Scoring 105 in first six overs, Kolkata's opening pair ensure two-time champions beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in their own backyard to confirm play off spot
Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn
KKR opener Sunil Narine slams one en route to his 57-ball 54 against RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/AFP
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Before Sunday evening's game, the final one at home for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, their fans were handed green flags to wave as part of a Go Green initiative, a ritual followed by the hosts year after year. They should have been given white ones instead, in anticipation of the meek surrender that was to come.
The decapitation came at the hands of two unlikely opening batsmen from Kolkata Knight Riders, this after RCB's famous top-order had again contributed zilch.
Gambhir drops himself down
Chris Lynn returning from a long injury lay off, walked out with Sunil Narine after skipper Gautam Gambhir dropped himself down the order, and the duo immediately set about causing havoc in the RCB ranks.
KKR's Chris Lynn celebrates after reaching his half-century against RCB in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/AFP
Set a somewhat stiff 159 to get, which came about due to the sustained efforts of RCB opener Mandeep Singh and middle order bat Travis Head, KKR, thanks to the enterprise shown by Lynn (50, 22b, 5x4, 4x6) and Narine (54, 57b, 6x4, 4x6), made a mockery of the target, getting home with 4.5 overs and six wickets to spare. In the process, KKR all but confirmed a Play Off place for themselves and a shot at finishing in the top two.
If Lynn started it by taking 14 runs each of the first overs bowled by Aniket Chaudhary and Yuzvendra Chahal, Narine followed up in style and then took charge even. His fellow tweaker and fellow Trinidadian Samuel Badree was slammed for 25 runs, three successive sixes, all over long off, setting the tone.
Next over local lad S Aravind was hammered for 26, Narine bringing up the fastest 50 of this IPL (equaling the fastest in IPL history) with his fourth six. It came off 15 balls and led to hearty congratulations from his partner Lynn, the man who held the record for the current season until then.
Head's 75* goes in vain
With 105 having been amassed in the first 6 overs, the contest was as good as over, putting to waste the earnest effort earlier from Mandeep (52, 43b, 4x4, 1x6) and Head (75 not out, 47b, 3x4, 5x6), after RCB had been invited to bat.
Umesh Yadav, brilliant at the beginning and the man who started RCB's slide with a first ball dismissal of Chris Gayle, bore the brunt of Head's hitting prowess. Two powerfully hit sixes, one of which was huge, meant the final over yielded 21 runs, giving the RCB totally some respectability. Or so we thought.
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