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IPL 2017, RCB vs GL,Match 31 Highlights: Aaron Finch’s whirlwind innings takes Bangalore by a storm!

Will Irfan Pathan's much-awaited comeback work wonders for Suresh Raina's Gujarat Lions against a wounded Royal Challengers Bangalore?

Catch the live scorecard and analysis here

22:57 IST GL won the game by 7 wickets with 37 balls to spare.

22:57 IST Travis Head comes into bowl, Raina on strike, the ball takes an inside edge, takes a single towards backward square angle. Jadeja punches the ball towards covers, takes a single. FOUR! Raina chips the ball over covers, gets a boundary, just 5 needed off 39 balls now. He goes inside out again, FOUR! Bad fielding at the boundary, nothing has gone right for the RCB side. Raina finishes the match.

22:54 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes into bat, WIDE! Negi bowls a wide one. A dot one as Jadeja could not get bat on a wider delivery. He takes a single and gets off the mark. SIX! Raina shimmies down the wicket and hits the ball over long on boundary, first maximum for him. Raina takes a single off the 5th ball. Jadeja faces a dot one, 9 runs and a wicket from the over. GL 124/3.

22:51 IST WICKET! Finch c De Villiers b Negi 72(34)

22:50 IST Finch on strike, Chahal continues, he takes him on from first ball, gets a boundary towards deep midwicket. Raina takes a single towards midwicket, though he wanted to go big on that occasion. FOUR! Finch tries the reverse paddle, executes it effortlessly, another boundary for him. He takes a single off the last ball, 11 runs from it. GL 115/2.

22:46 IST Pawan Negi comes into bowl, Finch on strike, he takes a single off the first ball. Raina on strike, that was in the air but safe, a single for him there. A dot ball to follow as Negi followed him and darted that one into him. SIX! He goes down the ground, a maximum, that was 94 meters. SIX! Here’s another one, he hits sixes in couples, that one was over midwicket, a flatter one from Finch. He takes a single off the last ball, retains strike. GL 104/2.

22:40 IST Chahal comes into bowl, Raina on strike, FOUR! He had to fetch the ball from outside the off stump, first boundary for Raina. He takes a single towards square leg. Finch tries to go for the big shot but Chahal bowls it slower through the air, just a single off that one. Raina on strike, Chahal bowls a googly, beats him on the front foot. OUT! Raina goes for the big shot but gets caught at the boundary. WAIT! That’s a no ball! Chahal made a big mistake here. FREE HIT! Finch goes for the switch hit, misses the bat, manages to take a single. A dot ball to finish off the over.

22:34 IST Aaron Finch gets to his fifty in 22 balls, fastest fifty for him in the IPL!

22:34 IST Aniket Chaudhary continues, Raina tries to get the ball past point, finds Chahal a dot ball to start with. Raina takes a single off the next delivery. FOUR! Finch muscled the ball away for a boundary, it was in the air for a while but safe in the end. FOUR! Here is another one, Finch goes over covers fielder, he is really in a hurry to end this match early. WIDE! Aniket is under pressure, bowls that one down the legside. SIX! Finch goes for the maximum again, he is in another zone now, what a shot from the Australian. He is on 49 now. WIDE! Here’s another wide, Aniket is getting nervous now. He takes a couple of runs, gets to his fifty in 22 balls. GL 81/2

22:28 IST Yuzvendra Chahal comes into bowl, he is the only hope for RCB. Raina takes a single towards backward square leg. Finch on strike, SIX! Finch goes down the wicket and hits it over deep midwicket boundary for a maximum, he is not letting any spinner go off easy. Finch goes back into the crease, takes a single towards long off. Raina takes a single towards square leg, he is not looking to hit the boundaries. The next one should have been given a wide, Finch is not happy. Finch takes a couple of runs off the last ball of the over, 11 off it. GL 62/2.

22:24 IST Aniket Chaudhary comes into the attack, a dot ball from as Finch looks to defend. Finch takes a single off the next ball, good line and length from Aniket. Raina guides the ball towards third man for a single. A dot ball to Finch, good bowling from Aniket. A short delivery from Aniket, Finch goes for the shot but did not get bat on it, he was disappointed that it was not given a wide. Another short ball, a dot one to end the over, GL 51/2.

22:19 IST Finch on strike, Aravind continues, FOUR! The ball takes an offside edge and races towards the boundary. He takes a single off the next ball. Raina gives Finch back the strike, doing the right thing. FOUR! This time he goes down the ground, anther boundary from him. He takes a single off the next ball, a dot ball to end the over as Raina could not find the boundary. GL 49/2.

22:15 IST Aaron Finch comes into bat, he plays a dot ball to start with. SIX! Finch hits that one out of Bangalore, into Chennai, what a shot, sheer power from Finch, 105 meters. SIX! Finch sends another one into the crowd, that was 94 meters. He is in a hurry to finish the game. Next ball hits his pads, takes a couple fo runs. He takes a single off the last ball, that was a quick one, 15 runs and a wicket from it. GL 38/1.

22:12 IST WICKET! McCullum c De Villiers b Badree 3(6)

22:10 IST Aravind continues, the first ball hits Raina’s pads, a mild appeal but the Umpire says no, he takes a single off the first one. McCullum rotates strike, he takes a single. Next ball, Raina could not get it past the inner circle. Inside edge off the bat, he dragged that one almost to the wicket. WIDE! That was way above Raina, got the slower bouncer wrong at that occasion. He bowls another bouncer, the Umpire signals no ball. FREE HIT! Aravind survives as Raina could not get it into the gap. Another dot ball to end the over, just 4 runs from it. GL 23/1.

22:03 IST Suresh Raina on strike, he comes out to bat. he takes a single after playing two dot deliveries, good over from Badree, 6 runs and a wicket for him. GL 19/1.

22:01 IST WICKET! Ishan Kishan lbw b Badree 16(11)

Badree continues, McCullum takes a single off the first ball. Kishan goes for the shot off the short delivery, FOUR! for some reason Ishan is not happy with the boundary, he wanted a maximum.

22:00 IST Just 5 runs from Sreenath Aravind’s over as McCullum took a single off the third ball. Kishan gets a boundary off the fifth ball. GL 13/0.

21:55 IST Samuel Badree comes into bowl the first over. Two boundaries off the first over, GL are off to a good start. Eight runs from the first over. GL 8/0.

21:50 IST Brendon McCullum and Ishan Kishan come out to bat. Strange decision.

21:39 IST GL need 135 to win the game. 

21:37 IST WICKET! Chahal run out (McCullum/ Karthik) 1(2)

21:37 IST Yuzvendra Chahal comes into bat, he is beaten off the first ball, a slower yorker from Faulkner. He goes for a couple of runs off the last ball, manages to take a single as Karthik runs him out.

21:34 IST WICKET Sreenath Aravind c McCullum b Faulkner 9(16)

21:34 IST James Faulkner to bowl the last over, Aniket goes into the crease, he hits the ball down the ground, he takes a single off the first ball. Aravind on strike, the ball takes an inside edge, manage a single despite an agile throw from Karthik. Aniket goes for the big shot but manages to take a single towards long on. OUT! Another McCullum special.

21:31 IST Basil Thampi comes into bowl the 19th over, Aravind takes a single off the first ball. Aniket goes deep into the crease and tries to hit the ball over mid off, had to manage with just a single. Aravind goes into the crease, takes a single as the ball gets fielded in deep covers region. FOUR! Full toss from Thampi, Aniket gets bat on that, welcome boundary for RCB. A yorker from Thampi, an overthrow means they manage to take a couple of runs. He takes a single to end the over, RCB 130/8.

21:27 IST Tye continues, Aniket on strike, he manages to take a single off the second delivery, though, there was a direct hit at the stumps. Aravind tries to pull the ball but could not get much of bat on it, takes a couple of runs towards fine leg. He steps down but misses the ball. Another dot as Aravind attempts a quick single. Last ball of the over, hits his pads, just a single, leg byes. RCB 120/8.

21:23 IST Aniket takes a single off the first ball as Faulkner comes back into the attack. The next one hits Aravind’s pads, takes a single anyway, leg byes. Aniket on strike, he takes another single towards covers. Aravind could not time the next ball, but takes a quick single towards forward point. Another single as Aniket did not try anything fancy. A dot ball to end the over, 5 runs from it. RCB 116/8.

21:20 IST Aniket Chaudhary comes into bat, he takes a single off the first ball. RCB 11/8.

21:18 IST WICKET! Mandeep Singh c Jadeja b Tye 8(14)

21:18 IST Sreenath Aravind on strike, Tye comes into the attack, he starts off with a dot ball. Aravind takes a single off the next one, Mandeep is on strike, he is the only recognisable batsman for RCB now. He guides the ball towards the third man, takes a single. Aravind pushes the ball towards deep covers, takes a single. OUT! Another one bites the dust.

21:15 IST Just 5 runs and a wicket from the over, Bangalore heading towards a mediocre total at Bengaluru. RCB 107/7.

21:12 IST WICKET! Samuel Badree c Kishan b Jadeja 3(3)

21:08 IST Samuel Badree comes into bat, he takes a single off the first ball towards mid on. Mandeep takes a single as well, 14 runs and a wicket from the over.

21:06 IST WICKET! Negi c Thampi b Soni 32(19)

21:06 IST Negi on strike, Soni is back on strike. SIX! That was in the slot and struck back into the stadium for a maximum, that was a humongous hit. Negi was beaten off the next ball, a dot one from Soni. SIX! That was short and wide from Soni. Negi hits the ball over deep covers for a maximum, here’s another one for him. OUT!

21:03 IST James Faulkner comes into bowl, Negi on strike. FOUR! He welcomes Faulkner with a boundary towards deep covers. He takes a single off the second delivery. Next ball, Mandeep on strike, FOUR! Leg byes, a lucky boundary for him. Mandeep takes a single towards third man. A slower one from Faulkner beats Negi, a dot ball. He takes a single to end the over, 10 runs from it. RCB 88/5

20:59 IST Andrew Tye comes back into the attack, Mandeep takes a single off the first ball. Negi too stays in the crease and takes a quick single towards short cover. Mandeep guides the ball towards the third man takes a single. A dot ball to follow. Another mix-up but this time Mandeep sends Negi back, another dot ball. Negi takes a single towards midwicket, 4 runs from the over. RCB 77/5.

20:55 IST Jadeja continues, Negi on strike. FOUR! The ball takes a bottom edge, it races towards the boundary, lucky for Negi. FOUR! Here is another one, uses the pace from Jadeja, two boundaries off the first two balls. Negi uses the pace again but manages to take a single. Mandeep edges the ball towards short third man, just a single for him. Negi shuffles across good running from Negi-Mandeep, a couple of runs off that delivery. A dot ball to end the over, 12 from it. RCB 73/5

20:52 IST Pawan Negi comes into bat, he takes a single after playing a dot full toss. Mandeep defends the last ball. RCB in big trouble! RCB 61/5.

20:50 IST WICKET! De Villiers run out 5(11)

20:50 IST De Villiers on strike, Soni continues his over. He starts off with a dot ball following De Villiers. WIDE! That was way down the legside. He takes a single off the next ball. OUT! That was a horrible mix-up from Mandeep and De Villiers. The latter has to go, a big wicket for GL. RCB 60/5

20:47 IST Mandeep Singh comes into bat, he defends the rest of the deliveries from Jadeja’s over, a wicket and 2 runs from it.

20:43 IST WICKET! Kedar Jadhav b Ravindra Jadeja 31(18)

20:43 IST Jadeja continues, Jadhav takes a single off the first ball. De Villiers faces a dot ball as he pushes it back to the bowler. An lbw shout off the next ball, but, he takes a single.

20:41 IST Ankit Soni playing his debut game in IPL comes into attack, Jadhav on strike. He chips the ball over offside field, takes a single. De Villiers goes back into the crease, takes a single towards deep midwicket. Another single as Jadhav knocks the ball around. De Villiers picks the short ball but could not time it, takes a single. SIX! Jadhav goes one knee and hits the ball for a maximum, 85 meters. Jadhav takes a single off the next ball, 11 runs from it, RCB 55/3.

20:37 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes into bowl, De Villiers takes a single off the first ball. FOUR! Jadhav goes inside out, two bounce over the rope. He takes a single off the next ball. De Villiers is back on strike, Jadeja throws one at the stumps but the South African survives. A dot ball to end the over, 9 from it. RCB 44/0.

20:33 IST Basil Thampi continues, he defends the first ball. Jadhav goes for the shot on the next one, finds the fielder, a dot ball again. FOUR! Jadhav finds his first boundary, he pulls the ball towards deep midwicket, the sweeper could not cut it off despite a dive. FOUR! Jadhav flicks this one as Thampi misses the line, another boundary for him, two in a row. FOUR! Jadhav goes again, a boundary over point, here is an inning of true character which was long due. A dot ball to end the over, 12 runs from it. RCB 35/3.

20:28 IST Jadhav takes on the hat-trick ball, he defends the hat-trick one, a dot ball. Jadhav takes a single off the next ball. De Villiers back on strike, he defends the next two deliveries. Just a run and 2 wickets from the game. RCB 22/3.

20:24 IST WICKET! Travis Head c Karthik b Tye 0(1)

20:22 IST WICKET! Chris Gayle c Karthik b Tye 8(11)

20:21 IST AB de Villiers comes into bat, he defends the first ball towards short midwicket, huge wicket for GL in this over. RCB 22 for 1!

20:18 IST Virat Kohli c Finch b Thampi 10(13)

20:18 IST Thampi continues, Kohli on strike, he starts off with a wide, Kohli get anyone under pressure. Kohli takes a single off the next ball towards deep square elg. Gayle too rotates strike, he has not played any big shot. Kohli chips the ball over midwicket, takes a couple of runs.  Next ball, Kohli almost fell trying to hit that one.

20:14 IST Nathu Singh continues, Gayle on strike, he takes a single off the first ball towards deep square leg. Kohli plays the next one towards covers, a dot ball. He takes a single off the next ball, hits his pads, leg byes signaled by the Umpire. WIDE! That one was given wide as it was clearly going down the leg. Gayle goes for the shot but could not time it, the ball stays on the pitch. He drives the ball this time but it gets fielded inside the circle, another dot ball. FOUR! Gayle finally finds the gap, a boundary to end the over. RCB 17/0.

20:09 IST Basil Thampi comes into bowl, Gayle on strike, he defends the first ball. The next ball hits his pads, he takes a single off that one. Kohli plays the next one towards short mid on, no run. A huge shout off the next ball but the Umpire says no, Kohli is not happy as he felt it was a wide. SIX! That’s a fitting reply from Kohli, flicks the ball towards square leg, that is trademark, Kohli. He pushes the next ball towards short cover, just 7 runs from the over. RCB 10/0.

20:04 IST Chris Gayle takes a strike, Nathu Singh bowls a dot ball as the ‘Universe Boss’ looks to defend. Gayle plays the next one towards midwicket, he takes a quick single. Kohli on strike now, he shoulders arms on the first ball. Kohli takes a single as he dabs the short ball towards short midwicket. Gayle on strike again, the ball hits his pads, takes a single, leg byes. A dot ball to end the over, just 3 runs from the over. RCB 3/0.

19:59 IST Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli come into bat, Nathu Singh will open the bowling for GL.

19:57 IST Playing XIs

Gujarat Lions: Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(wk), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Andrew Tye, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampi, Ankit Soni

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli(c), Mandeep Singh, AB de Villiers, Travis Head, Kedar Jadhav(wk), Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal, Aniket Choudhary

19:30 IST Suresh Raina wins toss, elects to bowl first!

19:30 IST TOSS TIME! 

19:10 IST Good news for RCB fans, it’s a clear sky at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru!

Welcome to inUth’s ldigital coverage of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017’s Match No. 31 between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Lions (GL) at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. It is expected to be a cracker of a match if ‘Rain Gods’ do not decide to play spoilsport again. It is almost a do or die situation for both the teams as they have managed to win only two games in IPL 2017 so far.

Which social media platform is being discussed here? – @KP24 @henrygayle #IPL pic.twitter.com/5kGvHjbW0p

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2017

Good news for GL is that they have finally replaced the West Indies’ all-rounder Dwayne Bravo by a player who was ignored in the IPL Player Auction 2017. The younger Pathan brother was in the news in February as he got no buyers and remained unsold. He will be under the radar as he has to fill in the shoes of Dwayne Bravo who is expected to perform with bat and ball both.

On the other hand, the star-studded RCB side have had a bad run in the tournament. The previous match was washed out, a few rain showers might show up to interrupt the match. The team winning the toss will surely be bowling first as Duckworth-Lewis Method (DLS) might come into play as the game progresses.

Virat Kohli will be looking to get back into the form as this time around he would not have the side screen or the rain to blame. RCB have a mountain to climb in the points tally as they are currently in 6th place whereas GL are on the bottom of the table.

Gujarat Lions: Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Smith, Akshdeep Nath, Andrew Tye, Basil Thampi, Shubham Agarwal, Nathu Singh, Irfan Pathan, Dhawal Kulkarni, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Ishan Kishan, Pradeep Sangwan, Ankit Soni, Shadab Bashir Jakati, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Jason Roy, Munaf Patel, Chirag Suri, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli(c), Mandeep Singh, AB de Villiers, Kedar Jadhav(wk), Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Tymal Mills, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shane Watson, Harshal Patel, Adam Milne, Sarfaraz Khan, Iqbal Abdulla, Travis Head, Sachin Baby, Avesh Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Praveen Dubey, Aniket Choudhary, Billy Stanlake, Vishnu Vinod, Harpreet Singh