An Andre Russell special at the death saw Kolkata Knight Riders emerge victorious against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday despite the away team chasing a stiff 206 to win at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Commanding half-centuries from Virat Kohli (84) and AB De Villiers (63) set up RCB perfectly to land their first win of the season, but some jaw-dropping power hitting from Russell in the last three overs saw KKR win the match with five balls to spare. For the most part, RCB were in control of the match. Defending a target in excess of 200, they had Kolkata on the ropes when skipper Dinesh Karthik departed, despite cameos from Nitish Rana, Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn at the top of the order. Karthik had earlier survived an LBW review but ended up holing out to Yuzvendra Chahal off Navdeep Saini’s bowling. However, KKR were always in the game as long as Russell was in the middle. A quick look at the numbers makes Russell’s destruction of the RCB bowling look all the more impressive. When he walked in to bat, KKR needed 68 off 26. When Karthik departed, KKR needed 54 off 18. Yet he didn’t panic. Team Mat Won Lost Tied NR Pts NRR SRH 4 3 1 0 0 6 +1.780 KKR 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.534 KXIP 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.164 CSK 4 3 1 0 0 6 -0.084 DC 5 2 3 0 0 4 +0.029 MI 4 2 2 0 0 4 -0.087 RR 4 1 3 0 0 2 -0.333 RCB 5 0 5 0 0 0 -1.616 A beamer no-ball from Mohammed Siraj in the 18th over was smoked for a six and saw the bowler taken out of the attack for another high full toss. Marcus Stoinis came on to bowl the remaining deliveries. Russell proceeded to hit the Australian for two more sixes before smashing Tim Southee – an experienced campaigner in the death – for four sixes and one four in the penultimate over. KKR now needed 1 run from the last over and a match which looked lost just two overs back was finished in 19.1 overs, leaving Kohli and the rest of the RCB squad looking shell-shocked. What made matters worse was that after being put in to bat first, RCB managed to score a massive 205/6 in their 20 overs thanks to Kohli and De Villiers finally coming to the party for the home team. Kohli top-scored for the home side with 84 whereas De Villiers scored a quick-fire 63 to ensure their bowlers would have something to defend on what was a good batting surface. Coming out to open the batting alongside Parthiv Patel, Kohli looked to be aggressive from the onset with the left-handed Patel looking to do the same. The two had put on 64 for the first wicket when Parthiv was trapped in front of the stumps thanks to a straighter one from Rana. Kohli was then joined by De Villiers and the two proceeded to put KKR’s bowling attack to the sword, putting on a 108-run partnership that only ended in the 18th over when the latter was caught and bowled by Kuldeep Yadav. KKR’s bowlers looked to restrict for the most part but a batter-friendly pitch meant that RCB had no problem finding the boundaries on a regular basis. De Villiers departed soon after but a cameo from Stoinis took the home team past the 200-run mark.<doc-sep>Andre Russell scored a fiery 13-ball 48 as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. Russell smashes as many as seven sixes and a boundary in his unbeaten match-winning knock. Shubman Gill, who was unbeaten on three, took a quick single to help KKR chase down the target with five balls to spare. RCB, who sit at the bottom of the points table, suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the IPL 2019. Earlier, Virat Kohli and AB de Villers scored impressive half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) posted a confident 205/3 in their allotted 20 overs. After being asked to bat, skipper Kohli gave RCB a flying start with opener Parthiv Patel (25). Following the dismissal of Patel, Kohli was joined by De Villiers and he went on to score 84 runs off 49 balls with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes. With this, Kohli also became the leading run-scorer in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). De Villiers, who smashed 63 runs off 32 balls including five boundaries and four sixes, then shared a century stand with the RCB skipper. However, it was a 13-ball 28-run cameo by Marcus Stoinis that took RCB past 200. (SCORECARD) IPL 2019 Highlights Between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, straight from M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.<doc-sep>Thus far, Andre Russell has faced 77 balls in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and among those, 22 were hit out of the park whereas 12 deliveries crossed the fence along the ground. Talking about power-hitting, Russell has certainly raised the bar in this competition. And it is not just about his insane hitting abilities which make people wonder about his skills, but also the ridiculous ease with which the Jamaican has gone about his business each and every time he has come to the crease with bat in hand in this year’s IPL. On Friday night, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) needed 66 from 24 deliveries. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bowlers were in good rhythm. In the 16th over, Nitish Rana got out and in the very next over KKR lost the crucial wicket of skipper Dinesh Karthik. They still needed 53 off 18 with two new batsmen at the crease. And when Mohammen Siraj bowled a couple of dot balls to start the 18th over, the game was almost in RCB’s grasp. But, from that situation, it took just eight scoring shots from Russell to seal the deal in KKR’s favour. 6, 6, 1, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 – he scored 41 off the required 53 runs in those eight deliveries to stun the cricketing world. And courtesy to that onslaught, by the time the final over started there were just formalities left in the match, which Shubman Gill took care of. KKR won the match with five balls to spare, which made a mockery of RCB’s gameplans. So, what is so special about Russell? How can someone produce such insane exhibition of power-hitting with such consistency? Well, the way he gets into a hitting position and generates such power to muscle the toughest of deliveries out of the fence is completely unique. Unlike some other West Indian power-hitters, Russell doesn’t have much of a backlift. For him, it is all about the bat speed and timing. He uses the depth of the crease brilliantly. Standing deep, with his back foot less than a foot away from the stumps, Russell converts low full-tosses and yorkers into overpitched deliveries. He gets under the ball and smacks it with immense power, which is being generated from the bat swing as well as his gift of timing. Because of his ability to use the crease, Russell gets a wide base to launch an attacking shot. Also, as a batsman he is very flexible and can adjust quickly. Plus he is a natural athlete and has the muscle power, which is turning out to be a deadly combination. In fact, that’s why we see him hitting those wide yorkers for straight sixes. And regarding his consistency, the key for Russell is his hunger for success. You won’t see much of a hangover in him following such brilliant performances. Instead, he remains calm and composed always geared up for the next challenge. For him, performances like the one we witnessed in Bengaluru, was just another day at the office. “This [IPL] is the highest level of T20 franchise [cricket] and you have to be at your best once you cross the rope,” Russell said following his match winning 13-ball 48 at Chinnaswamy. “When you are in a zone and you have a momentum going, just don’t stop, keep going. And that’s what I am doing. When I wake up in the morning, I know it is another opportunity for me to make myself better in life and try and best [sic] what I have done before. So, to all my fans, it [Friday’s knock] is nothing special. It is just all in the heart and all in the mind.” “I don’t make too much out of it. I make sure I remain calm. You have a time when you gonna [sic] struggle a bit. So, at the end of the day, I make sure I keep the momentum going. I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t go there and say ‘ok, I made 40 odd in the last game and I am gonna continue from where I had left of’. It’s a total new game and you are prepared to play different,” the Windies cricketer who is striking at 268.83 with an average of 103.50 in this ongoing edition of IPL, further added. So, Russell is a skilful all-rounder who packs a punch when needed and has the ability to remain calm and composed once the job is done – truly this is a rare combination for a modern day cricketer in the contemporary era. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from IPL 2019, click here For the full schedule, date, time and venue of all the matches of IPL 12, click here<doc-sep>A brutal onslaught from Andre Russell turned nightmarish for Royal Challengers Bangalore as Kolkata Knight Riders gunned down a 200-plus total with five balls to spare. The home side lost their fifth straight game in the season as Russell got going in the death overs. They leaked 75 in the last four overs against a marauding Russell. Take a look at some of the best moments from the game: The tough AB de Villiers drop that almost proved costly On 11 at run-a-ball, AB de Villiers hadn't yet gotten into his groove when he decided to take on Kuldeep Yadav. De Villiers had struggled to read Kuldeep in the first few balls and when he came back for his third, the South African had his mind set on taking the wrist-spinner on. He was befuddled by Kuldeep the first ball but managed to save himself with an awkward block. Undeterred, de Villiers went for an ugly slog sweep next ball and mistimed the shot to mid-off. Lockie Ferguson rushed in from the deep and put in a dive but it went in vain. It was a tough catch for the Kiwi seamer but with de Villiers, you cannot afford to spill catches and it proved costly as slammed 63 in 32 balls with the last 52 runs coming off 21 balls after the dropped catch. Tim Southee gets a rousing reception There were hues and cries for Tim Southee's inclusion after Royal Challengers Bangalore were messing up with the ball in the previous matches. The New Zealand seamer was expected to shore up some of their Powerplay and death bowling concerns but was thrown to the deep end at Chinnaswamy against Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. In the first over of the innings, Southee induced a top-edge off a bouncer from Chris Lynn but Navdeep Saini dropped the skier and also let it run away for a boundary. The over was even more eventful with a bumper going for five wide runs and then Lynn cracking two more fours in a 17-run over. Southee's day turned for the worse when he was at the receiving end of a Russell carnage in the death overs. The Kiwi was taken for 29 in an over with the West Indian all-rounder slamming four sixes and a four in the penultimate over of the run-chase. Southee went for 61 in his quota of overs, the joint worst for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. When RCB spilled way too many If Kolkata let AB de Villiers off the hook, Royal Challengers Bangalore gave Chris Lynn way too many lives. The Australian was initially put down by Navdeep Saini in the opening over of the run-chase. The RCB seamer shelled a catch and leaked a four too in the process to give Lynn an early reprieve. His lucky day got luckier when Mohammad Siraj put down a sitter in the 11th over. Marcus Stoinis bowled a slower short ball outside off-stump and forced Lynn to reach out for it. He miscued the shot and it went to sweeper cover where Siraj let the chance go begging. Virat Kohli, who had dropped Ajinkya Rahane in the previous game, then let go of a tough chance in the 17th over when Dinesh Karthik drove Saini to mid-off. Kohli made a swift dive to his left but couldn't hold onto the chance. It didn't cost them much, though, with Karthik being dismissed two balls later. Mohammed Siraj's ridiculous beamers Mohammed Siraj had a key stat going his way before the encounter. He had only ever bowled at Andre Russell once in the IPL and had dismissed the West Indian for a golden duck. This came in the 2018 edition of the league at the very same venue but the seamer was far off from replicating that on Friday. He earned a first warning from the umpires when he bowled a beamer at Chris Lynn in the 9th over with the ball disappearing into the square leg stands. In the 18th over, Siraj was up against Russell and bowled two successive dots at him before another above-waist no-ball went for a maximum. With this being his second beamer of the innings, Siraj was forced off the attack and Stoinis completed the over, leaking 15 in four balls, including two sixes. Two overs of Dre Russ mayhem Andre Russell slammed his fourth successive 40-plus score in the season to play another match-winning hand for Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. The West Indian now has five scores of 40 or more in successful run-chases for Kolkata Knight Riders but perhaps none of them was as mind blowing as his attack on RCB at the Chinnaswamy. Walking in with the team needing 68 off 26 balls, Russell had only way to play – go all out against the bowlers. “When you need 68 off 20-odd balls, it doesn't happen everyday. Need to put your body on the line. The nature of T20 is such that one over can change the momentum. That's why I never give up. A part of me was saying that the runs needed were too much but I wanted to fight and eventually, we won with five balls spare,” Russell said in the post-match presentation ceremony. Russell helped himself to a six off Siraj's beamer in the 18th over before hitting two more sixes in the over completed by Stoinis. Despite 23 runs coming from the over, KKR still needed 30 in two overs but Russell pocketed the game in the penultimate over bowled by Tim Southee. Over 18.2 - Southee to Russell - SIX! A length ball is clobbered into the mid-wicket stands for a maximum. Over 18.3 - Southee to Russell - SIX! A short and wide delivery, but Russell is least perturbed as he upper cuts this over third man for six. Over 18.4 - Southee to Russell - SIX! Southee bowls a low full toss but it's bread and butter for Russell who gets underneath it and smokes it over wide long-on. Over 18.5 - Southee to Russell - FOUR!<doc-sep>
Andre Russell’s 13-ball innings towered over the rest of the match. (PTI Photo) Andre Russell’s 13-ball innings towered over the rest of the match. (PTI Photo) Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ expertly assembled 108-run partnership was condemned to becoming a side note as Andre Russell launched a stunning assault on Tim Southee to help KKR chase down a target of 206 with five balls to spare. Russell came on strike in the second ball of the 19th over having already made 20 off eight balls and KKR needing 29 to win off 11. He struck off 28 of those runs off the next five balls hitting three sixes on the trot, a four and then a six again. Toss: KKR had won the toss and chosen to bowl first First innings: RCB got off to a good start with Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel ensuring that they cross the 50-run mark in the powerplay overs and not lose a wicket. The opening stand ended in the eighth over when Parthiv was trapped in front of the stumps by Nitish Rana. But then, RCB fans got what they wanted when AB de Villiers stuck with Kohli and the pair went about dismantling the KKR bowling line up. Kohli and de Villiers hammered the bowlers at will, recreating the magic they have woven many times in the past. (IPL Image) Kohli and de Villiers hammered the bowlers at will, recreating the magic they have woven many times in the past. (IPL Image) Kohli and de Villiers hammered the bowlers at will, recreating the magic they have woven many times in the past. During his sublime knock, Kohli also overtook Suresh Raina to becoming leading run-getter in IPL history besides completing 8000 runs in T20 cricket. The RCB skipper hit some beautiful cover drives early on and his innings comprised nine fours and two sixes. De Villiers too was in his element, smashing five fours and four maximums. Kohli was finally out in the 18th over off Kuldeep Yadav as he hit the ball straight into the bowler’s hands. He was particularly severe on Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Fergusson and Nitesh Rana. De Villiers played second fiddle to Kohli before cutting loose to produce some massive hits. In the last over, Marcus Stoinis belted 18 runs off Prasidh with the help of two boundaries and a six, pushing the total past the 200-run mark. Second innings: KKR were kept alive in the chase through opener Chris Lynn (43 off 31), Robbie Uthappa (33 off 25) and Nitish Rana (37 off 23) before Russell singlehandedly got the job done in the death overs. A pedestrian bowling effort from RCB pacers also helped KKR’s cause. RCB spinners Pawan Negi (2/21) and Yuzvendra Chahal (1/24) bowled well and were able to generate sharp turn, putting brakes on the KKR scoring rate. KKR were kept alive in the chase through opener Chris Lynn (43 off 31), Robbie Uthappa (33 off 25) and Nitish Rana (37 off 23) before Russell singlehandedly got the job done in the death overs. Andre Russell practically ended the match in the 19th over. (PTI Photo) Andre Russell practically ended the match in the 19th over. (PTI Photo) Needing 66 runs off 24 balls, KKR were up against it before Russell came in and smashed an unbeaten 48 off 13 balls to complete the job with five balls to spare. His breathtaking knock comprised seven sixes and one four. Gamechanger: Had Russell not done what he had, there were a number of flashpoints in a match that ebbed and flowed. Kohli’s dismissal and De Villiers’ shortly after that were important moments as it looked like the pair might take RCB past 220 at the point of their dismissals. Had RCB managed to defend this total, Marcus Stoinis smashing 18 runs off the last over would have been another potential gamechanger. But Russell has made it all look like child’s play and his 13-ball innings towers above the rest of the game. Captains Speak – Virat Kohli said that RCB’s quality of bowling in the death overs was a letdown. (PTI Photo) Virat Kohli said that RCB’s quality of bowling in the death overs was a letdown. (PTI Photo) Virat Kohli: “The last four overs, the way we bowled, we deserve to lose. If you bowl with not enough bravery in the crunch overs, then you will always struggle against power-hitters like Russell. We cracked a bit under pressure, and that’s the only story.