Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings, 34th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Almost at the half-way mark of the tournament and teams would not take anything but a win! RCB have been handed their third loss. They were undone a little today by the conditions as well. But that's how it is in a long tournament, it would even out. Punjab have picked up their 5th win and have 10 points from 7 games. Delhi and Punjab look almost certain to make it to the next round. Or are there more twists? RCB have been a little brittle at home. The conditions have mostly back fired for them. The conditions they should know like the back of their hand have only handed them ignominy. But they are a good side and will look to bounce back. We will be back soon as well. Till then our team of Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Nikhil Jadhav, Siva and Kumar Abhisekh Das bids you bye bye. Take care...

Tim David | Player of the Match: It didn't feel so easy ( about batting on that deck). I don't know what to say. I think definitely boys batting up communicated about the conditions back down to me. I was getting a chance to see what the pitch was doing. The practice pitches have been similar. Tried to find a method to play in these conditions. Our coaching staff and management have built the squad for a certain reason. I am very pleased and I feel like am batting well at the moment. I can contribute but trust the coaches to put where I can score. If I get an opportunity to bat up, I will look to contribute for my team. At times when you are trying too hard, it doesn't come off. The challenge here at times in Bangalore has been to bat with the bowlers and string up a partnership. Tonight was difficult. You had to manage risks a little bit. We have been faced with different conditions in each match we have played so far. Tonight there was rain and the pitch was under covers and it was difficult to know how the pitch would play. We haven't played well at home. We need to find a template to find a way and win a couple of games. We will have to regroup quickly as we will play Punjab.

Shreyas Iyer | Punjab Captain: As they say variety is the spice of life. We are able to experience all kinds of games over here. It is a great challenge. There was no thinking to be honest. I was making instinctive moves and obviously we were getting wickets. I didn't want the new batsman to come in and settle straightaway. Marco was able to extract little bit of bounce on this wicket. He was bowling lethal. He basically steadied the ship. And the rest of the bowlers they helped him. To be honest, we didn't know how the wicket was going to play and I personally feel the bowlers they adapted according to it. When I had a chat with Arshdeep, he said, the hard length balls were very difficult to hit on this wicket because I didn't see a single six off a fats bowler hit down the ground. That was the chatter going around and they were fantastic in executing it. Yes absolutely, you need one batsman to take the charge. Nehal was brilliant in his approach today. The attitude was top notch. I hope he continues the same form. Personally I had a chat with Chahal. I told him you are a match winner and you need to get us wickets as much as possible. You don't need to be safe in your appraoch and he has got the capability of bouncing back. That's what we appreciate of him as a leggie. Probably he is the best bowler in the IPL so far. You to back that all the time. Depends on the wicket (On Punjab providing another thriller).

Stats by Shashikant Singh

Most defeats at a venue in the IPL
46 - RCB at Bengaluru*
45 - DC at Delhi
38 - KKR at Kolkata
34 - MI at Wankhede
30 - PBKS at Mohali

RCB is the only team that has yet to win a home game this season.
Lost vs GT by 8 wickets
Lost vs DC by 6 wickets
Lost vs PBKS by 5 wickets

Marco Jansen: Feel very good about it (today's win), there was pace and bounce in the wicket and all the fast bowlers enjoyed it. Everyone has a role to play in the team. I tried to do that (whatever role was given to me) to my best. I like to bowl in the powerplay, but ready to bowl in any situation. We know what's expected from us when we walk on the field, it makes it lot easier for us. I would call it a fall, not a dive. I am seeing the physio, other than that feeling really good. He (Chahal) takes wickets for us, it's nice to know that someone is going to take wickets in the middle overs, nice to have him.

Rajat Patidar | RCB Captain - Initially it was sticking and two paced, but we could have done far better as a batting unit. Partnerships are important, we have lost wickets in quick intervals and that's a big lesson for us. We've had to make that change due to conditions (on leaving out Paddikal). The wicket wasn't that bad, it was under covers for a long time, it helped their bowlers, credit goes to them. No matter how the wicket plays, we need to bat well and get a winning total. The bowling unit is doing pretty well, that's a big positive. The batters have played with intent, that's something pleasing. We can correct some of our mistakes in the batting unit.

00:14 Local Time, 18:44 GMT, 00:14 IST: David and Hazlewood tried hard. But in the end, Punjab after losing some sweat have gone over the line. Nehal Wadhera played a fine knock in the middle order and that meant Punjab settled down the nerves which were triggered by some fine bowling by Hazlewood. Earlier, David scored his first fifty in the IPL to provide some respectability to his side's score. They were reeling at 63 for 9 when David took charge and took them to 95 after rain ensured it was 14-overs a side contest. The deck had some spice in it given it was under covers for some time. The ball was sticking a little and only Patidar and David got a few runs. Every other batter struggled and failed to get to double digits. Hazlewood examined the technique of the Punjab batters and three of them failed the Test as well. But the three-fer from him was never enough. Others tried hard but the loose balls were put away. RCB have now four wins and three loses. Both these teams will be playing the reverse fixture in a couple of days time and RCB will look to bounce back then.

Yash Dayal to Stoinis, SIX, Game over! Punjab win this with 11 balls to spare. Length delivery, on the sticks and walloped over deep mid. Punjab have won away from home and RCb continue to get rolled over at home. Another loss

Yash Dayal [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack

Bhuvneshwar to Nehal Wadhera, FOUR, short, wide, slapped! That was wide, outside off, Nehal Wadhera got on top of the bounce and slapped it wide of the man at cover for a four. Lovely shot. Only a boundary away now the Punjab unit

Bhuvneshwar to Nehal Wadhera, SIX, has been a gem from Nehal Wadhera. Was a bad delivery on to the hips, Nehal Wadhera helped it on its way to the fine leg region. The ball easily sailed over towards the shorter part. That was pulled flat. 8 needed now

Gurpreet: RCB erred by giving last over to Suyash. Should have gone with Bhuvi or Yash to drag the game till 13th or may be till the 14th over.

Bhuvneshwar to Stoinis, 1 run, back of a length delivery, takes the outer-edge and flies down to third man for a single. 14 needed off 14 balls. Punjab batters have not taken the smarter option and have paid the price like the RCB batters earlier

Marcus Stoinis, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Bhuvneshwar to Shashank Singh, out Caught by Phil Salt!! Singh's little stay ends. He looked stiff and has to go. Back of a length delivery, angled in, Shashank Singh looked to punch it and got it off the higher part of the bat. Wanted to go down the ground but it went off the higher part of the bat. The ball scaled more height than distance. The man at long-on gobbled it up easily. Shashank Singh c Phil Salt b Bhuvneshwar 1(5)

Bhuvneshwar to Shashank Singh, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Bhuvneshwar to Nehal Wadhera, 1 run, charges at the bowler and pulls the ball down to deep mid for a single. Was a back of a length delivery from the bowler

Bhuvneshwar to Nehal Wadhera, no run, dot to start the over. David's knock at the end has allowed RCB to drag this game till the end. Was a back of a length delivery and Nehal Wadhera stabbed it down to point

Bhuvneshwar Kumar [2.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack