IPL: KKR attack despite losing openers early

KKR: 22-2 (2 over) vs Pune

KKR: 8-2 (0.4 over) vs Pune 

KKR: 5-1 (0.1 over) vs Pune 

RCB WIN BY 144 RUNS!

Gujarat 104-all out (18.4 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

So, eventually it turned out to be a one-sided match as RCB crushed a hapless Gujarat Lions by 144 runs, the biggest margin of victory by runs in the history of IPL.

RCB dominated with both bat and ball as Gujarat, except for the first few overs, were never really in the contest.

After being put into bat, RCB posted a massive 248 for three courtesy of centuries from Kohli (109) and AB de Villiers (129 not out) as they put on a record stand of 229 runs for the second wicket.

Gujarat never posed a challenge with the bat and were eventually bundled out for a paltry 104 runs in 18.4 overs.

Chahal starred with the ball for RCB, claiming three for 19 in four overs, while Jordan claimed four for 11 in four overs.

After a good start, Gujarat have hit a major roadblock, winning just one of their last five matches.

RCB WIN BY 144 RUNS!

Gujarat 104-all out (18.4 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Sachin Baby comes into the attack. Finch swings hard at the second ball, hitting it over midwicket for a four to continue his batting practice.

He has another big swing but this time Aravind takes a super catch at deep midwicket to send back Finch for 37 from 38 balls.

Baby finishes off the innings as Kaushik is caught at square leg for a first ball duck.

Gujarat 100-8 (18 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Aaron comes back and starts with two wides and captain Kohli is unhappy because he wants RCB to finish their 20 overs in time. Kohli has already been fined a couple of times and if he is punished yet again he will be banned for a match.

Tambe steers a full delivery fine on the off-side past the keeper for a four before Aaron is hit on the elbow by a short ball from Aaron.

Part-timer Chris Gayle comes into the attack as RCB look to speed up their over rate and finish off their remaining overs quickly.

Just what the doctor ordered as far as RCB are concerned as Gayle rushes through his first over, conceding just two singles and manages to complete it in a couple of minutes.

Left-arm pacer Aravind comes back. He also manages to finish off his over in no time, giving away three singles. Kohli has brought all his fielders in except for two, hoping to stop the singles and save some time in the process.

Gayle starts his second over with a high full toss which he fails to connect properly over midwicket and turns down the single. Another free hit and again Finch misses the timing, slapping it straight to long-on before he takes one to deep midwicket.

This is good sensible stuff from Gayle, who bowls four dot balls in a row to Tambe for another superquick over.

Gujarat 87-8 (14 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Jordan comes back and immediately strikes with the first ball of his new spell. A full delivery which Praveen plays all over and is bowled for one as the wickets continue to tumble for Gujarat, who are reduced to 69 for seven in the 13th over.

Jordan has had a tough start to the IPL but he seems to be finding his rhythm finally. A slow off-cutter accounts for Dhawal Kulkarni, who inside edges it back on to his stumps to be bowled for two to give the England pacer his fourth wicket of the innings.

Captain Virat Kohli brings himself into the attack to bowl some slow medium pacers.

The second ball to Tambe is a high full toss which is called a no-ball for height but Tambe can only hit the free hit to sweeper cover for one.

He gifts Gujarat another free hit after bowling another high full toss but yet again the visitors fail to profit from the free hit.

Finch then despatches a full toss over the square leg region for a six as Kohli goes for 13 runs in his first over.

Gujarat 69-6 (12 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Chahal in the midst of a good spell as Finch looks to sweep him but fails to make connection. The next ball is a googly as Finch fails to read it and is struck on the pads before he takes one.

Two more singles make it three runs from Chahal's third over as Gujarat reach 54 for five at the halfway stage.

Pacer Varun Aaron comes into the attack. Finch hits the fourth ball over midwicket for a four to get the first boundary after a long wait of more than six overs.

He flicks the next ball off his pads square on the leg side for another boundary.

Some cheer back in the Gujarat Lions camp as Aaron is hit for 13 runs in his first over.

Chahal strikes again in his final over. Nath attempts the slog sweep but fails to make connection and is bowled for three as Gujarat slip to 68 for six, in the 12th over.

Praveen Kumar nervously sees off the rest of the over as Chahal finishes with wonderful figures of three for 19 in four overs.

Gujarat 51-5 (9 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

It is turning out to be a nightmare outing for Gujarat, both with bat and ball.

Chahal makes it worse for the visitors with the wicket of Dwayne Bravo, who is trapped leg before wicket for one.

Gujarat slip to a lowly 47 for five in the eighth over.

Aaron Finch, who is batting at No. 5, has to salvage the situation and atleast take his to some decent total and avoid the margin of defeat.

Finch manages to avoid the hat-trick for Jordan, who had claimed two wickets from the last two deliveries of his first over.

Finch gets a single from the first ball before Akshdeep Nath takes one to mid-off where AB de Villiers does well to stop a straight drive.

The bowling has been pretty tight and the pitch is also not an easy one for scoring.

The umpires call for a time-out with Gujarat reeling on 51 for five in nine overs. A victory is out of the question with the visitors needing 198 runs from 11 overs at exactly 18 runs per over.

Jordan has made a good start with the ball, taking two for seven in two overs, while Chahal has two for 14 in the same number of overs.

Gujarat 44-4 (7 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Shane Watson comes into the attack. He starts with a good delivery, striking Jadeja on the pads before bowling a quick bouncer as he left-hander sways out of the way.

Wicketkeeper KL Rahul gives an overthrow for a single before Dinesh Karthik gets off the mark with one.

A good start from Watson as he concedes just three runs in his opening over.

Gujarat are 41 for two in six overs. In comparison, RCB were not far ahead as they had made 42 for on in the same number of overs before they cut loose in the second half of their innings.

Pacer Chris Jordan comes into the attack. He strikes in his first over with the wicket of Dinesh Karthik, who looks to hit a big drive over the off-side but is caught by de Villiers in the covers.

And Jordan makes it two wickets in two balls as Jadeja hits a straight return catch to walk back for two.

Gujarat continue to stumble as they are reduced to 44 for four in seven overs.

Gujarat 37-2 (5 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

McCullum playing the waiting game as he defends the first ball of Binny's second over before taking a quick single to mid-on.

Jadeja chips down the track but Binny bowls a quick bouncer before he also picks one.

McCullum looks to swipe it across the line but is beaten and struck high on the pads before he smashes the last ball straight down the ground, past mid-off for a four.

McCullum warming up to the task as he lofts Aravind over the off-side for his second four before the left-armer makes a good comeback with two good balls to the Kiwi right-hander.

Aravind drops short as Jadeja pulls it over midwicket for a four and keeps strike with a single from the last ball.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal comes into the attack. Jadeja drives the first ball through the off-side for a four before he slog sweeps the third over midwicket for a six.

But the leg-spinner strikes back with the key wicket of McCullum, who attempts a big shot but is caught at long-off for 11.

Gujarat are struggling on 37 for two in five overs.

Gujarat 9-1 (2 ovs) vs RCB 248-3 | Scorecard

Chasing a huge target of 249, you could not have asked for two better batsmen to open the innings as Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith walk out to the middle.

Stuart Binny to open the bowling as he starts with a dot ball to Smith, who looks to flick it off his pads but misses. He lofts the next ball down the ground, on the bounce to long-on for one to get off the mark.

McCullum drives the third ball on the off-side for one before Smith smashes it through the covers for a four followed by a single.

The last ball is a full toss but McCullum can't find the gap through the off-side as just seven runs come from the first over.

Left-arm pacer Sreenath Aravind to bowl the second over. Smith gets a single from the first ball before McCullum is beaten off the next ball as he tries to defend with the keeper up to the stumps, who does well to collect it cleanly.

Aravind bowls a slow bouncer as McCullum goes for the pull but is beaten before he takes one to mid-on.

Smith has a big swing but fails to make connection and is bowled for seven as Gujarat lose an early wicket. Infact, the ball stayed a touch low as Smith played all over it, trying to swipe it across the line on the leg side.

Ravindra Jadeja, batting at No. 3, is beaten off the last ball as it goes past the edge.

Not the ideal start for Gujarat, who are reduced to nine for one in two overs.

RCB 248-3 (20 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

The Gujarat bowlers suffered a lot, especially in the second half of the innings. Infact, it looked no matter where and what they bowled, AB and Kohli were despatching them for sixes and fours.

The last five overs of the innings went for a massive 112 runs, going at over 22 runs per over. Infact, the last three overs went for 75 runs and the only saving grace for Gujarat Lions were the two wickets off the last two deliveries of the innings.

Only Jadeja managed decent figures, giving away just 34 runs in four overs, while none of the other bowlers could manage an economy rate of under 10.

RCB 248-3 (20 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

The last two overs have gone for 60 runs as Kohli and de Villiers have produced a batting masterclass.

De Villiers turns the first ball from Praveen for a single to bring Kohli back on strike, who flicks the second ball to midwicket for two runs.

The RCB captain smashes the third ball, straight back over the bowler's head for a six, to bring up his century from just 53 balls.

This is Kohli's third century in the ongoing IPL, and he is the only batsman to do, as he continues to set the cricketing world on fire with his amazing and consistent displays with the bat.

Praveen then drops one short as Kohli pulls it over midwicket for a six to continue the carnage.

And finally some respite for Gujarat as Bravo comes up with a sharp catch at square leg to dismiss Kohli, who walks back after a splendid innings of 109 from 55 balls, having hit five fours and eight sixes.

He put on a quickfire stand of 229 runs from 98 balls for the second with AB, who finishes unbeaten on 129 from 52 balls, laced with 10 fours and 12 sixes.

A slight relief for Gujarat as they claim two wickets from the last two balls as Shane Watson is caught behind off a slower ball fora duck.

RCB finish on a mammoth 248 for three in their 20 overs, scoring at a run rate of 12.40.

Talking about the super-human effort by Kohli and RCB Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Jos Buttler could not have put it better.

"This is like Ronaldo and Messi on the same team! ?? #IPL2016," he tweeted.

RCB 233-1 (19 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

The young Shivil Kaushik is called into the attack, to bowl the 19th over. And Kohli goes on an all-out attack as he blasts the first ball over the covers for a six and repeats the shot, this time for a four.

Kohli then picks the third ball over midwicket for a six to bring up the 200-run stand for the second wicket from just 89 balls.

A full delivery is sent crashing straight down the ground for the third six of the over and the next ball also goes over the same region for another maximum as Kohli gets into the 90s.

He turns the last ball on the leg side for two runs as Kaushik also gives away 30 runs in his third over.

RCB 203-1 (18 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

Jadeja restores sanity to the proceedings as he bowls two dot balls in a row to AB before he finally gets a bye from the third ball and Kohli gets him back on strike with a single.

And AB is back to his punishing best as he pummels the last two balls of the over for back to back sixes.

Now Bravo, who is regarded as death overs specialist, comes under heavy attack. Kohli plays a superb drive through the covers and then lofts the next ball through the same region for a six.

Bravo bowls a high full toss which AB hits on the leg side for a four and to Gujarat's horror the umpire calls it a no-ball for a high full toss. De Villiers makes most of the free hit as he blasts it over the off-side for a six and then lofts the next over the leg side for back to back sixes.

Bravo has gone for 30 runs in his third over as RCB race past the 200-run mark, in the 18th over.

RCB 159-1 (16 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

Veteran Praveen is called into the attack and he operates from round the wicket. He is unstoppable at the moment as he sweeps the pacer for a six over fine leg and believe it or not it has gone over the roof and outside the stadium!

It is carnage out in the middle as Praveen attempts a slow bouncer but AB pulls it comfortably over midwicket for another six.

The next ball is full and AB drills it powerfully straight down the ground for a four to race into the 90s from just 41 balls. This is attacking batting at it's best and Gujarat Lions bowlers are looking totally clueless at the moment!

AB walks across and whips a full toss from Praveen high over midwicket for the third six of the over to stand just a run away from his century!

The South African takes a single from the last ball of the over to bring up his century from just 43 balls. What a century from the right-hander. Take a bow AB!

Praveen has gone for 23 runs in his third over as RCB look set for a total well in excess of the 200-run mark.

RCB 136-1 (15 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

And it is not long before AB goes after Jadeja, who bowled a good spell till this point. He makes room and lofts Jadeja over the off-side for a four before he heaves the next ball over midwicket for a six, to continue the carnage.

AB is going full throttle at a strike rate of more than 200, smashing his way to 63 from 31 balls, while Kohli is batting sedately on 44 from 34 balls.

Bravo is back but no stopping RCB, who continue to score runs freely. A good over from the medium pacer, as they collect just seven runs from the over as RCB reach 122 for one in 14 overs.

Leg-spinner Tambe comes back as Kohli drives the first ball down to long-off for a single to complete his half-century, from 39 balls.

De Villiers continues his charge as he slog sweeps Tambe over midwicket for a six. He plays an unbelievable shot off the next ball, using his wrists to good effect to slice the leg-spinner over point for a four and even Tambe is left stunned by the shot.

RCB smash their way to 136 for one in 15 overs, and if they continue this attacking approach for the next few overs, they could well touch the 200-run mark.

AB has been in control right from the start, hitting a quickfire 77 from 37 balls, while Kohli has played second fiddle on 51 from 40 balls.

RCB 103-1 (12 ovs) vs Gujarat | Scorecard

Jadeja comes up with another tidy over, conceding just five runs but the momentum is firmly with RCB, with both Kohli and de Villiers on the attack now.

Gujarat are desperate for a wicket as they bring back Dhawal to break this threatening stand.

Kohli immediately targets the medium pacer as he comes down the track and lofts it straight down the ground, over long-on, for a six.

Two balls later, AB pulls a short ball lover midwicket for a six before he hits the next ball in the same region for a four.

Kulkarni then drops it short and offers some width as de Villiers smashes it square on the off-side for a four to race to his fifty, from 25 balls, and take RCB past the 100-run mark, in the 12th over.

RCB 76-1 (10 ovs) vs Gujarat

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack. AB is beaten off the first ball as Karthik does well to whip off the bails in a flash but the batsman's feet are back in the crease in time.

AB has another close shave later in the over as Kohli calls him for the second run. Jadeja runs all the way to midwicket to retrieve the ball and misses the direct with AB well out of his crease.

Another bowling change as Dwayne Smith is called into the attack. Kohli turns the first ball on the leg side for two runs before he drives the next through the off-side for a four.

Three singles off the next three balls before Kohli plays the inside out lofted shot to perfection for the second four of the over.

RCB have recovered well to reach 76 for one in 10 overs with AB on 36 from 20 balls and Kohli on 32 from 27 balls.

RCB 59-1 (8 ovs) vs Gujarat

AB on the charge as he smashes a short ball from Kaushil through midwicket for a four. He drives the next ball through the off-side for a single and Kohli pulls the fifth ball for one. AB steers the last ball past point for a single as RCB reach 50 for one in seven overs.

Dwayne Bravo comes into the attack as AB looks to continue his positive start. He comes down the track to the first ball and has a wild swing but is beaten before he hits the next through midwicket for two runs.

De Villiers smashes the third powerfully down the ground as McCullum at mid-off makes a diving effort but fails to get to the catch, as it goes for a four.

Three more singles as RCB reach 59 for one in eight overs, including 40 from the last four overs, with AB smashing his way to 30 from 14 balls and Kohli on 21 from as many balls.

RCB 42-1 (6 ovs) vs Gujarat

Spin introduced early as left-arm chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik is called into the attack.

He makes a good start with three dot balls to Kohli, who can't find the gap before he finally sends it crashing through the covers for a four.

The last ball is smashed for a six over the covers by AB de Villiers to get off the mark in grand style.

Spin from both ends as veteran Pravin Tambe is called into the attack. De Villiers once again plays the inside out lofted shot for a four over the covers before he pulls a short ball over midwicket for a six.

Two overs of spin have cost Gujarat cost 23 runs as RCB recover to 42 for one in six overs to snatch back the momentum.

AB has hit his way to 16 from six balls, while Kohli has made 18 from 17 balls.

RCB 19-1 (4 ovs) vs Gujarat

Kohli breaks the shackles as he slashes a wide delivery from Kumar over the point fielder for the first four of the innings.

He picks a single from the second ball before Gayle is beaten by a beauty from Kumar, slower in pace but moves away enough to go past the edge of the bat.

Two balls later, Kohli charges the pacer but again Kumar gets some movement to beat the RCB captain all ends, up who manages a single from the last ball.

Jadeja releases some pressure with an unnecessary throw at the stumps from point despite the batsmen not looking for a run. It hits the stumps and deflects away from the fielder at mid-on for four overthrows.

Gayle finally gets his first boundary as he steers Dhawal fine on the off-side for a four from the 10th ball he faces.

Two balls later, Dhawal gets revenge with the wicket of the struggling Gayle, who inside edges it back on to his stumps to be bowled for six.

RCB struggling on 19 for one in four overs.

RCB 3-0 (2 ovs) vs Gujarat

RCB keep their faith with Chris Gayle, who has not had a good run of form in IPL 9, as he walks out to open the batting with Virat Kohli.

The experienced Praveen Kumar to open the bowling for Gujarat.

The left-hander defends the first two balls before leaving out outside the off-stump and then blocks the fourth ball on the leg side.

The fifth ball comes in as Gayle gets a leg bye to get RCB off the mark and Virat Kohli defends the last ball as just a single comes from the first over.

Dhawal Kulkarni to operate from the other end. The first ball is a dot before Gayle turns the second on the leg side for a single to get off the mark.

Kohli also takes a single to mid-on from the fifth ball as just two runs come from the second over.

RCB are off to a cautious start as just three runs come from the first two overs.

Gujarat have made one change with youngster Akshdeep Nath coming in for captain Raina.

McCullum confirms at the toss that Raina "is father to a daughter now."

RCB, who have eight points from 10 games, are in a do-or-die situation and need to win their remaining four matches to stay in contention for a place in the play-offs.

On the other hand, Gujarat are sitting pretty on 14 points from 11 games.

Welcome to the coverage of the 44th match of the Indian Premier League between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru, on Saturday.

Gujarat Lions will be captained by Brendon McCullum as Suresh Raina finally misses his first IPL match in nine years.

Gujarat captain Brendon McCullum has won the toss and elected to bowl as Kohli loses yet another toss, his eighth in 11 matches.