RCB started their title defense in a grand fashion as they won the match by 6 wickets. RCB chased down the target of 202 quite easily with 4.2 overs left. Virat Kohli continued his dominance by playing a match winning unbeaten knock of 61 runs in 26 balls and struck 7 fours and 4 sixes.
Ishan Kishan’s fiery knock stuns RCB
After being asked to bat first, SRH got off to a rollercoaster start. Travis Head & Abhishek Sharma were dismissed cheaply as their counter-attacking approach didn’t work well. Jacob Duffy was the wrecker in chief with the new ball in hand. Jacob Duffy took 3 key wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head & Nitish Reddy and created havoc in the powerplay overs. The side earlier was in a state of bother at 29-3 in 4.2 overs
Ishan Kishan’s positive approach yielded results & since he was leading the side, he was in the zone. Ishan Kishan stitched a critical partnership of 97 runs with Heinrich Klaasen in 53 balls, which changed the complexion of the match. Ishan Kishan was in a beast mode as he struck 3 sixes to Krunal Pandya in the 13th over, which was quite breathtaking to watch.
Even after the dismissal of Ishan Kishan, SRH continued their attacking batting. Aniket Verma, who came in to bat at No.7 position, played a scintillating cameo of 43 runs in 18 balls & hit 3 fours and 4 sixes. Romario Shepherd was whacked all around the park as he conceded 54 runs but also got 3 wickets.
We can say that SRH’s all out attack approach was quite successful, but they weren’t aware of the fact that a storm was waiting for them to come. SRH set a challenging target of 202.
Virat Kohli hammers SRH
Phil Salt was dismissed early in the run chase, the score was 9-1 in 1.1 overs at that time. Virat Kohli & Devdutt Padikkal played classy shots and especially Virat was seen using his feet a lot against pacers. RCB notched up their half century in 4 overs as there was carnage completely.
SRH’s bowling and fielding weren’t quite up to the mark. Jaydev Unadkat, while bowling the 5th over, conceded 16 runs as all the tactics against Virat & Paddikal were proving to be ineffective. RCB raced off to 76 runs in the powerplay overs for the loss of 1 wicket as the target of 202 wasn’t looking daunting at all.
Virat Kohli was dropped on 29 by Heinrich Klaasen at long on; on the bowling of Harshal Patel & at that time, RCB’s score was 91-1 in 7.3 overs, which proved to be the turning point of the match. Devdutt Padikkal had come in as an impact player substitute who performed his role quite perfectly by scoring a quick-fire 61 runs in 26 balls and hit 7 fours and 4 monstrous sixes.
Virat Kohli, as typically was seen, rotating the strike consistently as the scoreboard kept on moving. SRH unit had a forgettable outing thoroughly who looked clueless without their skipper Pat Cummins in the field. Virat Kohli’s calm & composed batting style made the target look of 202 like a very small one.
What lies ahead
RCB would be overjoyed with this kind of clinical performance in all the 3 aspects of the match. RCB’s next match is against CSK on 5th April at the same venue. SRH on the other hand need to work on their bowling & fielding a bit where they looked a bit rusty. SRH’s next match is against KKR on 2nd April at Eden Garens.
Also Read:Â RCB vs SRH: Ishan Kishan’s Deadly Knock Sets Challenging Target For RCB