Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers pummel Kolkata Knight Riders

New arrival Glenn Maxwell kick-started an onslaught and highly celebrated mainstay AB de Villiers climaxed it in typically glorious fashion as the Royal Challengers Bangalore maintained their unbeaten start to the IPL-2021 campaign with a commanding win against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.

Maxwell, so far looking every bit the player renowned for tearing apart bowling attacks ruthlessly, smashed a power-packed 49-ball 78 (9x4, 3x6), while de Villiers, dripping with class and confidence, bulldozed his way to an easy-on-the-eye 34-ball 76 (9x4, 3x6) as RCB posted 204/4 on a tricky MA Chidambaram track.

Chasing over 10 runs an over in Chennai, KKR needed someone to go big and others to rally around. They showed the stomach for a fight with a host of batsman starting off aggressively but none could sustain the fireworks long enough as they managed only 166/8.

RCB, for the first time in their history, posted three consecutive wins at the start that powered them back to pole position with 6 points while two-time champions KKR slumped to their second straight defeat.

Prior to this game, the highest total at Chepauk was KKR’s 187/6 in their 10-run defeat of Sunrisers Hyderabad. In four other games, teams have struggled to force the pace on a slowish surface where hitting through the line was awfully difficult. For Maxwell and de Villiers though, the nature of the pitch didn’t matter one bit.

Walking in to bat with RCB in a spot of bother at 9/2, Maxwell took a couple of overs to get his eye in but from the moment he opened his shoulders against Shakib Al Hasan in the sixth over, smoking the left-arm spinner for a six over midwicket, the Big Show simply brutalised the slower bowlers.

Realising the best possible way to cause maximum damage was go across the line, Maxwell constantly kept employing his favourite switch hit to put the bowlers off the mark. Known for throwing away his wicket in a rush of blood often, Maxwell yet again exhibited good temperament. He picked the right balls to attack but never took his foot off the accelerator.

De Villiers, assigned the finisher’s role this season, was a different beast altogether. Unlike Maxwell, the South African substituted power for class, timing and placement to deflate the Knight Riders. Shots flowed to all parts of the ground as skipper Virat Kohli lapped up all the entertainment like a fan, clapping and cheering every time a boundary was scored.

Armed with a strong total, RCB walked out with confidence to defend it. There were jitters here and there as KKR batsmen pursued the target with gusto but RCB keep picking up wickets at regular intervals to romp home eventually.