On a Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch that was a tad slower than expected, Royal Challengers Bangalore pipped Rajasthan Royals by seven runs to seal their fourth win of IPL 2023. Here’s a list of takeaways from the game.
The ball of the tournament?
If there is a prize for the perfect ball of IPL 2023, then Trent Boult’s delivery to Virat Kohli, Bangalore’s stand-in captain, would perhaps clinch it. Boult found the near-perfect line and length with the first ball of the game itself. He also managed a hint of inswing to trap Kohli plumb in front. The left-arm angle also played its part, and Boult was justifiably pumped up after taking the wicket.
RCB’s finest Impact Sub
Faf du Plessis once again turned out to be a trump card, as he and Glenn Maxwell shared a monstrous stand of 127 in just over 11 overs for the second wicket. Du Plessis took a heavy toll on Sandeep Sharma with lofts and flicks. Even Boult came in for some punishment as Maxwell steered a couple of deliveries to the boundary boards. When R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal were introduced into the attack, Maxwell brought out the slog and reverse sweep to put some pressure back on Rajasthan’s spin twins. The pair combined to also collect two fours and a six off Jason Holder in the 10th over.
By the time du Plessis was dismissed by Sandeep, he and Maxwell had already laid a solid platform for the middle order to provide the finishing touches. Simply put, captain or not, du Plessis continues to be Bangalore’s star performer.
RCB too reliant on Kohli-du Plessis-Maxwell trio
When Maxwell was dismissed, Bangalore were in pole position at 156 for 4 after 15 overs. However, they could add only 33 runs from the last five overs. Dinesh Karthik, playing his 16th IPL season, was the only other batter outside of Maxwell and du Plessis to reach the double-digit mark. On days when the big three don’t fire, Bangalore seem to have very little in reserve.
Harshal Patel and his bagful of tricks
With the track offering a hint of grip, Harshal was back to his very best, as he used the loopy slower ones and off-cutters to keep the batters guessing. Harshal picked up the prized wickets of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal. He was also given the responsibility of bowling the last over. Ashwin edged the first ball he faced in the final over to the third-man fence, pinched a couple of runs next ball and then glanced once through the fine-leg region. At that juncture, Rajasthan were still in the hunt, with the equation being 10 needed off 3 balls. However, Harshal didn’t lose his cool as he continued to employ into-the-pitch bowling to steer Bangalore to a narrow win. The wicket of Ashwin was more reward.
Rajasthan scrap till the end
After Mohammed Siraj had castled Jos Buttler with his trademark three-quarter-seam ball, Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal strung together an alliance of 98 in 11 overs. Drives, lofts and cuts – the duo essayed a volley of shots to prop up Rajasthan. But, in the 12th over, Willey prised out Padikkal, and that was followed by Harshal snuffing out Jaiswal. Lower down the order, Dhruv Jurel once again showed glimpses of his potential with pulls and whips, but his gritty effort wasn’t enough to take Rajasthan past the finish line.