Kolkata Knight Riders coach Abhishek Nayar conceded that a dropped chance involving Virat Kohli early in the chase swung the momentum, and the RCB captain went on to punish the error. Kohli struck an unbeaten century to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a six-wicket victory in their most recent IPL outing in Raipur, chasing down a target of 193.
At a glance
- Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders, played in Raipur
- Result: RCB won by six wickets while chasing 193
- Kohli’s innings: 105 not out off 60 balls
- Key dismissal moment: Kohli was dropped on 21 by Rovman Powell off Kartik Tyagi
- Stand that set the chase up: 92-run partnership between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (39) for the second wicket
- KKR bowling/spin angle: Nayar highlighted the “Sunny–Varun” combination and said Varun Chakravarthy missed the game due to a toe injury
Nayar said the impact of that early let-off was immediate. “When you drop Virat Kohli, especially in a chase, it becomes very difficult,” he said at the post-match press conference, pointing to how quickly Kohli turned a survival into a statement.
He added that while KKR had put up a competitive total, the match slipped due to small moments that didn’t go their way. Nayar felt the pitch itself offered a fair contest and suggested that better execution—especially in the field—could have changed the outcome.
“As I said earlier, the score was fine on this pitch. There are a lot of things that could have been better. Virat’s catch was a very tough one. The Angkrish catch, you would expect him to take,” Nayar remarked, underscoring how fine margins can decide T20 contests.
Nayar also stressed the role of KKR’s spin resources, with Varun Chakravarthy missing the encounter because of a toe injury. KKR’s bowling attack, he noted, relies heavily on the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Chakravarthy, and the absence was felt even before the first ball was delivered.
“At the end of the day, cricket works like that. If we had another 10-15 runs, maybe the game changes. If those catches are taken, maybe the game changes. If Varun Chakravarthy plays, maybe the game changes,” Nayar said. He further described the combination as a proven strength for the franchise.
“It is an open secret that we have done really well with the Sunny-Varun combination. It is unfortunate that we have missed him a lot this season,” he added. Nayar also mentioned Chakravarthy’s recurring injury situation, saying it was the second time the player had suffered a fracture and that it is always difficult to cope without him.
Despite the loss, Nayar defended KKR’s batting effort and insisted the target was within reach. He said that during the middle phases, the side felt that anything between 180 and 200 would be enough, and he also noted that dew did not play a role.
“Midway through the innings, we felt anywhere between 180 and 200 would be a good score. There was no dew as well, so that was not a factor,” Nayar said.
He then singled out Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s contribution, praising the batter for a powerful knock of 71 off 46 balls. Nayar said the ball was moving early and tightening up, yet Raghuvanshi did not look uncomfortable at any point.
“I was very impressed with the way he batted because the ball was really nipping around early on. Hazlewood and Bhuvi are world-class bowlers,” Nayar said. “At no point did he look uncomfortable. He looked like he belonged there.”
On the RCB side, Devdutt Padikkal spoke about Kohli’s match-winning innings with admiration. He said he had the best seat in the house to watch the captain perform, especially given Kohli had come into the game after two duck dismissals.
“It was incredible to watch. I think I had the best seat in the house tonight. Some of the shots he (Kohli) played were simply remarkable, obviously coming into this game after two ducks was never easy and he showed who he is. He just went out and batted the way he does and really happy to see him get those runs,” Padikkal said.
Padikkal also downplayed the idea that Kohli’s turnaround changed anything about how the team approaches matches. “Honestly it doesn’t really change anything, everyone who is here comes out to perform, no one scores ducks and hundreds in every game and that is part of the game and he (Kohli) understands that better than anybody else. He has always bounced back and got runs and he showed why he is one of the best in business today,” he added.
Padikkal further evaluated the pitch conditions for batting. He said the surface offered something early on for the pacers with the new ball, but once that initial movement faded, it became easier to bat through the innings.
“It was a pretty good wicket, obviously the previous game was a little bit tacky, little bit up and down. It had a little bit for the pacers initially with the new ball, but as soon as the initial swing died down, it was a pretty good wicket to bat on,” Padikkal said. He concluded by noting how targets have become more chaseable in modern T20 cricket.
“Anything under 200 these days feels like a chaseable target, that’s how the game has evolved,” he said.
