After winning the toss Kings XI Punjab started to bowl, and RCB was looking good from the start as openers Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel concluded the first over with 12 runs. However, at the start of 2nd over Punjab had their 1st chance to stop Kohli at 3, but Hardus Viljeon dropped the, and this costed KXIP 2 back-to-back 4’s from Kohli in the same over. Ankit Rajpoot balls back-to-back No-Ball’s in the next over conceding 8 runs to the hosts. However, Punjab made their comeback in the next over, as Kohli (13 out; 8b, 2X4) met with the same fate, and chipped the ball to Mandeep Singh, who took a comfortable catch, Royal Challengers Bangalore, 35-1 after, 3.1 overs. Parthiv Patel (43 out; 24b; 7X4, 2X6) smacked a couple of sixes in the powerplay, to put 70 runs on board for Bangalore, but departs at the start of 7th over, edging the ball to fielder inside the circle, one Ashwin bowling and the other Ashwin taking the catch, RCB at 71-1 after 6.2 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin bowls Moeen Ali (4 out; 5b; 1X4) out in the very next over, as RCB finds it hard to keep a steady partnership, Royal Challengers Bangalore at 76-3 after 7.3 overs. KXIP was on a roll, as in the 9th over Akashdeep Nath (3 out; 7b) walks back after struggling for a while, RCB 81-3 after 9 overs. A couple of good overs were bowled by KXIP conceding not much runs, and in the 14th over Royal Challengers Bangalore reaches 100 runs mark, and Marcus Stoinis hit a six of the last ball of the 14th over. After that, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis started firing shots all over the ground and de Villiers brings up his 50 in the 18th over with another boundary, RCB at 143-4 after 17.2 overs. When Shami came to bowl in the 19th over, De Villiers hit him for 4 huge sixes, among which one was a mistimed one but it travelled outside the stadium. At 175 on board, and still 1 over to go Marcus Stoinis hits 2 more sixes to settle the final score of 202 on board in 20 overs. In the last 3 overs only, AB de Villiars’s unbeaten 82 proved why he is called ‘Mr. 360°’ (82 not out; 42b; 3X4, 7X6) and on the other side, Marcus Stoinis (46 not out; 36b; 2X4, 3X6), together costed Punjab 64 runs.
In the next innings, Kings XI Punjab had a good start, as Chris Gayle (23 out; 10b; 4X4, 1X6) was just unleashing his destruction, when de Villiers took a good catch at the boundary line ending his havoc for the night, KXIP at 44-1 after 3.2 overs. After a flick down the leg-side for six, and couple of good strikes, Mayank Agarwal (35 out; 21b; 5X4, 1X6) too departs as KXIP stood at 101-2 after 9.1 overs. Set Batman, KL Rahul (42 out; 27b; 7X4, 1X6) goes down by Moeen Ali in the 11th over, Punjab needs 95 runs from 9 overs. Kings XI Punjab was surviving on singles until Nicholas Pooran hits 3 sixes in the 13th over by Washington. Nicholas Pooran (46 out; 28b; 1X4, 5X6) was keeping the hope alive for Punjab, by hitting sixes, and David Miller (24 out; 25b; 2X4) soon joined the party in the 17th over with 2 back-to-back boundaries. In the 18th over Marcus Stoinis dropped dangerous looking Pooran’s catch at the boundary line, as Punjab needed 30 runs from last 2 overs. The last 2 overs were exceptionally bowled by Navdeep saini and Umesh Yadav, as Saini starts the 19th over with Miller’s wicket, and concedes only 3 runs, and de Villiers was determined to take RCB over the victory line, and takes a magnificent catch at the boundary line putting pressure back on KXIP. Pooran goes down trying to restrict the rising run rate, and De villiars taking another brilliant catch, as Punjab needed 27 from the last over. All of KXIP players were putting up cameos to keep the chase running but was not considering to build a partnership instead. Ravichandran Ashwin (6 out; 2b; 1X6) put another cameo in the last over, but goes down in the 2nd ball, as Virat Kohli takes a good catch at boundary line. Hardus Viljeon (0 out; 1b) goes down in the 3rd ball, making a mess of the chase for Punjab. Punjab needed 19 from last ball, and took 2 in the end to lose the game by 17 runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
