After a see-saw game in which they flirted with defeat before maintaining their composure with the ball, RCB defeated Rajasthan in an exciting fashion.
First though, is the batting…
Virat Kohli receives a golden duck
Only one player in IPL history has more golden ducks than him, which is one of the statistics he would prefer not to be associated with. Trent Boult and Virat Kohli have engaged in some memorable matches at the international level, but up until Thursday, Boult had never dismissed Kohli in the IPL.
Kohli was content to bat first here on a dry track, but he mishandled a full ball shaping in a touch and was caught right in front. The choice was so obvious that Kohli didn’t even bother to review it, much to the dismay of the Chinnaswamy stadium’s packed crowd. Boult also successfully caught Shahbaz Ahmed on the pull, denting RCB early.
Maxwell and Faf make up for it
However, the fireworks were produced by RCB’s other powerful bats. For the second game in a row at the Chinnaswamy and the third time this season, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell each hit fifty runs to help the innings turn around. The pair took pleasure in smashing anything that was thrown their way on a surface that was still suitable for batting. Faf surpassed the milestone of 9000 T20 runs while Maxwell reached the 1000-run mark for RCB. Their partnership, worth 127 in just 67 balls, indicated that the game would be another run-fest.
Ashwin v. Maxwell: Chapter n
Runs: 122 Balls: 59 2 dismissals SR: 206.77 4s: 9 6s: 9 – After today, the record for this matchup stood as follows. With a four and a six off Ashwin to start his innings, Maxwell made sure to keep Ashwin under control practically the entire time. Maxwell holed out to backward point off a reverse sweep on the final ball of his stint after hitting Ashwin for 25 off 13 balls. The wicket came shortly after Faf was run out, which stopped RCB’s assault.
A well-known collapse
Only 33 runs were scored in the final five overs of RCB’s innings, which continued in a predictable manner with the loss of five wickets. In spite of having threatened to score well over 200 for a significant portion of their innings, RCB ended up scoring only 189 runs.
How did Rajasthan perform in the race, then?
On a pitch that had slowed down, they alternately blew hot and cold.
The cold…
In the opening over of the innings, Mohammad Siraj finished off Jos Buttler, which was the beginning of the problem. Siraj, who has made a length his trademark this year, got it to nip in and destroyed Buttler’s middle stump. Additionally, the hitter was caught in the crease, which put RR immediately on the defensive.
The warm…
With shrewd batting and a 98-run partnership in just 66 balls, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal put the chase back on track. In addition, he scored a half-century on his home pitch to support Rajasthan despite Jaiswal’s initial aggression. Before smashing Vyshak Vijaykumar for three consecutive fours, Padikkal played out seven balls for three before he got going, scoring consecutive boundaries off Siraj.
The decline
However, after that strong start, when Jaiswal sped to 40 off of 26, his next 11 balls only produced 7 runs before the strain that had been building began to manifest itself. Padikkal died shortly after turning fifty, and Jaiswal did likewise three points short of his milestone as Harshal Patel delivered the first of his three blows.
RCB rush home
A free-flowing Dhruv Jurel was unaffected by the wickets in the back end, including those of Sanju Samson (cut to short third man) and Shimron Hetmyer (run out). He nearly single-handedly kept RR in the hunt with two fours and two sixes, and the pressure began to show. RCB missed a few run-out opportunities, and with 20 to defend in the final over, Harshal got off to a bad start by giving Ashwin 10 runs off the first three balls. While Jurel was off strike for all but one ball as RCB barely won by 7 runs, his dismissal off the fourth ball proved to be significant, keeping the points standings once again close.
Next, what?
In two days, RCB will face KKR at home, while Rajasthan Royals will return home to prepare for their April 27 match against CSK.
