IPL 7: Ordinary Yuvraj and RCB let a win slip through their hands

Result: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by two runs.

Toss: RCB won the toss and chose to bowl first.

KKR 150-7 in 20 overs: Varun Aaron’s three-wicket burst (3/16 in four overs) derailed KKR’s onslaught after Chris Lynn (45, 31b, 3x4, 3x6) and Jacques Kallis (43, 42b, 2x4, 1x6) had stitched up a brilliant 80-run partnership after losing two early wickets.

They were off to another disastrous start, losing skipper Gautam Gambhir for a third straight duck in IPL 7. The only difference with Gambhir’s dismissal this time around was that he was out for a golden duck, trapped in front of the wicket by a fast and full Mitchell Starc delivery off the third ball of the innings.

When the 24-year-old Lynn walked into bat, KKR were in a spot of bother, but that did not show in the manner the Aussie straightaway went about his task. RCB’s move to introduce Muttiah Muralitharan into the attack in the seventh over backfired, as the Sri Lankan veteran was smashed for two sixes by Lynn in his first over.

Kallis swept Muralitharan over deep square leg after Lynn whacked Yuzvendra Chahal for a maximum over deep midwicket, where Starc completed the catch only to touch the ropes. Aaron was the only bowler Lynn was finding hard to hit and his patience finally told as he hit an unneeded shot straight to long-off. Yusuf Pathan then wasted his wicket – even he is struggling this IPL with only 15 runs from three matches.

Robin Uthappa (22) boosted KKR’s run rate with a couple of sixes, but could not last till the end. It was then left to Suryakumar Yadav (24 not out) to take KKR to a decent total.

RCB 148-5 in 20 overs: Low-scoring ties can get nervy if the starts are bad, but Bangalore’s openers provided just the right start.

Parthiv Patel (21, 19b, 3x4) and Yogesh Takawale (40, 28b, 8x4) were superb in the opening seven odd overs as they took on Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav — the former really not taking well to the hitting and losing his cool a couple times which resulted in even worse bowling.

Takawale and Parthiv both went on the attack and made sure that they took advantage of KKR’s wasteful bowling. They did muster up a fight though, removing the openers in the space of three deliveries as Takawale was trapped LBW by Kallis and Parthiv’s top-edge was taken Lynn — but that brought Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh to the middle. The score read 67-2 in 8.1 overs at that point.

Both batsmen took their time to get settled — Kohli without the bandage he was forced to wear after being struck in the face earlier while fielding — before they started playing their shots. Yuvraj started the attack with a six over mid-wicket before Kohli played two lovely drives through the covers for back-to-back fours in Kallis’ over.

Narine slowed down as Kohli and Yuvraj played him cautiously — his only loose delivery a full-toss put away by Kohli for four. In the very next ball though, the West Indian bowled him. Kohli went back nodding his head, and KKR suddenly came to life — Kallis bowled an over which went for just three runs and Umesh Yadav dismissed Yuvraj for 31 from 33 balls (2x4, 1x6) in the 19th over.

Vinay Kumar came on to bowl with nine needed from the last over — he gave away three singles in the first three balls before Chris Lynn took one of the most phenomenal catches in IPL history. De Villiers hit it towards deep mid-wicket and it was going for six – Lynn waited, saw the danger, arched his back and landed on his elbow just inside the ropes to do the unthinkable.

The next two deliveries went for three runs and KKR celebrated a thrilling win.

Turning point:  Lynn’s catch was simply phenomenal — and it came at just the right time. Why is it a turning point? Because with AB de Villiers at the crease, nine from six balls is no big deal. Dismissing him was vital, but to do it like it just exceptional.

Man of the match:  Chris Lynn with a solid innings and the catch of the tournament so far.