be dehydrating out there. And Maharashtra is the land with the real water crisis. But statistically speaking, it's yet another tight over — just 4 off it.
RCB 81/2 after 11 overs (K Rahul 10 off 11 | V Kohli 44 off 33)
The overs really slipping through like quicksand now. Tambe and Jadeja bowling really slow but really quickly. Boundaries are few and far between. Kohli nearing yet another fifty.
RCB 75/2 after 10 overs (K Rahul 9 off 8 | V Kohli 41 off 30)
Now, Kohli ungloves those wrists to swat-sweep Tambe for four through Mid-wicket. Had to generate his own power with Tambe bowling real slow. What a show-off. 8 runs come off that one.
RCB 68/2 after 9 overs (K Rahul 7 off 6 | V Kohli 35 off 26)
Jadeja continues. Rahul sees the ball on off-stump and shifts into a reverse-paddle for four .
RCB 60/2 after 8 overs (K Rahul 1 off 2 | V Kohli 33 off 24)
dun matter they succeed in a match or not, but just watching Kohli-DeVilliers together gives me goosebumps. Two perfect batsmen >#GLvRCB>#IPL
— Zulfiqar Ali Soomro (@zeetweets_) >April 24, 2016
Oh, no. Soft dismissal for Tambe in the form of ABD (20 from 16). No century partnership between Kohli and ABD this time. The Saffer batsman just clears one foot to move to the legside and punch inside-out, but finds Raina's cupped hands at Short Cover.
Now, they're having Strategic Timeout in the middle of the Tambe over.
RCB 50/1 after 7 overs (AB de Villiers 17 off 13 | V Kohli 32 off 23)
Sir Jadeja, always wedded to the game — now wedded for real — comes on. Bowls a couple of rippers to de Villiers. Just the 5 off it. Marriage seems to have done him some good.
Watson (6 from 6) came in early, strikes a couple meaty blows and is gone just as soon.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore have always flattered to deceive. The team, boasting of some of the finest powerhitters of the game and one of India’s finest batting talents, have, however, managed to show glimpses of their true potential this season.
Whereas, the Gujarat Lions had their first defeat, and a big one at that, against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match. They would like to believe that it was an oneoff loss and bring their campaign back on track today. Captain Suresh Raina was the mainstay of Gujarat’s batting last time, scoring a 51ball 75.
