RCB vs KXIP IPL 2019 report: ABD blitz keeps RCB dreaming

With 30 needed off 12 balls, it was anybody’s game but Navdeep Saini removed the set batsmen David Miller and Nicolas Pooran in the span of five balls and then Umesh Yadav picked two wickets in two balls in the last over to give RCB their fourth win of IPL 2019 and not to forget AB de Villiers’ 82 off 44 balls that has kept RCB still alive in this tournament.

HOW’S THE JOSH?

SAKKATH HIGH SAAR!!! #GameByGame #playBold #RCBvsKXIP #VIVOIPL2019 pic.twitter.com/uFIh9CA6WA

— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 24, 2019

RCB manages to hold back Punjab

Chasing 203, Punjab got a sensational start with Chris Gayle blasting off 23 off 10 balls. He added 42 runs with KL Rahul for the first wicket in 3.2 overs before getting caught by ABD against Umesh Yadav.

Agarwal then joined Rahul in the leather hunt and the duo added 59 runs for the second wicket. Stoinis got rid of Agarwal (35 off 21) in the 10th over and six balls later Moeen Ali brought curtains on Rahul’s knock of 42 off 27 balls.

WATCH: KL Rahul’s calm 42(27)

????????https://t.co/PEkLneyEV0 #KXIP pic.twitter.com/BwXLhKUCqA

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 24, 2019

Pooran and Miller tried to rebuild the innings however Miller failed to accelerate. He scored 24 off 25 balls while Pooran hammered 46 off 28 balls but both failed to cross the line for Punjab.

Parthiv gives RCB solid start

Earlier in the night, Parthiv Patel laid the foundation for RCB with a quickfire 43 off 24 balls. His hitting kept RCB on the course despite Virat Kohli’s early fall. Moeen Ali too had a failure tonight and Aksheep Nath was out cheaply as well and suddenly RCB found themselves at four down for 81 runs.

ABD magic gives RCB the winning edge

And then ABD happened. The right-hand batsman took time to settle down but was unstoppable in the death overs as he changed gears disdainfully. RCB scored 64 runs off the last three overs with de Villiers scoring 36 runs off his last ten balls. He clobbered Mohammad Shami for three consecutive sixes in the 19th over and then hammered Viljoen for three sixes and two fours in the last over.

WATCH: One handed, out of the ground – AB style ????????

Full video here ???????? https://t.co/Fi20zy6EYm #RCBvKXIP pic.twitter.com/Drs7UBrQDb

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 24, 2019

And in the end this rampage by ABD turned out to be the difference between the two sides. RCB now has four wins in 11 games and are still having an outside chance in IPL season 12 while Punjab have five wins in 11 games.