KXIP 155 (19.2 Ovs)
RCB 159/6 (19.3 Ovs)
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 4 wkts
After losing 11 games with de Villiers in the side, RCB finally win one. Don't let that dizzy you too much; life hasn't always been rewarding. And to add to your astonishment, this was also a home victory for RCB after going six games without a win at Chinnaswamy last year. A homecoming in more ways than one, and Virat will hope this continues into the next game for them, which is here, day after, against Rajasthan. But we'll see you before that, at the double-header tomorrow. Until then, this is Pratyush Sinha logging off alongside Hari Sadanandan, Nikhil Jadhav, Nagaraju, Kumar Abhisekh Das and Pradeep. Sleep tight, ta-ta!
Umesh Yadav - Player of the Match: I was backing myself and my strengths, bowling quick at the stumps. Whatever you want, you do it is what Kohli and the coach tells. They want me to bowl with pace and attack the stumps, and not worry about the variations. This pitch was slow; Kolkata pitch was quick, where the back of a length ball was kicking. If you bowl on a length here then the ball was skidding and that helped me. I think I enjoyed Yuvraj Singh's wicket the most.
Virat Kohli: Very happy. First home game is crucial. Last year, we couldn't get off to a start. Crowd has a lot of expectations, and tonight was a game we wanted badly, especially in the initial stages of the tournament. We knew new ball will come on nicely, and the batsmen hit some good shots. Umesh bowled well; getting three wickets in an over is great. Our mindset is - we want our best bowlers to step up and get confident early on. When only five are playing, you have to hit your areas well. They have done well. I think 170 would have been par. (The pitch is) Slightly better than the last year but against the older ball, middle overs can be difficult. We have lost two wickets in two balls in the last two games, so we have to work on them. Maybe stitch a little partnership. Back to back wickets pushes you back in the eight ball.
AB de Villiers: Really wanted to get over the line. Wanted to be not out in the end but feel sorry that I got out and put pressure on the lower order batsmen. I love guiding the team to victory being unbeaten, unfortunately couldn't do that. Anyways, credit to their bowling unit. The wicket was little bit on the slower side and Yuzi (Chahal) and Sundar bowled well. They got the important wickets and got the momentum our way at half stage. It's a really special place to play cricket - the Chinnaswamy. Get a lot of crowd support here. We didn't have a good season last year but we are going to make up for it this year.
Ravichandran Ashwin: "(On the result) I am really proud of the way the boys fought. Always thought we had our backs against the wall because we were about 20-30 short. Still we fought hard and I am proud of the guys. (If the toss is crucial this season) Cannot always depend on the tosses, tournaments are won on good performances. (Whether the RCB top order is intimidating) Not that intimidating to be honest, pressure is on them actually due to their reputations. I thought our boys did well by putting in a good effort. (On captaincy) It's good so far, I am really enjoying it. Cannot ask for anything better from the boys. (If KXIP are spin-heavy) I think the best bowlers are still going to be the best ones. This wicket wasn't exactly great for spin bowling with the dew around but we showed them what we are capable of. At the end of the day, good bowlers are still good bowlers."
11:39pm local: Quite a match that weaved around Mujeeb and his fluctuating fortunes, you'd have to say. Aged seventeen, he turned the match around with Kohli's wicket and what followed were fears, of another RCB disappointment. And all that was blown away out of a petri dish, when de Villiers laid into Mujeeb, actuating an unravelling that set the home side for a win. Ashwin, who's having a heated chat with the umpire, was left-field with his captaincy, marshalling a troop of burgeoning spinners, but the batsmen never had enough on board -- even if Chinnaswamy is, now, a fading replica of the bowlers' morgue that it used to be.
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