Live Blog - Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings - Kohli, Karthik star as RCB score first win

A Kohli masterclass in front of a packed Bengaluru crowd. A last-over thriller. An RCB win.

Everything that Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans would have wanted from their team’s first home game, they got it. But, it didn’t come without a scare.

For the longest time, Virat Kohli – the chasemaster – had things under control. Chasing 177, he had the M Chinnaswamy crowd dancing to his tunes as he smashed the Punjab Kings bowlers all around the park smashing a 49-ball 77.

Till he didn’t.

Harpreet Brar’s frugal spell following up from Kagiso Rabada’s two-wicket haul had RCB in a spin. The crowd was silenced. Will RCB become the first team this IPL to lose a home game?

Enter finisher Dinesh Karthik.

His bio says he is 38. You wouldn’t believe him seeing him move around the crease. With RCB requiring 47 off 22, Karthik walked in and smoked an unbeaten 28 off 10 balls, with three fours and two sixes to help RCB take over the line with four balls to spare.

Is there still life in the game? It didn't seem that way not long back. Kohli was all over Kings. Even when the pressure was mounting, Kohli thrashed Harshal for two back to back fours to ease the tension. He had things in control. Until he didn't.

Kohli saw the ball short and wide and went for a slash. But that slash landed right in Brar's lap who was placed superbly somewhere between deep point and deep third. Kohli was livid, he was frustrated.

Sam Curran then got rid of Anuj Rawat with a slower ball catching him right in front and there was dead silence at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sometimes all a left-arm spinner needs to do is bowl a wicket-to-wicket line. Simple stuff. No big variations, no mystery spin. And that’s all that Harpreet did against RCB.

Four overs, 13 runs, two wickets and that’s when Virat Kohli was on a rampage.

The lengths were key to Brar’s success. Sixteen of the 24 balls he bowled were on a length. He kept the speed on the quicker side, and more importantly, never gave the batters a chance to get under. Both his wickets came off the length ball.

Patidar, frustrated at not getting anything away, tried to get under one. He couldn’t and saw his stumps in a mess. Glenn Maxwell then went back to one, and could only get an under-edge back onto his stumps. Brar did not concede a single boundary in his four-over spell. In fact, he only went for one double. The rest of it was all singles.

Hemant Brar has this from us right from the ground: When was the last time you saw Virat Kohli bat like this? Perhaps never.

He got a reprieve when he was yet to open his account. But since then, it has been a treat to watch him. That cover-drive off Sam Curran. That lofted drive off Rabada. That six over extra against Rahul Chahar. By the end of four overs, he had hit eight boundaries – the joint-most by an RCB batter in the first four overs.

And it was not blind hitting. With Kohli, it rarely is. When Arshdeep Singh slipped in a slower ball, Kohli delayed his shot and opened the face at the last moment to steer it past Bairstow at first slip. He reached his fifty in 31 balls – his 100th score of 50 or more in T20s. But there was no celebration – just a thumbs up to the dressing room in response to the applause he received.

Punjab Kings have managed to stem the flow of runs after Kohli went on a rampage early. Rabada sent back Cameron Green as well, while Curran, Harpreet Brar and Harshal Patel followed up well. Again, the lengths were what did the trick. Curran mixed his pace well, while Harpreet kept his line wicket to wicket. Harshal went full and off-pace as RCB slowed down. But wickets will be key here. And that's what Kings will desperately want.

Kagiso Rabada has had the wood over Faf du Plessis in the IPL and he's done it again. It was a full ball around 137kph on the stumps. Du Plessis clears his front leg and looks to go down-town, but can only manage a top-edge with mid-on taking a simple catch.

Rabada vs du Plessis in the IPL: Balls 15 | Runs 16 | Wickets 3 | Average 5.33

Hemant Brar has this nugget for us from the ground: The Chinnaswamy had gone a bit quiet towards the end of Punjab Kings’ innings as Shashank Singh carted Alzarri Joseph for 20 in the final over. That lifted Kings to 176. Yes, there was some movement early on and Mayank Dagar got an odd one to turn, but it still seems a below-par total. Sam Curran, too, found movement early on and got Kohli to nick one to first slip. But the ball came too fast for Bairstow to react and burst through his hands. It seemed he was standing just next to the wicketkeeper – the first slip is generally positioned behind the keeper. Kings cannot afford such lapses. Kohli hit three more boundaries in the over, and just like that the Chinnaswamy faithful have found their voice, and they go Aaar Ceee Beee, Aaar Ceee Beee.

The scorecard will show four fours and an explosive start for Virat Kohli, but Sam Curran should have had him for a second-ball duck. Curran drew an outside edge first ball with a fuller-length ball outside off towards short third. The next ball, he went closer drawing Kohli into a drive. The edge carried at a comfortable height to Bairstow at first slip but the ball burst through his hands for four. Interestingly, Bairstow was standing right in line to the keeper. The first slip is generally a little behind.

With a reprieve, Kohli was away. He drove Curran through covers, then clipped his past short fine leg before creaming a half-volley through covers to make it 16 runs off the first over.

That is some excellent death bowling from the RCB bowlers, but Shashank Singh's last over burst has helped Punjab Kings reach 176 for 6. Alzarri Joseph conceded just seven off the 17th over and even the one four he went for was through an inside-edge. Sam Curran then struck Yash Dayal for two fours, but it was Dayal who had the last laugh getting rid of Curran with a short ball with Anuj Rawat taking a fine one-handed catch.

Siraj bowled a sensational 19th over conceding just four runs and picking the wicket of Jitesh. He used the two-bouncer rule to his advantage and mixed his lengths superbly.

Just when it seemed Punjab might not reach a par total, Shashank stepped up. There might have been a mix-up with his name in the auction, but he showed why Kings were so eager to pick him. First ball of the final over, Joseph went on a length and too straight and Shashank nonchalantly flicked him imperiously over square leg. He then brought out the hook over midwicket followed by a slash past short third. Joseph came back well but Kings still managed to post a competitive score.

He's started off well slamming Mayank Dagar for two successive sixes, and is one of the best finishers going around. How many can Punjab conjure in the last four overs? They need a big finish.

Prabhsimran Singh looked good while he was around. He struck Cameron Green for a delicious flicked 90m six over square leg, before Shikhar Dhawan let loose crashing Mayank Dagar over long-on. Glenn Maxwell was then pummelled for a six by Prabhsimran but the bowler had the last laugh as he ended his innings on 25.

Liam Livingstone came in and tried to up the scoring rate against the spinners. He hammered Maxwell for a six and four, but it was the pace of Alzarri Joseph that did him in. The ball was short and wide, and Livingstone, like he so often does, swung for the hills. All he could manage was a thick edge to the keeper.

The very next ball it was Dhawan who perished for a 37-ball 45 caught at long-on with Maxwell absolutely pumped. Just when Kings seemed to be gaining some momentum, all the work has been undone.

From overs 12 to 14

On one of the best batting strips in the country, Yash Dayal has just come in and bowled three overs for ten runs in the powerplay. It was the lengths that did the job for him. He kept the ball short of a good length 12 out of 18 times and went for just four runs with those. There was not a lot of swing on offer, but he made sure to keep the ball as close to the batter, not giving much room.

Dayal doesn't have the happiest of memories at Chinnaswamy (I mean which bowler does). The only other T20 game was against RCB last year when he was with Gujarat Titans and conceded 1 for 39 off his four overs. He's quickly learned and come back well. Now to finish off.

Hemant Brar, our eyes and ears from the ground pings: The match didn’t start on a good note for RCB as Glenn Maxwell gifted the visitors a boundary off the first ball when he dived over the ball at mid-off. But since then the fielding has been top-notch. Dinesh Karthik put in a sliding stop early on. Virat Kohli has been patrolling in the covers, always looking to attack the ball, and getting the crowd going. Yash Dayal then made a great stop at deep third. And just now Karthik nailed a direct hit. That’s exactly the kind of support the bowlers need, especially at the Chinnaswamy.

Jonny Bairstow's indifferent form continues. He gets off the mark with a heave wide of mid-on for his first four and follows it up with a crash through point, but falls the very next ball. It was a length ball on off which Bairstow wanted to deposit through the on-side. But, he could only manage a top-edge for Kohli to take a simple catch around short cover.

Prabhsimran Singh comes in at No. 3 and starts up with a solid punch down the ground, while Dayal continues to impress with another two-run over.

A four first ball, which really should have been a single. Not a lot of swing on offer for Mohammed Siraj who goes on the fuller side just outside off. Dhawan drives to the right of Glenn Maxwell at mid-off, who dives over the ball. Yash Dayal follows up with a stellar second over, going for just a couple of runs.

Five games in and no home team has lost a game so far. RCB will dearly want to continue with that trend. Their fans have flocked in huge numbers. There is still close to 20 minutes to go for play to start and the ground is packed to the rafters with the red RCB flags in abundance. There should be some early swing available for Siraj, who along with Yash Dayalwill want to extract some advantage. A big opening stand is what Kings will be eyeing with Dhawan and Bairstow. The average first-innings score in Bengaluru last year was 196, so a big first innings is essential for Kings.

It is a centre pitch that they are playing on today. The boundaries are 60m square on either side and 70m straight down the ground. The pitch, as expected, looks a belter.

Not long before the start. As we wait how about you go through Hemant Brar's preview for the game.

Much to the delight of the home fans who have packed the stadium. Both teams are unchanged. Faf du Plessis, however, did say that they might make a change or two in the substitutes. He also said they will have to be wary of not losing wickets in clusters. Shikhar Dhawan also wanted to field first, but is happy to do whatever is in front of him.

RCB Playing XI: Faf du Plessis (capt), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal

Subs: Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Swapnil Singh

Punjab Kings Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Johnny Bairstow, Prabhsmran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar

Subs: Arshdeep Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Tanay Thyagarajan, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa

Did I just type comforts of home first up? Most teams do love to play at home, but that hasn’t always been the case with RCB who will play three back-to-back games starting today. The numbers suggest they have rarely been fully at home here. Playing in Bengaluru, they have 40 wins and as many losses. Compare this with Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk - 46 wins and 19 losses - or Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede - 49 wins and 29 losses - and the difference is stark. Perhaps it is no coincidence that when they made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, from 2020 to 2022, they did not play a single match at the Chinnaswamy. Hemant Brar has more on this.