Bengaluru: The tiny flickering flame of hope continues to burn brightly for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) amidst the strong winds. Looking down for the count a month ago following a horrendous start where they managed just a solitary win in 8 games, the Royal Challengers have now turned their season around stunningly by posting their fifth triumph on the bounce here on Sunday.
Facing fellow play-offs chasers Delhi Capitals (DC) in a must-win game at a sold-out M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Royal Challengers defended a par target of 188 in exemplary fashion to soar to the fifth spot in the table with 12 points from 13 games. Very importantly, they ensured they maintained their healthy run-rate (+0.387) after bowling out DC for 140.
DC, whose chase was rocked at the start itself when RCB reduced them to 30/4 in just 3.3 overs, failed to recover from the early blows. A semblance of hope was there when stand-in skipper Axar Patel (57, 39b) and Shai Hope (29, 23b) forged a 56-run stand for the fifth wicket but RCB, well aware of the fickle nature of the format where one blistering innings can change the dimension of the game, barely lifted their foot off the pedal.
They bowled passionately and fielded energetically to constantly keep the pressure on DC, which led to quick dismissals of Hope and the dangerous Tristan Stubbs, and reduced the visitors to 90/6. Axar flung his bat around for a while but RCB wrapped up a comprehensive win at the end, thereby setting up a grandstand finish to their league engagements here on May 18 where they face rivals and defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
Although bowlers, especially Yash Dayal (3/20), Cameron Green (1/19) and Lockie Ferguson (2/23), played a massive role in the triumph on Sunday, RCB owe a huge thanks to Rajat Patidar (52, 32b) and Will Jacks (41, 29b) for taking them to a competitive 187/9. RCB lost skipper Faf du Plessis and top-scorer Virat Kohli, who was looking in impressive touch yet again, in quick succession inside the Power Play itself and looked in danger of falling apart.
Patidar and Jacks, however, steadied the ship in counter-attacking fashion. The duo, leading a charmed life thanks to some lacklustre fielding from the Capitals who grassed three regulation catches, forged a game-changing fortuitous 88-run stand for the third wicket.
Patidar meant business from the word go as he went about belting boundaries at will. Having regained his form in the second half of the tournament, the right-hander was top-notch with his timing, pulling off some sizzling cover-drives and lofted shots over mid-wicket and long-on region.
Jacks too batted with a high tempo as runs came at a fast clip for the Royal Challengers. At the midway stage, RCB reached 110/2 and with both Patidar and Jacks in great nick plus the Capitals fielding like millionaires, RCB looked on course for a blazing finish. That didn’t happen as DC pulled things back brilliantly towards the end but RCB returned to the field brimming with fire and passion to keep their faint play-off hopes alive.
SCORE BOARD
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Virat Kohli c Porel b Ishant 27 (13b, 1x4, 3x6), Faf du Plessis c Fraser-McGurk b Mukesh 6 (7b, 1x4), Will Jacks c Axar b Kuldeep 41 (29b, 3x4, 2x6), Rajat Patidar c Axar b Salam 52 (32b, 3x4, 3x6), Cameron Green (not out) 32 (24b, 1x4, 2x6), Mahipal Lomror c Porel b Khaleel 13 (8b, 1x6), Dinesh Karthik c Kuldeep b Khaleel 0 (2b), Swapnil Singh c Kushagra b Salam 1 (1b), Karn Sharma (run out) 6 (4b, 1x4), Mohammed Siraj (run out) 0 (0b). Extras (B-1, LB-2, W-7) 10. TOTAL (for 9 wickets, 20 overs) 187.
Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Du Plessis), 2-36 (Kohli), 3-124 (Patidar), 4-137 (Jacks), 5-174 (Lomror), 6-174 (Karthik), 7-176 (Swapnil), 8-185 (Karn), 9-187 (Siraj).
Bowling: Ishant Sharma 3-0-31-1, Khaleel Ahmed 4-0-31-2, Mukesh Kumar 3-0-23-1, Axar Patel 3-0-24-0, Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-52-1, Rasikh Dar Salam 3-0-23-2.
DELHI CAPITALS: David Warner c Jacks b Swapnil 1 (2b), Jake Fraser-McGurk (run out) 21 (8b, 2x4, 2x6), Abishek Porel c Ferguson b Dayal 2 (3b), Shai Hope c Karn b Ferguson 29 (23b, 4x4), Kumar Kushagra lbw Siraj 2 (3b), Axar Patel c du Plessis b Dayal 57 (39b, 5x4, 3x6), Tristan Stubbs (run out) 3 (4b), Rasikh Salam c Jacks b Green 10 (12b, 1x4), Kuldeep Yadav b Dayal 6 (10b), Mukesh Kumar c Lomror b Ferguson 3 (7b), Ishant Sharma (not out) 0 (4b). Extras (LB-1, W-5). TOTAL (all out, 19.1 overs) 140.
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Warner), 2-24 (Porel), 3-24 (Fraser-McGurk), 4-30 (Kushagra), 5-86 (Hope), 6-90 (Stubbs), 7-127 (Salam), 8-128 (Axar), 9-135 (Mukesh).
Bowling: Swapnil Singh 1-0-9-1, Mohammed Siraj 4-0-33-1, Yash Dayal 3.1-0-20-3, Karn Sharma 2-0-19-0, Lockie Ferguson 4-0-23-2, Cameron Green 4-0-19-1, Will Jacks 1-0-16-0.
Result: RCB won by 47 runs.
PoM: Cameron Green
RCB’s next match: Vs CSK (May 18, Bengaluru)