RESULT
48th match (N), Eden Gardens, May 16, 2016, Indian Premier League

RCB won by 9 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
75* (51)
virat-kohli
Cricinfo's MVP
68.62 ptsImpact List
ab-de-villiers
New
RCB
Full commentary

Phew, my fingers are numb. What a chase! Tomorrow's a new day, and hope we'll have another cracking game. Do join us then. Cheers!

Kohli is the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 51-ball 75. "It was a tricky chase because the wicket was a bit sticky. I knew I had to stay in. We spoke about that. Again, with AB coming out and taking the chase along with me, it feels wonderful. We haven't always played well in Kolkata, but it feels great that we'll carry this win to Bangalore. I was scared while I walked off the field, my webbing was split badly, but I told the physio I had to go out and bat at any cost. You asked me two games back how we love the situation we find ourselves in, and I told you we love it. There are no room for errors. We have momentum at the right time now, we just want to continue it. I told ABD we have to take the team home and he responded saying 'Yes, we will.' He never lets pressure get on to me. We run well between the wickets, and the opposition gets unsettled. It's a big split, my hand is starting to pain now, looks like I've got get seven or eight stitches. I don't mind even 10 stitches as long as we keep winning.

11:20pm RCB are up to fifth now, as the race for the playoff hots up. Streaks of lightning across Eden Gardens, as the RCB players continue to celebrate what has been another superb win. It was the Kohli-AB show again - the pair brought up their fifth century stand this season - but don't forget Chris Gayle's contribution. He set the chase up with some fireworks upfront, and as his innings progressed, there were shades of his dominating past that augers well for RCB going forward.

Gambhir: I thought it was a good wicket, and we needed 180-190. We were there in the game, but I dropped a crucial catch. We could have put some pressure had I taken that. I knew they would come hard at us, but our bowlers gave everything. We knew RCB were a quality chasing side. Andre Russell is a very crucial player for us, hope his injury isn't serious.

How good is your knowledge of T20 cricket? As good as Virat Kohli's T20 batting in 2016? Then do play CricIQ Season 4.

18.4
4
Chawla to de Villiers, FOUR runs

paddled past short fine, and those are the winning runs. Make no mistake, this has been a shellacking for the Knight Riders

Chawla to complete the over

Pomil Proch: "I like to read a lot of fiction and sometimes when I am reading the commentary on cricinfo whle Kohli is batting, I get the feeling that I am still reading fiction, such consistency surely seems a fictional concept. GOAT "

Chandrashekhar: "If RCB win with an over to go, should Kohli still be penalized for slow over-rate?" Good question

18.3
1
Russell to Kohli, 1 run

drilled down the ground to long-on, Russell seems to have done some damage to his knee. Or is it the ankle? He slipped on his followthrough again. He's walking off the field. Doesn't look good.

Kohli calls for some water and some towels to wipe his sweat. Gambhir isn't amused

18.2
2
Russell to Kohli, 2 runs

yorker on middle and leg, squeezed to cover. Oh dear, they sneak another one on the overthrow. Poor awareness, the bowler was caught napping

pramod: "RCB dugout should order some machines for next season just to clap for each and every ball. If not they will get exhausted and may field poorly"

18.1
6
Russell to Kohli, SIX runs

bowling change or no bowling change, it doesn't matter! DreRuss floats it full outside off from wide of the crease, Kohli rotates his wrists to pick it over the midwicket boundary. He had to fetch it from well outside off, effortlessly done

David Warner on Twitter: I should just copy and paste from now on about how good @imVkohli & @ABdeVilliers17 #worldsbest

end of over 1816 runs
RCB: 173/1CRR: 9.61 RRR: 5.50
AB de Villiers55 (30b 4x4 3x6)
Virat Kohli66 (48b 5x4 2x6)
Ankit Rajpoot 3-0-28-0
Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-39-0

dylan: "I feel that in the same way in football it's Messi v Ronaldo, in cricket it is Kohli v AB de Villiers. People in football always wonder what would happen when Messi and Ronaldo play together, this is crickets equivalents and we are actually privileged enough to witness it. Thank you RCB for buying these two. "

17.6
4
Rajpoot to de Villiers, FOUR runs

the French cut this time. Goes for a yorker, nothing wrong with the intention, but it was angling down leg. AB swings, gets a bottom edge that sneaks through his legs and into the fine leg boundary

17.5
2
Rajpoot to de Villiers, 2 runs

lofted over the infield to Surya at deep midwicket. RCB dugout must be tired of applauding these strokes now. Exhilarating

17.4
1
Rajpoot to Kohli, 1 run

another full toss, but Kohli didn't have the room to swing through the line this time, gets it down to long-on

17.4
2nb
Rajpoot to de Villiers, (no ball) 1 run

oversteps, and not, it wasn't the height in question. AB swipes the full toss to long-off. Free-hit time

17.3
1
Rajpoot to Kohli, 1 run

takes it on the full, driven to long-off

17.2
2
Rajpoot to Kohli, 2 runs

full toss on middle, mistimes the swing towards midwicket, the man in the deep had to run in a long way to stop that

Tejdeep: "Kohli just surpassed the most runs in IPL beating Gayle's previous best of 733 runs in 2012 season. Whaddaa playa!!!!"

17.1
4
Rajpoot to Kohli, FOUR runs

he's whiplashed that length ball from around the stumps into the boundary at wide long-on. Walks across to make room and then uses his wrists to go onside when he could have so easily gone over cover.

Ankit Rajpoot into the attack

end of over 1713 runs
RCB: 157/1CRR: 9.23 RRR: 9.00
AB de Villiers48 (27b 3x4 3x6)
Virat Kohli58 (44b 4x4 2x6)
Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-39-0
Sunil Narine 4-0-34-1
16.6
2
Shakib to de Villiers, 2 runs

walks across the stumps and slog sweeps it towards deep midwicket. Run-a-ball? Doesn't matter, they wull still take two

16.5
4
Shakib to de Villiers, FOUR runs

fires it full and wide, AB looks to cut but gets a thick outside edge that beats short third man

16.4
1
Shakib to Kohli, 1 run

rocket hit to the man at the edge of the circle at cover, Kohli's nerves, I'm afraid, will pop out any time soon

16.3
1
Shakib to de Villiers, 1 run

sees AB walk across and floats it wide outside off, thumped to sweeper cover

16.2
1
Shakib to Kohli, 1 run

driven with the spin to long-off

16.1
4
Shakib to Kohli, FOUR runs

tossed up outside off, Kohli reverse sweeps that fiercely past short third man. Get it back, please

end of over 169 runs
RCB: 144/1CRR: 9.00 RRR: 10.00
AB de Villiers41 (24b 2x4 3x6)
Virat Kohli52 (41b 3x4 2x6)
Sunil Narine 4-0-34-1
Shakib Al Hasan 3-0-26-0
15.6
6
Narine to de Villiers, SIX runs

why worry when there's AB, Virat should be telling himself instead of being cross at himself. Shots like these should calm him down. AB gets across and under the flight before slog sweeping that into the deep backward square leg boundary. Picked the bones out of that one

15.5
1
Narine to Kohli, 1 run

slapped to sweeper cover, Kohli slaps his pad with the bat in disgust

15.4
Narine to Kohli, no run

looks like he's tiring here. Looks to slog sweep, but misses as the ball deflects off the pad towards Uthappa. Kohli was outside the crease for split second but managed to get back into the crease in time. Match awareness

Win Probability
RCB 100%
KKRRCB
100%50%100%KKR InningsRCB Innings

Over 19 • RCB 186/1

RCB won by 9 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
Powered by Smart Stats
AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
RCB Innings
<1 / 3>

Indian Premier League

TEAMMWLPTNRR
GL149518-0.374
RCB1486160.932
SRH1486160.245
KKR1486160.106
MI147714-0.146
DC147714-0.155
RPS1459100.015
KXIP144108-0.646