5 Takeaways from RCB's huge defeat to KKR

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 81 runs to record their first win of IPL 2023. The enormity of the defeat came as a shocker to many as RCB humiliated Mumbai Indians in their opening match, while KKR had narrowly lost out in their first match against the Punjab Kings.

RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Batting first, KKR were reduced to 89/5 in 11.3 overs. It seemed all lost for KKR, until Shardul Thakur (68 runs off 29 balls) struck a glittering half-century and combined with Rinku Singh (46 runs off 33 balls) to take their team to a total of 204 in 20 overs.

In reply, RCB started well with Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis taking the attack to the opposition but things changed soon after with the introduction of spin twins Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The duo broke the back of the RCB batting line-up, dismissing top batters such as Virat Kohli, Faf Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell. RCB kept losing wickets as they were eventually bundled out for 123 runs in 17.4 overs.

On that note, let’s discuss five takeaways from KKR's win against RCB.

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#1 Shardul Thakur shows his class with the bat

With his side struggling, Shardul Thakur launched an unprecedented assault against the RCB bowlers. The all-rounder struck his first IPL half-century as he struck nine fours and three sixes in his whirlwind knock. His exploits ensured that KKR posted a mighty total of 204 runs in the first innings. Thakur was ably supported by Rinku Singh, who too played an impressive knock.

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#2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz becomes first Afghan player to hit a fifty in IPL

Prior to the onslaught from Shardul Thakur, KKR were in deep trouble. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the only batter from the top 4 who looked comfortable at the crease. He struck six fours and three maximums in his 44-ball 57 knock. The youngster became the first batter for Afghanistan to score a fifty in the cash-rich league.

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#3 Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy spin a web around RCB

RCB were cruising at 44 for no loss when Virat Kohli was dismissed by Sunil Narine. Following this, the downfall of RCB began as the duo dismissed five out of RCB's top six batters. In the 7.4 overs that they bowled, the 'Spin Twins' took six wickets between them and gave away just 31 runs. This bowling pair is sure to haunt many more teams in the days to come.

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#4 Suyash Sharma shines on debut

19-year old Suyash Sharma had a dream debut for KKR as he picked up three wickets giving away just 30 runs in his quota of four overs. The youngster was brought in as an Impact Player in the second innings replacing Venkatesh Iyer. The leg-spinner dismissed Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat and Karn Sharma. One can expect great things from this lad in the days to come.

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#5 RCB bowlers struggle yet again at the back end

For the second consecutive game, RCB bowlers struggled in the business end of the innings. Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj were taken to the cleaners. This is indeed a cause of worry for RCB as it gives horror-filled flashbacks of their bowling line-up prior to IPL 2020.

The primary reason RCB has made it to the playoffs on all occasions in the last three seasons is their improved bowling showing. Thus, RCB will want to clean up their act in their next game.