The Kolkata Knight Riders got off to an ideal start in the second leg of IPL 2021 as they completely dominated a hapless RCB who had no answers for Eoin Morgan's hungry side. KKR lost the toss and were asked to chase. They made the most of the opportunity handed to them as their bowling attack dismantled the famed RCB batting lineup and ripped them to shreds. Leggie Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel and Lockie Ferguson were outstanding, with each contributing by picking up crucial scalps at important junctures of the game. The bowlers were aided by impeccable fielding as they were able to squeeze RCB and mounted pressure on them, forcing them to play wild shots, leading them to lose their wickets. Kolkata managed to bundle up RCB within 100, setting their batsmen up for a comfortable chase.
The game was far from guaranteed as RCB contained one of the most potent bowling units in the league. KKR openers Shubman Gill and debutant Venkatesh Iyer walked out with confidence, and with a single goal in mind, try wrapping the game up early without losing your wicket. The openers were aggressive from the get-go as Iyer smashed Siraj for two boundaries in the very first over. This set the tone for the rest of the innings as both Gill and Iyer were relentless in picking apart the opposing bowling attack, as they found the boundary at will while patiently dissecting the RCB fielding set-up. Shubman Gill seemed to be in a splendid mood as he whacked the ball all over the field while giving RCB a torrid time on the field. Iyer seemed to be the ideal complement to Gill as the left-right combo worked wonders for KKR as they cruised to a victory within ten overs.
The bowling was impeccable and is something that cannot always be repeated, making it vital for KKR to carry today's batting blueprint with them throughout the rest of the tournament if they need to have a chance of playing in the qualifiers. The batsmen played with a sense of belligerence and freedom that they sorely lacked in the first leg of the tournament. The dominating victory helped KKR jump to fifth due to a major boost in their net run rate. This was also KKR's best batting performance in a power play during IPL 2021. All signs point in the right direction for Eion Morgan and his boys if they are to continue with the same aggression in every game they play.
