Top 5 moments that shaped the first victory for an away team in IPL 2024

Kohli - The King of Chinnaswamy 

Virat Kohli scored 83 off 59 balls in RCB’s 182/6, batting throughout the innings and ensuring that the fall of wickets and restricted run-scoring post the powerplay didn’t lead to a collapse from the RCB batting. No wonder he had the highest impact ratings, according to Criclytics, despite being on the losing side. 

KKR’s brilliant use of slower balls and cutters

After being hit for 61 in the first six, KKR bowlers made a very strong comeback in the game, bowling 31 off-cutters overall and conceding 35/3. That choked RCB’s power-packed middle order. 

In comparison, RCB pacers just bowled one off-cutter and even that went for a six. They chose to bowl a lot of knuckle and back-of-the-hand slower balls, and their 23 pace-off deliveries cost them 38 runs! In the end, the effective use of slower deliveries became a key differentiator between both sides on a sticky pitch. 

Salt and Narine’s powerplay pulverisation 

RCB’s 85 runs shell-shacking in the powerplay was so brutal that it felt like a repeat of such a night from seven years ago. Phil Salt began with humungous sixes, and Sunil Narine did the majority of the butchery, scoring 47 off just 22. 

That practically made it impossible to come back in the game, as their win % plummeted from 42% (at the end of their batting) to 20% at the end of the powerplay. 

Shreyas Iyer’s dropped catch 

RCB hadn’t dropped a single catch this tournament until Yash Dayal spilled a straightforward catch of Shreyas Iyer. KKR had lost both their openers in quick succession then, and if Iyer had also been dismissed, then RCB would have had a comeback chance. But alas, Iyer ended up being the one to take KKR home with 39* off 24 balls. 

Venkatesh Iyer’s onslaught 

Before this game, Venky Iyer was dismissed ten times by a left-arm seamer in the IPL. But RCB didn’t make him face Yash Dayal, who ultimately took his wicket. The taller Iyer used his height to great advantage to kill the game and scored four sixes and three fours to end up with 50 off just 30 balls.