Arshad Khan stood out with the ball in hand while the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and the all-rounders did wonders with the bat as GT did wonders to skittle RCB out for 155. Kagiso Rabada bowled really well, and so did Jason Holder, who is playing his first match. Glenn Phillips hasn’t fired yet. This 156-run target match can help GT pace their innings perfectly. Anything over 200 or close to it will be tough for the public as well. The game is still finely poised at this moment.
GT bowlers remove both openers inside the power play despite an explosive start
Put into bat first, Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli came out to open for RCB while Mohammed Siraj had the ball in hand for GT. Bethell hit the first boundary of the match as he threw his hands at it and slashed it hard past deep third man for a boundary. Kagiso Rabada came into the attack next. Virat took him on straightaway. He first muscled the ball over wide mid-on for a boundary and followed that up with a loft over mid-off for a boundary.
Kohli completed a hat-trick of boundaries with a slice past the backward point region. Kohli was in the zone and guided it to the backward point region for a boundary. Virat once again drove it crisply between point and cover point for another boundary. Siraj continued as Kohli came down the track and lofted with a straight bat over long-on for the maximum. Virat reached 450 T20 sixes. Siraj then drew the first blood for his side as he removed Bethell for 5 off 5 balls with a boundary to his name with a chip to midwicket.
Devdutt Padikkal came out to bat next. Rabada continued, and he had the last laugh over Kohli by dismissing the Indian great for 28 off 13 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name as Kohli came down the track to loft it away, and the ball went in the air. Rashid Khan made good ground and took a good tumbling catch. Captain Rajat Patidar came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary with a punch straight down the ground like a bullet to the fence.
Siraj continued as Padikkal took him on by picking the length early and dispatched the ball over deep midwicket for the maximum. Padikkal then threw his hands at it and got a top edge over deep third man for a boundary. Padikkal muscled it away over Rashid at short midwicket for a boundary. The 50 came up for RCB in 5 overs.
Rabada continued to bowl the final over of the power play. Patidar got a streaky boundary away as the ball hit the shoulder of the bat, and the ball went away to the deep third man fence. RCB were 59/2 in 6 overs of power play with Padikkal unbeaten on 15 off 9 balls alongside Patidar, who was unbeaten on 9 off 9 balls. The Strategic Time Out was taken as well.
Jason Holder’s all-round display with the ball and the field destroys RCB in the middle phase of the game
Jason Holder came into the attack post the break and power play. Padikkal welcomed him into the attack by making room and slashed it between deep third man and deep backward point for a boundary. Padikkal stood tall and cut it hard in front of the square for a boundary. Arshad Khan came into the attack next. Patidar then pumped the ball over deep midwicket for the maximum.
Arshad got the team the breakthrough as Patidar fell for 19 off 15 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name as the ball got the top edge while pulling. Jason Holder almost collided with Rabada but made great ground to take a spectacular catch. Jitesh Sharma came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Holder struck next straightaway as he managed to get the outside edge of Jitesh through to the keeper. Tim David came out to bat next and got off the mark.
David took on Holder as he went back and got on top of the bounce to pull it over deep midwicket for the maximum. Rashid Khan came into the attack next for the first time this evening. He removed Tim David, who mistimed the ball to the midwicket region for 9 off 6 balls, with one six to his name. Krunal Pandya came out to bat next. RCB were 91/5 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the contest.
Arshad Khan continued as Krunal slashed it away by walking across and threw his hands at it to slice it away past the diving backward point for a boundary. Arshad struck again as he removed Krunal for 4 off 4 balls with one boundary to his name as the ball was chipped to short midwicket, where Holder made no mistake. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Rashid continued as the 100 came up for RCB in 11.5 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. Rabada came back to bowl his final over. Padikkal was still fighting it out there for RCB as Padikkal backed away to ride the bounce and punched it between covers and mid-off as the ball raced away to the fence. Padikkal took on Rabada to swivel pull him away over the deep fine leg fence for the maximum. Rashid continued as Shepherd went bang downtown over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Shepherd went big again as he whacked it over midwicket for the maximum.
Rashid had the last laugh over Padikkal as he knocked him over for 40 off 24 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name, with the ball getting the inside edge back onto the stumps. The Impact Player was introduced next as Venkatesh Iyer came out to bat. He replaced Bethell in the XI. Holder came back for his third over and removed Shepherd for 17 off 15 balls with 2 sixes to his name as the batter went for the pull shot and miscued it to the leg side as Sai Sudharsan ran to his left from deep midwicket and took the catch. Bhuvneshwar Kumar came out to bat next.
Bhuvneshwar managed to get three runs off a ball. At the end of 15 overs, RCB were struggling at 132/8 in 15 overs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar unbeaten on 4 off 3 balls while Venkatesh Iyer was unbeaten on 2 off 2 balls. GT were on top at this stage. We paused for another Strategic Time Out.
GT completes the formalities to skittle RCB out for 155 in 19.2 overs
Rashid Khan came for his final over after the break. He bowled a miserly over and finished his spell. Jason Holder came for his final over as well. He too bowled a tight over as RCB were reduced to 136/8 in 17 overs. Arshad continued as Bhuvneshwar broke the shackles with a punch through covers past short cover as the ball raced away to the fence for a boundary. Siraj came for his 19th over as Kumar got the gap and went over deep backward point for a boundary. The 150 came up for RCB in 18.4 overs.
Venkatesh Iyer got into the act as he pushed the ball down the ground past mid-off and mid-on for a boundary. Arshad came to bowl the final over of the innings as he first removed Venkatesh Iyer for 12 off 15 balls, with one four to his name, as the Impact Player struggled for his timing. Josh Hazlewood came out to bat next. We had a run out to end the innings as Hazlewood was dismissed for a golden duck. Kumar remained unbeaten on 15 off 15 balls with 2 fours to his name as RCB were bowled out for 155 in 19.2 overs. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Who’s Winning, GT or RCB?Â
GT have done well to keep RCB down to 155 by taking regular wickets and keeping the rate under check. RCB have got the runs and know how they can be competitive on this wicket. The pitch is helpful, but RCB have a deep batting line-up, and so this match can go either way at this stage.
Also Read:Â GT vs RCB: Bowling Disciplined GT Take On Batting Power RCB