Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) almost for the second time chased down over 200 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019). However, the Dinesh Karthik-led side fell short of the massive target by just ten runs. At one stage, with KKR at 33 for three, it appeared the margin of defeat will be a big one. But Knight Riders almost sealed an improbable win all thanks to Andre Russell and Nitish Rana’s power hitting. Kuldeep Yadav Breaks Down After Conceding 27 Runs to Moeen Ali in 16th Over of RCB vs KKR, IPL 2019 Match.

Russell and Rana added 118 runs off just 48 balls and made RCB work hard for their second win of the season. While Rana finished unbeaten on 85 off 46 balls, Russell, who was dismissed in the last over, scored 65 off 25 balls. The duo hit 14 sixes and 11 fours between them and caused panic in the RCB dressing over. Virat Kohli Goes Past David Warner, Shane Watson on Most Hundreds in IPL List.

Needing 24 off last over, Virat Kohli handed the ball to Moeen Ali and he did well to defend 24 runs, which looked like will be chased down the way Russell and Rana were batting. It was Ali’s lone over in the match.

Here are some stat highlights from KKR vs RCB IPL 2019 match

# Virat Kohli now has five centuries in IPL, second most.

# Kohli has the most centuries as captain in IPL.

# Dale Steyn represented RCB after a gap of nine years.

# Andre Russell's 21-ball fifty is the second fastest in IPL 2019. Rishabh Pant scored the fastest of 18 balls.

Earlier, it was Kohli’s ton that powered RCB to 213 for four. The RCB skipper scored 100 off just 58 balls. It was Kohli’s fifth century in IPL. Apart from him, Moeen Ali scored 66 off 28 balls to put on 90-run stand with Kohli. Virat Kohli Takes a Superb One-Handed Catch During KKR vs RCB IPL 2019 Match, Watch Video.

Meanwhile, despite the victory, RCB continues to stay at the bottom of the IPL 2019 points table. Knight Riders also hold on to their sixth spot. This was KKR’s fourth back to back defeat. RCB, on the other hand, will have to win every game from here on to stay in contention for a place in the playoffs. They have five matches remaining.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2019 12:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).