IPL 2019 Highlights, RR Vs RCB: Rajasthan Win First Match, Bengaluru Slump To 4th Successive Defeat

The spotlight was on Virat Kohli as the two bottom-placed teams, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), faced off in the 14th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. But after 40 overs of an engrossing contest, the 2008 champions emerged victorious thus registering their first win of the season.

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1129 PM IST: Nothing much happening, with Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathi dealing in singles and doubles. Scores tied with two balls remaining. Tripathi finishes off with a six. Pulled. Rajasthan won by 7 wickets.

11:25 PM IST: Chances after chances for RCB. But Steve Smith found Umesh Yavad waiting at long-on. This time catch was taken. 154/3 (18.6 Over).  First wicket for Mohammed Siraj. Five to win from six balls.

11:17 PM IST: Navdeep Saini, all over the place. Rahul Tripathi hits the fourth ball for a four. Nine runs from the over as Saini completes his spell for figures of 0/35. RR need nine runs from 12.

11:13 PM IST: Umesh Yadav drops Steve Smith in the 16th over at extra cover. Straight forward chance but the pacer makes a mess of it. Steve Smith finishes off the next over with a six over cow corner to bring down the asking rate to run-a-ball. RCB reach 141/2 in 17 overs. Smith and Rahul Tripathi have added 37 runs in 4.2 overs.

11:00 PM IST: Rajasthan now need another 38 runs from 30 balls. They have added 41 runs at the expense of one wicket in the last four overs. Steve Smith and Rahul Tripathi are unbeaten on 23 and nine respectively. Time-out.

10:51 PM IST: Yuzvendra Chahal gets his second, this time Jos Buttler (59 off 43). Caught at long on by Marcus Stoinis. FoW - 104/2 (12.4 Over). Chahal's figures so far: 3-0-13-2.

10:44 PM IST: In the last five overs, RR have added 32 runs losing one wicket. They need 72 runs from 54 balls. Jos Buttler nears his fifty while Steve Smith continues to play the second fiddle.

10:29 PM IST: Finally a wicket for RCB. Yuzvendra Chahal provides the bowling team with the much-needed breakthrough by trapping RR captain Ajinkya Rahane, who made 22 off 20. FoW-60/1 (7.4 Over). Steven Smith joins Jos Buttler.

10:20 PM IST: End of power-play. Nine runs from Navdeep Saini' third over. RR reach 55/0 with Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler unbeaten on 21 and 28 runs respectively. They need another 104 runs from 84 balls.

10:10 PM IST: Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler add 45 runs for the opening stand as RR get off to a great start. They need 114 runs from 16 overs.

9:58 PM IST: Very good start from Rajasthan Royals. Eight runs from the first over, bowled by Umesh Yadav, then Navdeep Saini concedes 10 runs. But Saini's unlucky. Virat Kohli, going for the theatrics, spills a good chance at first slip. And rival captain Ajinkya Rahane survives. Strange looking attempt. 

9:37 PM IST: Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali make sure that RCB finishes with a flourish. 17 runs from the last over as they punish Jofra Archer. RCB post 158/4. Parthiv Patel top scores with 67 off 41, while Shreyas Gopal's magical with the ball - 3/12.

9:23 PM IST: Parthiv Patel's brilliant knock comes to an end. Caught at long-on boundary by Ajikya Rahane. First wicket for Jofra Archer. Patel scored 67 off 41. FoW - 126/4 (17.2 Over).

9:10 PM IST: Shreyas Gopal completes his spell. 4-1-12-3. Stunning. RCB reach 107/3 in 15 overs. In the previous over, Parthiv Patel reached his fifty.

9:03 PM IST: Fifty for Parthiv Patel, his fastest in IPL. Just 29 balls. He has so far hit seven fours and a wicket. RCB reach 97/3 in 13.4 overs.

8:55 PM IST: Stuart Binny gets his first over. Six runs from the over as RR continue to tighten the noose around RCB's neck. Nine runs and one wicket in the last four overs.  But Parthiv Patel is batting beautifully, running hard and finding the gaps. RCB reach 80/3 in 12 overs.

8:46 PM IST: What a delivery from Shreyas Gopal. Hs third wicket tonight. Shimron Hetmyer caught behind. FoW - 73/3 (10.1 Over). In the last 24 balls, RCB scored 24 runs, losing three wickets.

8:42 PM IST: Shreyas Gopal is on a spell. He gets another biggie, the wicket of AB de Villiers (13 off nine). Caught and bowled. FoW - 71/2 (8.3 Over). In the previous over, Varun Aaron concedes 16 runs, including three fours. Time-out.

8:27 PM IST: Huge wicket. Shreyas Gopal is over the moon. He dismisses Virat Kohli, off the third ball of seventh over. Kohli made 23 off 25 balls. FoW - 49/1 (6.3 Over). AB de Villiers in the new man. Seven runs and a wicket from the over. RCB are 55/1.

8:20 PM IST: Runs coming thick and fast. Dhawal Kulkarni concedes nine runs, then Jofra Archer follows it up with a 14-run over. RCB reach 43 in five overs.

8:11 PM IST: Dhawal Kulkarni shares the new ball with Krishnappa Gowtham. Seven runs from over. Lucky Virat Kohli fir gets an edge gone for a four through the cordon off the third ball, then survived a close call two balls later. After blocking the fifth delivery, the RCB captain watches the bouncing over the wicket. RCB reach 17/0 in two overs.

8:03 PM IST: Krishnappa Gowtham starts the proceedings, and Virat Kohli takes a double off the first ball. Two singles, then Kohli hits the first four, behind square. A single and one bye more from the over as RCB reach 10.

7: 52 PM IST: By the way, this is Virat Kohli's 100th IPL match as captain.

7:47 PM IST: This will be the 20th meeting between the twos sides, with very little to separate them. RR have won nine times to RCB's eight with one match ending as no result. In Jaipur, it's 3-3 in six matches.

7:41 PM IST: So early in the season, and both the teams are in a must-win situation to revive their respective campaigns. Rajasthan looked a well-rounded team unlike Bengaluru, which seemed over-dependant on the two batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

7: 37 PM IST: Playing XIs

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Parthiv Patel (w), Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj

And the changes are:  Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron in and Sanju Samson, Jaydev Unadkat out for RR; Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Navdeep Saini in and Colin de Grandhomme, Shivam Dube, Prayas Barman out for RCB.

7:33 PM IST: Ajinkya Rahane wins the toss, and Rajasthan Royals will bowl first against Royal Challengers Bangalore. And lots of changes in the respective XIs.

Squads

Rajasthan Royals: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, Oshane Thomas, Liam Livingstone, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson, Shubham Ranjane, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun, Jaydev Unadkat, Prashant Chopra, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Riyan Parag, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli (c), Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Heinrich Klaasen, Pawan Negi, Washington Sundar, Akshdeep Nath, Prayas Barman, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee.