IPL 2018: Highlights: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Lynn 50 powers KKR

Bengaluru, April 29: On a clement Sunday night (April 29) when Royal Challengers Bangalore fielders developed butter fingers, the costliest of all the drops came when the Kolkata Knight Riders innings was 3.4 overs-old.

The ball hung in the air for some time after Chris Lynn tried to smash Yuzvendra Chahal out of the park. Murugan Ashwin, who made his Royal Challengers debut this night, came under the ball but made a mess of it while grassing the chance.

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Lynn remained unbeaten on 62 off 52 balls with seven fours and a six, ensuring that Kolkata Knight Riders emerged a six-wicket winner while chasing 175/4 set by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field.

This was not the kind of innings that we have now accustomed from Lynn but on a slow 22-yard trampoline at Chinnaswamy he gave more weight to secure stroke-making and his method paid off.

Lynn is not precisely comfortable against spin as his forte is his ability to destroy pace. But here, his favourite dish was not served and the powerful right-hander reinvented his game accordingly. He swept Chahal and Ashwin to fine effect as Kolka Knight Riders prospered during the chase.

Lynn's 59-run alliance with his partner at the totem pole position Sunil Narine off 43 balls played a big role in keeping the Knight Riders ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

There was an insignificant rain interruption as the match neared the half-way stage. And insignificant because it did not even result in the match getting reduced by an over but that short break did not snap Knight Riders' momentum.

Robin Uthappa and Lynn added 48 runs in little over five overs as the Knight Riders stay ahead in the race. Uthappa was dismissed for 36 off 21 balls - an innings that contained three hits to the fence and three over it. But that knock also told us in a nutshell this IPL season of Uthappa - making those cute 30s without really extending it to more meaningful innings.

Nitish Rana had to limp off the field because of a lower back strain and Andre Russel was jettisoned in the very first ball while attempting to hammer Mohammed Siraj out of the ground. Those two quick blows might have given Royal Challengers some hope of making a match of it.

But Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik (23 off 10 balls, 3 fours and a six) in the company of Lynn ensured that Knight Riders go past the danger zone. Karthik was not there to take his side past the tape as his opposite number Virat Kohli pulled off a stunner at long-on - a running, forward-diving, low catch of Siraj.

There was no celebration from Kohli, usually an animated character. He just threw the ball back the fielders close to the circle - perhaps a pertinent statement about catching on a night when his fielders let him down totally.

However, that was not the first time Kohli hogged the attention. During Royal Challengers' stuttering innings, Kohli made a telling statement with his 68 off 44 balls with five fours and three sixes.

But with AB de Villiers missing the match with viral fever, Kohli was short on firepower in his line-up. Tim Southee replaced De Villiers in the eleven.

The Royal Challengers had also made three other changes to the team that lost to Chennai Super Kings last Saturday. Ashwin came in for Washington Sundar, Brendon McCullum replaced Corey Anderson and Mandeep Singh walked in for Pawan Negi.

Each of those players made their presence felt in different ways. Mandeep built a 65-run partnership with Kohli that gave late impetus to RCB, McCllum was breezy during his 38-ball 28 and Ashwin took two wickets - Narine and Uthappa.

But Ashwin's blunder in the 22nd ball of the match was the most glaring of them all and it decided the fate of the match as well.

Some nights are not jut meant for you!