IPL 2024: Narine, Iyer lead Knights' batting blitz in seven-wicket demolition of RCB

KKR became the first team to win away from home in this IPL following their comprehensive seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

With a scintillating batting display, the Kolkata Knight Riders became the first team to win away from home in this IPL following their comprehensive seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The tone of the game was set on the second ball of the first over when Philip Salt smoked the ball for a six over midwicket. In the next ball, within a blink of an eye, the ball was dispatched for a four. Salt struck another six to put the RCB on the backfoot. Mohammed Siraj, who bowled the first over of the inning, conceded 18 runs while defending 183.

Sunil Narine, who played his 500th T20 game, joined the party and both batters stiched up an opening stand of 86 runs.

After the opening pair was dimissed, Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Shreyas Iyer drove KKR's innings with some excaeptional stroke play.

Venkatesh completed his 50 in 29 balls but ended up losing his wicket on the next ball. Iyer and Rinku Singh stayed till the end to ensure RCB got across the finishing line with more than three overs to spare.

Earlier in the innings, RCB's stalwart batter Virat Kohli wrecked records as he cruised to an unbeaten 83 in mere 59 deliveries which was glistened with four boundaries and four sixes.

His four sixes in the unbeaten knock saw him go past former Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni's tally of sixes in IPL.

The iconic RCB batter has 241 sixes under his belt and became the fourth highest batter to score most maximums in the history of the event. MS Dhoni slipped to the fifth spot with 239 sixes in his kitty.

As cricket fans relished Kohli's effortless batting display, Kohli has now the most sixes for RCB in the IPL history. He surpassed RCB Hall of Fame star Chris Gayle's tally of 239 sixes. Another RCB Hall of Famer AB de Villiers is on the third spot with 238 sixes to his name.

• Impact player rule in IPL not encouraging all-rounders to bowl, says Wasim Jaffer