RCB vs KKR, IPL 2020 HIGHLIGHTS: ABD-delivers as ruthless Bangalore dismantle hapless Knight Riders

RCB vs KKR, IPL 2020 HIGHLIGHTS: ABD-delivers as ruthless Bangalore dismantle toothless Knight Riders&nbsp | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspPTI

It took a historic century partnership between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to register one of their biggest wins over two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday. Fresh from registering a historic win over MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their previous fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 13, Kohli’s brigade continued their hunt of decimating the darlings of the tournament as RCB outclassed Dinesh Karthik's KKR on matchday 28 of the cash-rich league at the monumental Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Going with the developing trend of skippers opting to bat first, RCB's charismatic leader won the toss and elected to bat at the batting-friendly strip of the famous Sharjah arena. Making sure that RCB get off to a blazing start, openers Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal went after the potent KKR bowling unit spearheaded by Pat Cummins in the powerplay. Finch and Padikkal started RCB's proceedings by taking the attack on the KKR pacers. 

Finch flexes muscles with gritty 47

Returning to scoring ways after series of forgetful knocks, the RCB opener and Australia's limited-overs skipper played a crucial 47-run knock and laid the foundation of a challenging total at Sharjah. Batting on a pitch that was slowing down, Finch remained keen on giving RCB a bright start with his partner in crime Padikkal. Finch was three-short of scoring another gritty half-century when he was removed by pacer Prasidh Krishna in the 13th over.  

(All photos: PTI)

King Kohli stays 'slow and steady' at Sharjah   

Dubbed as bowlers' graveyard, the Sharjah strip was no longer a batsmen's paradise for RCB skipper Kohli, who had to hustle hard on a slowing down pitch in order to plunder runs. Complacent in playing the role of a second-fiddle, Kohli turned comfortable singles into quick doubles to keep the scoreboard ticking for the Bengaluru-based franchise. Talking about Kohli's hardships at Sharjah, the RCB skipper was ecstatic after earning his first and only boundary in the 19th over. The run machine remained unbeaten on 33 off 28 balls.  

Welcome to the ABD show, take a seat  

Skipper Kohli had to take the backseat at Sharjah as De Villiers aka Mr 360 went bonkers on KKR bowlers by orchestrating an all-out attack. From finding gaps effortlessly to clobbering maximums which might've dented a couple of vehicles nearby the stadium, De Villiers played a gem of an innings to propel RCB towards a matchwinning total. 

An innings studded with six sixes and five fours, De Villiers dismantled the KKR bowling unit with his unbeaten 73 off 33 balls. De Villiers along with RCB skipper Kohli scripted history with their tenth 100-run stand, the most by any batting pair in the IPL.     

In a batsmen's world, Sundar continues to shine

Spin wizard Washington Sundar continued his sublime run with the leather as the RCB bowler kept things airtight for the formidable KKR batting lineup in a contest which was tipped to be a high-scoring spectacle. While Yuzvendra Chahal (1/12) remained economical, Sundar troubled KKR batsmen the most with his spin wizardry. He first removed Nitish Rana before getting the better of Eoin Morgan to put RCB in the driving seat. Sundar bagged two wickets and gave 20 runs in his quota of four overs. Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will next play Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Thursday.