Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a crucial victory against Delhi Capitals in a significant match for both teams, thanks to an exceptional bowling performance. It extended RCB’s winning run to five matches and kept them in the playoff race. RCB and DC have 12 points from 13 matches, but the former are placed ahead at fifth because of a better run rate.
Jacks and Patidar spark up Chinnaswamy
After dismissing Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis early, DC aimed to capitalise further, but Rajat Patidar and Will Jacks had other plans. Patidar, who initially struggled for form in IPL 2024, continued his resurgence with a brilliant 52 off 32 deliveries. His innings reflected understanding of the situation, as he calmly countered the attack, effortlessly timing the ball and applying pressure on the opposition. Rasikh Dar eventually dismissed Patidar thanks to a blinder of a catch by Axar Patel, but the damage had been done. Jacks played a supporting role, rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries. Although he contributed a valuable 41 off 29 balls, Jacks would have aimed to push on further before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav.
DC bowlers come back strongly
It all started to go wrong for RCB after the dismissals of Patidar and Jacks. Despite having a solid platform, the rest of RCB’s batters failed to capitalise. Credit must be given to the DC bowlers, who maintained composure and swung the momentum back in their favour during the middle overs. Khaleel Ahmed delivered a commendable performance, claiming the crucial wickets of Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik for a duck with a well-executed change of pace. Rasikh Salam also impressed with the ball, securing two wickets while maintaining a good economy rate in the death overs. DC’s fielding standards improved as the game progressed, with some excellent catching making the difference in the final overs, restricting RCB to 187/9.
RCB bowlers run over DC
Struggles with the bat in the final overs seemed to ignite a fiery response with the ball from RCB as they launched a strong performance up front. Swapnil Singh, who has been effective in the Powerplay, delivered a crucial breakthrough by dismissing David Warner. His mistimed shot landed safely in the hands of Jacks at wide long-on. Yash Dayal followed up with a wicket on his very first delivery, removing Abishek Porel, who was caught off guard by the pace. As pressure mounted on DC, their situation worsened with the run-out of the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk. The fourth wicket fell to Mohammed Siraj, who delivered an absolute peach to dismiss Kumar Kushagra, leaving DC reeling at 54/4.
Valiant effort by Axar
With four wickets down within the first six overs, staging a comeback proved to be a daunting task for DC. Captain for the night, Axar Patel was the lone warrior in the run chase, crafting a well-made 57 off 39 balls. He lacked support from the other end to mount a more meaningful chase. RCB’s bowlers showcased their abilities with an impressive performance, not only in the Powerplay but also in the subsequent overs. It was a collective bowling effort by RCB, with each bowler contributing to secure victory in this important match.
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