IPL 2015, KKR vs RCB: As it happened...

Kolkata: RCB beat KKR by three wickets with Chris Gayle scoring a fantastic 96 runs. So RCB open the campaign with a win.

OVERS 19// RUNS 179// WICKETS 7

Morkel comes into bowl and Gayle welcomes him with a six. He then goes for another one but an awesome fielding by Pandey prevents a six and as the bastmen decide to run a couple, Gayle gets run-out. Nechim comes into bat and he gets a single. Two runs come from the next ball and Patel survives a run-out. A single comes next. Nechim then gets a four and wins the game.

CH Gayle run out 96 (56b)

OVERS 18// RUNS 164// WICKETS 6

Narine comes in and Gayle gets a four. Another sweep and its a four. Gayle is running away with the game. A brace comes next. Morkel had dropped him a few times and will be feeling bad here. Gayle gives the strike to Patel. He then clears the ropes for a six. Game looks over.

OVERS 17// RUNS 147// WICKETS 6

Gayle gets a shot towards the off-side region and Morne Morkel's flat throw sees Abbott get run-out.  A wide is bowled next and it is a big one. Gayle decides not to take singles from the next two balls. He then hits a six from the fourth ball over deep mid-wicket and another one over deep fine-leg. Gayle gets a run as Morkel fails to catch once again. Poor fielding by Morkel.

SA Abbott run out 1 (4b)

OVERS 16// RUNS 132// WICKETS 5

Pathan gets the ball and Gayle smacks him for a four and six from the first two balls. He then gets a single. Abbott misses out on a short ball and settles for a run. Gayle then finds Morkel and he misses a catch.

OVERS 15// RUNS 119// WICKETS 5

Shakib is introduced and Sammy defends the first ball before getting a single. Gayle rotates the strike back and Shakib fools him with a tossed up ball and stumps him. Good wicket this. Sammy departs for just seven runs. Abbott is the new man in and two dot balls come.

OVERS 14// RUNS 117// WICKETS 4

Narine comes back to bowl and he beats Gayle. The batsman then run a single and Gayle gets his fifty. Sammy gets a run before Gayle is beaten again. An outside edge gives Gayle a run. Sammy gets a quick single.

OVERS 13// RUNS 113// WICKETS 4

A run is taken followed by a dot. Gayle then goes big and smashes Chawla for a six. Three singles follow.

OVERS 12// RUNS 103// WICKETS 4

Gayle hits one straight to Morkel but it falls just short and a dive can't see him take a catch. Three singles follow before Gayle defends the fifth ball. Sammy is the new man in. A full-toss is smacked for a six next by Gayle.

OVERS 11// RUNS 93// WICKETS 4

Cariappa gets a bad treatment from AB who gets a four. Two singles are taken next. Cariappa gets smacked by AB for another four. Another six follows and AB is clearing the skies here. Poor Cariappa then gets a lucky wicket. AB goes down the track and Uthappa stumps his well.

AB de Villiers st Uthappa b Cariappa 28 (13b)

OVERS 10// RUNS 77// WICKETS 3

Pathan continues and three singles come from the first three balls. KKR need one of these dangerous duo. Gayle works the ball down the leg side and gets another run. AB then comes down the track and smacks Pathan for a huge six. A run comes from the last ball.

OVERS 9// RUNS 66// WICKETS 3

Russell bowls and Gayle gets a knick to score four runs. He then gets a single and AB gets on strike. A short ball is bowled and he gets away with a wide. AB hits the ball sublimely for four through the off-side. He gives a charge but misses to connect. A run is taken from the last ball.

OVERS 8// RUNS 56// WICKETS 3

Yusuf Pathan is given the ball and Gayle gets a leg-bye for a brace. There is an appeal for LBW next and umpire doesn't give it. Third ball Karthik makes room and goes for a cut but is bowled. Mandeep comes in and he hits a big six from the second ball he faces before Yusuf gets him as well. He goes for a reverse sweep and is bowled.

Mandeep Singh b Pathan 6 (3b)

KD Karthik b Pathan 6 (8b)

OVERS 7// RUNS 47// WICKETS 1

Andre Russell comes into bowl and Karthik defends from the crease. Another ball is defended, Russell needs to bowl well here as he is the only other pacer. He bangs in short and Karthik gets it fine for a four. A dot ball follows next. He gets a single from the next. Gayle finds the long off fielder and settles for one.

OVERS 6// RUNS 41// WICKETS 1

Cariappa comes into bowl and Gayle hits a six before getting a four through the leg side. A single is taken from the fifth ball. A run is managed by Karthik and he gets off the mark.

OVERS 5// RUNS 29// WICKETS 1

Morkel continues and Kohli gets a run. Gayle then goes big and smashes the bowler for a four. A run is taken from a slower ball next. Kohli departs after that as Morkel gets his man. He decides to pull and gets an edge to Uthappa. Karthik is the new man in and he defends the final ball.

V Kohli c Uthappa b Morkel 13 (15b)

OVERS 4// RUNS 23// WICKETS 0

Narine gives away a run from his first ball before Gayle gets four leg-byes. Five runs come from the over.

OVERS 3// RUNS 18// WICKETS 0

Kohli goes dancing down the track and misses the ball. Next ball he slams Morkel's short ball for a six. A dot follows as the RCB skipper finds the fielder. Another lofted shot sees him score three runs. Kohli is looking positive here and Morkel needs to mix his length. Gayle misses the next ball after he tries to pull. Gayle manages a boundary from the last ball.

OVERS 2// RUNS 5// WICKETS 0

Narine comes in and and Gayle gets a single from the second ball after a dot. Kohli works the ball on the leg side and gets a single. Another run follows from Gayle's bat. Kohli goes to cut and misses to get the gap. A run comes from the final ball.

OVERS 1// RUNS 1// WICKETS 0

Morkel starts with a full-toss and gets away with it. Gayle is the batsman and he gets a run from the next ball. Kohli has opened the batting alongside Gayle and he defends the first ball he faces. The next ball to is on the money and Kohli defends it again. The next ball is played towards the mid-on fielder. A dot ball follows again as Morkel starts perfectly.

So RCB have come out to bat and need 178 from 20 overs.

OVERS 20// RUNS 177// WICKETS 6

Pathan goes big and Aaron gets his man. Kohli with the catch there. Russell goes for a pull and gets a top edge and it is a four. It fell just before the ropes. Another four is hit straight and what a powerful shot. Russell manages a single from the next ball after Abdullah makes a diving effort to contain the batsman. Shakib misses the next ball and a run-out chance also goes begging. A wide ball and the batsmen run and Shakib runs himself out. Russell finishes with a four. 14 runs come from the last over.

Shakib Al Hasan run out 0 (1b)

YK Pathan c Kohli b Aaron 3 (4b)

James Faulkner looks interested in the KKR-RCB match. What will be KKR's total?

Arrived in Delhi... Now about to have dinner and settle in and watch the @IPL . How many are @KKRiders going to post again @RCBTweets ??? — James Faulkner (@JamesFaulkner44) April 11, 2015

OVERS 19// RUNS 163// WICKETS 4

Russell dispatches a slower ball for a six off Patel. He decides to go round the stumps and a lofted shot sees two fielders come under the ball and they miss it. A run comes from the next ball as the keeper throws to the stumps and Russell gets off strike. Pathan manages a single from the next ball. The next one is a dot before Russell gets a four.

OVERS 18// RUNS 149// WICKETS 4

Nechim comes into bowl and two big hitters at the crease. Pathan manages a single after placing the ball towards long on. Nechim looks uneasy there and that could be a cramp as the physios are out. He bowls full and yorker length and gets a dot. Russell powers through off side and gets a four as long-off fielder dives but fails to stop the ball. Another dot follows, this is good stuff from RCB. Russell goes big and gets a maximum next. KKR need many of these. A single comes from the last ball.

OVERS 17// RUNS 137// WICKETS 4

Yadav goes as he tries to go big and finds the fielder at the deep. Next ball another wicket as Pandey is run-out. Russell comes in and a dot ball is bowled before he lashes at the next ball and gets an edge for four. Two singles come from the next two balls.

MK Pandey run out 23 (15b)

SA Yadav c Mandeep Singh b Patel 11 (9b)

OVERS 16// RUNS 131// WICKETS 2

Chahal continues and Yadav sweeps for only a single. Pandey then runs a quick single. A dot ball follows before Yadav finds the fence placing the ball between two fielders. Good looking shot by him. A sweep shot gets him a run next. Pandey ghets a brace from the last ball of the over.

OVERS 15// RUNS 122// WICKETS 2

Abbott comes in and Pandey gets a single. Yadav comes down and goes for a heave and misses the ball which goes above his stumps. Yadav then plays an upper cut and gets a boundary. He doesn't connect the next ball well and misses on a short ball and gets a single. Pandey caresses the ball in the gap on the off side boundary for four. He gets on the front foot and smacks over mid-wicket for four.

OVERS 14// RUNS 108// WICKETS 2

Chahal continues and Gambhir works the ball on the leg side for a brace. The next ball he tries to clear the fence and Mandeep completes a catch. Gambhir departs for 58 and credit to Chahal who has bowled really well. Yadav is the new man in. A good turn and Pandey misses the line before he places one straight back over the bowler's head for a four. A single is taken from the next ball. Yadav defends the ball and only seven come from the over.

G Gambhir c Mandeep Singh b Chahal 58 (46b)

OVERS 13// RUNS 101// WICKETS 1

Gambhir gets a single and brings up his second fifty on the trot. Pandey goes big and clears the mid-off fielder for a four. He then gets a single from the next ball. Gambhir finds the gap and gets a four on the off-side. A short ball follows and ump;ire calls it wide. Aaron is running in quick and bowling some pace. A quick single is taken before an over-throw allows another run. A run comes from the last ball. 14 comes from the over. KKR need a move on now.

OVERS 12// RUNS 87// WICKETS 1

Gambhir gets a brace off Chahal's first ball before running a single. Pandey gets off the mark with a gentle push towards long-off. The next ball is worked off the pads and Gambhir gets a run. A dot ball follows next. RCB are mixing things well. Another dot ball and KKR have slowed down.

OVERS 11// RUNS 82// WICKETS 1

Nechim comes back to bowl and Uthappa rotates the strike back to Gambhir. The KKR skipper makes room and goes for a big shot but finds the fielder in the off-side and hets a single. Uthappa goes inside-out and gets a brace. Uthappa then tries to pull a ball and it gets his edge and Sammy at long-on completes the catch. Good bowling here by RCB as KKR haven't spanked much after the initial overs. A quick single is taken by Gambhir and Manish Pandey will face the last ball. A short ball is bowled and that ends the over.

RV Uthappa c Sammy b Ahmed 35 (28b)

OVERS 10// RUNS 77// WICKETS 0

Chahal replaces Nechim and Uthappa works the ball for a single. Gambhir finds the fielder and a dot ball emerges from the next ball. The KKR skipper then gets a single. Uthappa works the ball again towards the leg side for a single. A big heave is attempted by Gambhir and he misses the line. Chahal gives a full toss and Gambhir gets a four as the ball is misfielded once again.

OVERS 9// RUNS 70// WICKETS 0

Sammy bowls and Gambhir gets a single. Uthappa flicks and Sammy gets away with this as the batsman manages only a single. Gambhir plays a drive and finds the fielder on the deep cover region. A close call for LBW follows and umpire isn't interested. The batsmen get a leg-bye. Gambhir misses an attempted cut and Sammy gets a dot ball. Gambhir hits it straight and lofts it through right side of long-on fielder for a four.

OVERS 8// RUNS 62// WICKETS 0

Uthappa steers the ball towards third man for single. Gambhir to gets a run off a similar fashion. Nechim bowls straight and Uthappa defends it back. An attempted pull goes straight to Kohli and it's a dot. A single is scampered off the next one. Gambhir pulls and finds AB on the fine-leg fence but he misses a straight forward catch. What a miss but a good over by Nechim here.

Former India player Mohammed Kaif tweets.

Quick start by @KKRiders , important to take first initiative to control the game from here on , run rate close to 9 is superb! #KKRvsRCB — Mohammad Kaif (@KaifSays) April 11, 2015

OVERS 7// RUNS 58// WICKETS 0

Aaron continues and Uthappa defends the first ball from the crease. A single is taken from the next ball before Gambhir defends the next one. Three dots and a four come from the next four balls.

OVERS 6// RUNS 53// WICKETS 0

Ahmed to Uthappa and he gets a single. The next ball is tucked to the fine-leg fence for four. Two dot balls follow before Gambhir gets a single. A close run is taken in the final ball of the over.

OVERS 5// RUNS 46// WICKETS 0

Aaron replaces Abbott and Gambhir runs a close single. A misfield allows the batsmen to get a run after Uthappa hit it on the off-side. Gambhir hits another boundary through the leg side.

OVERS 4// RUNS 40// WICKETS 0

Patel starts with a wide. A single was taken from the next ball. A four is hit next before single is taken. Uthappa hits a four off the last ball and KKR are looking strong here.

OVERS 3// RUNS 28// WICKETS 0

Abbott is greeted with a six this time as Gambhir plays a shot through the wide mid-on region. Great start for KKR here. A single comes from the next ball as Gambhir workd it neatly on the leg side. Abbott balls a short one and Uthappa defends from the crease. A pull shot is tried by Uthappa and the ball is in the air but falls safely. Gambhir then defends the next ball in the off-side. Gambhir takes a single off the last ball.

OVERS 2// RUNS 19// WICKETS 0

Harshal Patel to share the new ball with Abbott. Uthappa plays a gorgeous cover-drive for four runs. A single is taken off the next ball after it is gently played towards the off-side. The next delivery is a dot as Gambhir fails to connect to a ball on the leg side. The next ball is played straight to the mid-off fielder. A short ball follows and it goes through Gambhir's zone who fails to connect. A single is taken off the last ball. Six runs come from the over.

OVERS 1// RUNS 13// WICKETS 0

Sean Abbott starts with the proceedings for RCB. Uthappa opens the bat and steers the ball towards third man area and Abu Nechim misses the ball completely and they get a four. Next ball is gently pushed towards mid-on for a single. Gambhir flicks and another misfiled sees the ball run towards the boundary ropes. He plays the ball fine in the next ball and gets a single. Uthappa pushes the ball softly from the crease and gets a close run but a poor throw allows another single to be taken. A close single is taken off the last ball.

The KKR batsmen are out to bat. Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir to open the innings for the Knight Riders.

Also RCB owner Vijay Mallya has tweeted about meeting his side today and is in full praise.

Met the RCB squad today. Great bunch of motivated and talented guys. A great blend and balance of proven stalwarts and aggressive youngsters — Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 11, 2015

KKR owner Shahrukh Khan will miss the action at the stadium today.

In Delhi for launch of Mahagun projects. Will miss my KKR boys. Edenites shout loud enuff to make up for my absence. pic.twitter.com/ELBDhqSH1l — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 11, 2015

So no Umesh Yadav in the starting line-up tonight as KC Cariappa gets a look in. The unknown mystery is going to unfold today. Lets see what he has in store for us.

Teams from:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Virat Kohli(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), AB de Villiers, Darren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Aaron, Abu Nechim

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(w), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Kishan Cariappa

RCB have won the toss and will bowl first.

The toss is about to take place here at the Eden Gardens.

Match officials

Umpires: S Ravi(Ind), Chettithody Shamsuddin(Ind)

Third Umpire: Pashchim Pathak(Ind)

Match Referee: Javagal Srinath(Ind)

Preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore may have the most star-studded batting line-up but will find themselves under tremendous pressure when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL cricket match here on Saturday.

Winning two titles in last three seasons and having achieved a 14-match winning streak in 2014, the Gautam Gambhir-led team has established an aura of invincibility.

Unlike Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have the best batting line-up of modern day cricket in skipper Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, KKR are low on star power but their players complement each other so well that the house always looks in order.

Against Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on April 8, South African pacer Morne Morkel (2/18) gave them the start and while chasing Gautam Gambhir (57), Manish Pandey (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (46 not out) contributed handsomely to for a clinical seven-wicket win with nine balls to spare.

Yadav showed how dangerous can he can be when the snubbed former Mumbai Ranji skipper hit some sensational sixes en route in his 20-ball knock to seal the 169-run chase under pressure.

Such was their domination that Rohit Sharma's 98 not out and the Kiwi explosive all-rounder Corey Anderson's 55 not out paled in comparison.

Despite having the most coveted batting line-up, Virat Kohli will surely have to do something out of the box to deny KKR a win at their home comforts of Eden Gardens.

The skipper himself is a master of modern day cricket and has earned the reputation of an aggressor and he will have AB de Villiers and the brutal giant from the Caribbean, Chris Gayle for company.

It's a treat to watch the trio together but despite having all the big players, they have failed to perform to their potential with their best being the runners-up finishes in 2009 and 2011.

Once again this season, RCB are more than firm favourites but it remains to be seen whether Kohli, who is seen as the future India captain, is able to steer the ship to win the coveted silverware.

In contrast, RCB's bowling looks a tad weak in the absence of the injured duo of Mitchell Starc (knee injury) and New Zealand recruit Adam Milne.

In their absence, Australia seamer and winner of the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, Sean Abbott is expected to lead the attack and start a new innings post the fatal delivery to Phil Hughes.

RCB also have local lads Ashok Dinda and Varun Aaron to spice up their pace bowling while the spin department is expected to be taken up by the promising Yuzvendra Chahal and Iqbal Abdulla.

There will battle within the battle when Morne Morkel takes on his compatriot de Villiers, and it would be also enticing to see Sunil Narine bowl to Gayle.

Narine returned wicket-less in his comeback match after remodelling the action and KKR would hope the Windies mystery spinner to be back in the groove once again.

Teams (from):

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel, Ryan ten Doeschate, Azhar Mahmood, Johan Botha, Pat Cummins, Brad Hogg, KC Cariappa, Aditya Garhwal, Sheldon Jackson, Kuldeep Yadav, Sumit Narwal, Veer Pratap Singh and Vaibhav Rawal.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villers, Chris Gayle, Dinesh Karthik, Subramaniam Badrinath, Darren Sammy, Mitchell Starc, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Singh Chahal, Rilee Rossouw, Vijay Zol, Yogesh Takawale, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Ashok Dinda, Sandeep Warrier, Manvinder Bisla, Iqbal Abdullah, Sean Abbott, Adam Milne, David Wiese, Jalaj Saxena, Sarfaraz Naushad Khan and Shishir Bhavane.

Match starts 8pm IST.