Kings XI vs RCB, 43rd match at Bengaluru, May 05 2017 - Ball by Ball Commentary

11.40pm What a sensational spell that was from Sandeep, swinging the ball with such accuracy and he cashed in on RCB's poor form. Axar had set it up earlier with a cameo (38 off 17) and chipped in with three wickets too. The questions for RCB continue and they're struggling to find answers, like Kohli said. Let's only hope they put in better performances in their remaining matches. Until tomorrow, it's goodbye and good luck from Nikhil and Vishal. Ciao!

Sandeep: It's making me feel great, it's like a dream come true to get those three wickets upfront. I'm very happy. I've been talking to my coaches and especially Viru paaji (Sehwag) who says pitch the ball up and swing the ball both ways, that's your strength. That's what batsmen find difficult to face. Some movement was there and it wasn't a typical Bangalore wicket, it wasn't as flat and I was trying to swing the ball.

Maxwell: We did really well, the history here gave us some confidence. Axar's score gave a good total to defend. Our bowlers did good job in patches. Sandeep has been outstanding, to get those three (Gayle, Kohli, AB) players out in a whole season is a great effort, let alone in one game. We're close and still want to play better, still a lot of things to come. We were a little bit patchy and didn't assess conditions as well as we should have. We were looking for a 180-plus score and didn't go as hard in the last 7-8 overs.

11.24pm A 19-run win for Kings XI while defending 138 against RCB and they stay at fifth while closing in on Sunrisers. Bharath has bombarded me with some stats:

This is the fifth-lowest score defended by Kings XI in a 20-over match and also the first sub-150 total defended at Chinnaswamy in IPL. RCB's ninth loss in 11 matches. Phew!

Kohli: It's really disheartening; I don't know what to say in games like these anymore. It's happening many a times now for our liking. Anything we are trying with the bat is not working, the whole squad is trying to be positive but we're not finding a way to make a big score. Wickets are falling too quickly, I can't pinpoint anything, we're trying to be as positive as we can. Our preparations have been similar to what we did last year, but what matters is what you do on the field and this season has been against what we've wanted. We let ourselves down with the bat once again, I've not seen so many collapses for a team in one season. We didn't plan anything specific against any bowler. AB smokes those balls more often than not (to the ball he got out). Sandeep bowled really well, he pitched it in the right areas. You don't really understand what to do in times like these.

"Presenation ceremonies shouldnt be mandatory, organisers should let Kohli walk back to his hotel room in peace. Its so hard for the captain to explain everyday what went wrong." Well said, Kahlona

Bhargav: "What total is a good total for RCB to chase down? Just asking" worth asking at the presentation

24 from 12 now. Mohit it is

Hat-trick ball

Axar is back

Third man in the circle

33 from 24, here's Mohit. Axar has two left, Maxwell has one