IPL 2018: Dropped catches a growing trend as Kolkata Knight Riders punish RCB

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  • Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in the IPL.

    Chris Lynn was dropped by Murugan Ashwin off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling and he went on to punish the hosts with a match-winning 62 off 52 balls.

    Virat Kohli‘s knock of 68 had helped RCB post a total of 175/4 but it proved to be insufficient.

    RCB changes a mixed bag

    The Royal Challengers just haven’t been able to get going this season and eventually, something’s got to give. That was probably the thought process behind the team selection. The pack was well and truly shuffled as Bangalore made four changes to their line-up against KKR.

    AB de Villiers was the only forced change through illness as Tim Southee replaced him. Brendon McCullum came in for his compatriot Corey Anderson while Pawan Negi was replaced by Manan Vohra and Murugan Ashwin took Washington Sundar’s place.

    Ashwin did well with the ball but his drop off Lynn’s batting proved costly. McCullum played a handy knock of 38 from 28 balls as he and Quinton de Kock gave Bangalore a decent start. However, it was the skipper who shouldered the responsibility of the innings and saw it through with a fine unbeaten half-century.

    Southee on the other hand was rather expensive during his spell.

    Catching the trend

    As the old adage goes, ‘catches win matches’. Dropped catches, particularly against dangerous batsmen, have a tendency to lead to defeat. Murugan Ashwin dropped a sitter that kept Lynn at the crease early on in his innings.

    Unfortunately for Ashwin, it would cost his side the match. The Australian batsman went on to punish him with a fine unbeaten half-century that led KKR to victory. The leg-spinner did redeem himself to an extent by picking up the wicket of the dangerous Sunil Narine off his first delivery before dismissing Robin Uthappa as well. But his spell couldn’t undo his mistake.

    Dropped catches are growing into something of an epidemic in this season’s IPL and Rahul Tripathi has been its reluctant poster boy of late. The Rajasthan Royals man dropped Shane Watson twice on his way to a fifty off just 28 balls last week as Chennai Super Kings registered a 64-run win.

    Tripathi dropped Kane Williamson earlier on Sunday and once again, the surviving batsman went on to score big and the Royals suffered another defeat.

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