IPL 2021, RCB vs KKR live blog: Glenn Maxwell, Ab de Villiers’ half centuries take RCB to 204/4

Innings break: Is there a word left in the dictionary to praise AB de Villiers? How good was this!

RCB in the last five overs of this innings: 70/1 (14.00)

End of 20 overs: RCB 204/4

AB DE VILLIERS MAGIC IN CHENNAI! He finishes with a quite ridiculous 34-ball 76.

After 19 overs, RCB 183/4: Harbhajan Singh bowling the 19th over did not go to plan. A four and six for Jamieson and then ABD got to his fifty with a sensational six over long off.

HALF CENTURY! AB de Villiers is doing AB de Villiers things and Virat Kohli’s reaction says it all.

After 18 overs RCB 165/4: DreRuss comes on and ABD just plays some logic-defying shots. 6-4-2-4 in that over! That last four was a late adjustment to a short ball and ramped past the keeper. Amazing.

WICKET! End of a fantastic innings by Glenn Maxwell. He looks absolutely knackered at the end of it, but a brilliant 49-ball 78 in the Chennai heat. He is now the leading run-scorer of this season as well. 148/4 after 17 overs. A brilliant over from Cummins too, bent his back and made it hard for the well set batsmen.

After 16 overs, RCB 145/3: Another big over for RCB. Two boundaries for ABD off Prasidh Krishna, making it look easy as he punches through the line either side of the wicket.

After 15 overs, RCB 134/3: BIG OVER! First two boundaries for ABD, the second a brutal hit down the ground. And then Maxwell plays a sensational reverse hit for six. Varun’s day started so well, but it finishes 4-0-39-2.

After 14 overs, RCB 117/3: Smart batting! Cummins tries to go wide of offstump as Maxwell keeps clearing his front leg to target straight or leg side. But the Aussie batsman cuts one over third man for four.

After 13 overs, RCB 106/3: No risks taken in that Varun over, as Maxwell and ABD get to the second timeout.

After 12 overs, RCB 101/3: Maxwell and ABD in the middle. Fireworks on the cards? Not been easy in the second half of innings, mind you.

Over 11.1: WICKET! Devdutt Padikkal never quite going and just as he was starting to find some momentum, he finds the fielder in the deep. Prasidh with the wicket. Out for 25 off 28 balls. No offence to the youngster, but that is not the worst outcome for RCB. ABD walks in.

After 11 overs, RCB 95/2: At least some urgency from Padikkal now. A reverse sweep off Bhajji for four. Another boundary for Maxwell too.

After 10 overs, RCB 84/2: Halfway stage, RCB have recovered brilliantly. But they would want Padikkal to get a move on. Another boundary for Maxwell in that Prasidh over.

Glenn Maxwell 55(32)

Devdutt Padikkal 19 (23)

HALF CENTURY FOR GLENN MAXWELL! No fifties in 2017, 2018, 2020... and now back-to-back in 2021. Gets there off 28 balls, that’s even more ridiculous given how everyone has struggled in Chennai (even Padikkal struggling at the other end). Another four for him in that Cummins over. 78/2 after 11 overs.

After 8 overs RCB 67/2: The Glenn Maxwell show continues in Chennai. He is into the 40s. Varun comes back, bowls a no ball. And the free hit is once again costly for KKR. They are paying for indiscipline. Next ball is a well-placed four.

After 7 overs RCB 53/2: Maxwell continues to score at a good tempo, and he is helped here by a no ball by Prasidh. Frees his arms for the free hit and smacks a four past point.

After 6 overs, RCB 45/2: Seventeen runs! Glenn Maxwell continues to look in superb touch in Chennai. A six and four in the 6th over, as he takes on Shakib al Hasan. The six over midwicket, followed by a reverse sweep that actually looked like a six at first glance. Padikkal hits a boundary too as RCB recover from 2 early blows.

After 5 overs, RCB 28/2: First sign of pace and it is Pat Cummins. A good old french cut for four as Maxi gets an inside edge and it misses the stumps.

After 4 overs RCB 19/2: Morgan persists with spin as Shakib comes on. Maxwell hits a four to start the over, but not much else on offer in that over.

After 3 overs, 12/2: Harbhajan gets another over with Padikkal still in the middle. Probing over, just a wide and couple of singles.

Over 1.6: WICKET! Well, well. Varun Chakravarthy is off to some start in Chennai today. Two wickets in his first over, as Rajat Patidar is bowled. RCB 9/2. Sensational start for Morgan’s men.

Over 1.2: WICKET! Virat Kohli out for 5 in the 2nd over! Varun strikes. Superb from Rahul Tripathi as he runs back and completes the catch. Kohli just threw his hands at that, despite not getting close to the pitch.

After 1 over, RCB 6/0: A no ball from Harbhajan, and the free hit sneaks past DK for a four off the outside edge. Good over otherwise though from the veteran.

Unchanged KKR. Only three overseas players for RCB. Harbhajan Singh starts off against Virat Kohli. We are all set in Chennai.

IPL 2021, RCB vs KKR preview: Knight Riders aim to bounce back against high-flying Bangalore

3.23 pm: Last match for both teams in Chennai. Four matches so far have been won by side batting first in this tournament at the venue. Batting has gotten difficult progressively, but won’t be easy to bat in this heat either for RCB who have opted to bat first.

Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Md Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

ON THIS DAY: When Brendon McCullum’s 158* for KKR changed the course of the game

Team news: RCB are playing just three overseas players today. Rajat Patidar comes in for Dan Christian. (Once again, the franchise is showing smart planning. There is no reason to play an overseas player in Chennai just to make up the quota, especially given bowling options that Kohli has. An Indian batsman does make more sense.) KKR, despite their disappointing defeat, have stuck to their guns. No changes.

TOSS: RCB win toss (Virat Kohli points out he finally wins the toss against Eoin Morgan!) and opts to bat first in Chennai.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of match No 10 in the Indian Premier League. Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Kolkata Knight Riders, exactly on the anniversary of the first ever match in the IPL when these two locked horns against each other in 2008.

RCB are the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far, having won both their matches. KKR look to bounce back from a tough defeat against MI.