Eden Gardens hosted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for first match of both teams in IPL 2018.
Dinesh Karthik won the toss and decided to bowl first on a new look Eden pitch and revealed that Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum and Chris Woakes as his foreign players. KKR’s new captain Dinesh Karthik revealed that Chris Lynn and Mitchell Johnson were the two foreign players apart from Russell and Narine.
Brendon McCullum tore apart the KKR bowling scoring 43 in 27 balls with 2 sixes and 6 fours, as De Kock fell for 4. Virat Kohli (31) and AB de Villiers (44 in 23 balls with 5 sixes and 1 four) added 64 runs for the 3rd wicket, before Nitish Rana surprised the viewers and experts by removing both RCB stalwarts in two deliveries. AB de Villiers was caught by Johnson and Kohli was bowled off a yorker.
RCB finally ended on 176/7 with Mandeep Singh providing the finishing touch with 37 off just 18 balls.
Here are some tweets during the ABD-Virat show followed by Nitish Rana's double strike:
Baz McCullum, Q DeKock, Kohli and AB DeVilliers in the top 4 for @RCBTweets good luck bowlers!!!!
— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) April 8, 2018
When you have @Bazmccullum @imVkohli and @ABdeVilliers17 in your line-up @RCBTweets @IPL #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/TGN5ND1nQI
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) April 8, 2018
With De Kock and McCullum at the top, Kohli will have to relinquish his opening spot. But this Top 4 is simply WOW. ???????? #KKRvRCB #IPL
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 8, 2018
I cannot think of a better pair in the modern game to sit back and enjoy watching them put together a batting partnership than AB DeVilliers and Virat Kohli. #heavenly #vivoipl2018
— ian bishop (@irbishi) April 8, 2018
@ABdeVilliers17 doing the tandav, toying with bowlers at the Eden Garden. 5-6 overs of him and @imVkohli more together and KKR could be in deep, deep trouble
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 8, 2018
And who would have thought, who would have thought, that Nitish Rana will get both! Nitish Rana! You see something new everyday
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 8, 2018
nitish rana should retire now right? #KKRvRCB
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) April 8, 2018
Looked like a very risky move but it has paid off and like how. Nitish Rana has got AB De villiers and Kohli in successive balls. This is something worth telling his grandchildren #KKRvRCB
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 8, 2018
Captain @DineshKarthik applied the oldest formula of using a part timer to distract the set batsmen and ended up getting two big fishes. #nitishrana got the dream wickets any bowler in the world would ask for. #RCBvsKKR ????????
— Prragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) April 8, 2018
Brilliant captaincy buddy. Part timers underrated ???????? https://t.co/ZEDNakdUGy
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) April 8, 2018
