A Virat Kohli masterclass in a tricky chase at a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium. A last-over thriller. An RCB win. Everything that Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans would have wanted from their team’s first home game of the season, they got it. In spades. But, it didn’t come without a scare.
Virat Kohli‘s 100th T20 half-century set the platform as RCB got off the mark with a four-wicket win over Punjab Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday night. Having restricted PBKS to 176/8 in their 20 overs, Virat Kohli made the most of an early reprieve when he was yet to open his account, set up the chase while Dinesh Karthik provided the finishing touches at death to help RCB over the line with four balls to spare.
Pitch and Toss
“First of three back to back home games for RCB as they take on Punjab Kings. This has been a high-scoring ground because of the dimensions and the center pitch is being used; 60 meters on either side and straight is 70 meters. It certainly does (look like a high-scoring Chinnaswamy pitch). The pitch is rock hard, there’s a bit of grass on it and what we know about last year’s IPL is the average first innings score is 196.
The ball is going to fly everywhere. The trend in this IPL so far has been the home team winning. Can the RCB get off the mark tonight in front of their adoring fans? There are a few cracks but they look superficial and it also looks patchy with patches of grass. Maybe a little bit two-paced because it is dry where there are cracks but under lights you expect the ball to come on to the bat,” reckon Deep Dasgupta and Simon Katich.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf Du Plessis have won the toss and have opted to field had Mahipal Lomror as their impact player. Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan had Prabhsimran Singh as their impact player going into the match.
Yash Dayal puts the brakes on in the powerplay
Despite Dhawan playing a couple of lovely aerial drives, RCB managed to keep a lid on Punjab’s scoring all through the PowerPlay. Yash Dayal got the ball to swing early in a tight new-ball spell, and Siraj accounted for Jonny Bairstow’s wicket. After a couple of pitched-up deliveries that the English opener dispatched to the on-side fence, Siraj pulled his length back and Bairstow miscued his pull in the covers region.
Prabhsimran Singh’s positive start set the base for a steady second-wicket stand to follow but RCB were the happier side at the end of the powerplay with only 40/1 on the board.
Before Monday, Yash Dayal had played only one game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in his T20 career. That was last season against RCB when he was with Gujarat Titans. He didn’t have the best of times finishing with 1 for 39 off his four overs. But on the day, or night, Dayal was on the money. He bowled three overs in the powerplay and went for just ten runs, conceding only one four.
Mohammed Siraj was picked up for a four first ball of the innings, and then conceded two more against Jonny Bairstow, but he had the last laugh. Bairstow took a swipe at a length ball, only to get a top-edge that ballooned straight up. Dayal kept things tight at the other end, even if he didn’t get wickets.
It was that Test-match length that did the job for him. He kept the ball short of a good length 12 out of 18 times in the first six overs, and went for just four runs with those. There was not a lot of swing on offer, but he made sure to keep the ball as close to the batter, and found just a hint of movement, not giving room to the batters to swing. The Kings batters could only manage 40 for 1 in the first six overs.
Maxwell’s mixed bag and Joseph’s comeback
Maxwell, after the time-out, was welcomed with a boundary by Dhawan and smashed for a six to deep backward square by Prabhsimran but the allrounder managed to cut short the latter’s entertaining knock on 25. It was the extra bounce that did him in as Prabhsimran looked to pull but instead top-edged. Maxwell was in for some more punishment with Liam Livingstone pulling a short ball for four and even managing to clear the ropes despite mistiming his slog-sweep.
However, Maxwell began his third over of the middle-overs spell with the key wicket of Dhawan, getting the ball to spin away as the batter gave the charge. This was one ball after Alzarri Joseph made a good comeback from a 10-run opening over to end the Livingstone threat on 17. As RCB continued to chip away, Punjab managed just 71 runs for 3 wickets in the middle-overs period.
None of the Kings batters were able to convert their starts into anything substantial. Shikhar Dhawan scored 45 but took 37 balls for it. Prabhsimran Singh got 25, Jitesh 27, Liam Livingstone 17. And that hurt them as RCB kept chipping away. Maxwell picked up two wickets in the middle over, while Siraj also got two and it seemed Kings would fall well short of a par score, which is quite high at the venue.
Jitesh, Shashank cameos propel Punjab to 176 for 6 after 20 overs.
Jitesh Sharma drove the half-century partnership with Sam Curran, the highlight of which was the back-to-back sixes off Mayank Dagar in an expensive 17-run over. However, miserly 17h and 19th overs from Joseph and Siraj respectively managed to keep Punjab under the lid for most of the death overs as well.
Their 170-plus total was only possible due to a Shashank Singh blinder in the final over from Joseph that went for 20. The Punjab batter made an excellent first impression in his 8-ball 21, hammering a couple of maximums off a flick and a hook and following it up with a four more.
Shashank Singh clobbered Alzarri Joseph for two sixes and a four in the last over to take Kings to a respectable total, even if it seemed a bit below par at the halfway stage. And that’s how it turned out to be.
A Virat Kohli special for the Chinnaswamy to remember
But, it so nearly wasn’t.
Striding out to bat with a vociferous crowd behind him, Virat Kohli took strike. Sam Curran got the ball to tail away from him first ball. It took a thick edge and went to short third. The next ball, Curran went closer, inviting a drive. Virat Kohli took the bait and got a thick edge but the ball went too fast for Bairstow to react at first slip and burst through his hands.
That was just the luck Virat Kohli needed. He drove Curran through the covers next ball, then clipped him past short fine-leg, before creaming a half-volley through the covers to make it 16 runs off the first over.
Rabada then came on but Kohli was in no mood to show any respect, haring down the track and slamming him over cover. Virat Kohli then took on Arshdeep Singh, thumping him for three fours in an over to race to 33 off 15 balls, the most runs he has scored in the first 15 balls ever in a T20 innings. Eight fours in his first 15 balls. Kohli was away, RCB were away.
RCB slow down, courtesy Harpreet Brar and Kagiso Rabada as Virat Kohli marches on.
Rabada got among the wickets first. He accounted for Faf du Plessis – the third time in three IPL innings – and then had Cameron Green edging behind with Jitesh Sharma taking a good low catch.
The real squeeze, though, was applied by Harpreet Brar and he did it with his length. Four overs, 13 runs, two wickets and that’s while Kohli was on a rampage. Sixteen of the 24 balls Brar bowled were on a length. From quite high up. He kept the speed on the quicker side, and more importantly, didn’t give the batters a chance to get under the ball. Both his wickets came off balls bowled at a length.
Rajat Patidar, frustrated at not getting anything away, went back to a flatter delivery looking for a hoick to the leg side, but missed and looked back to see his stumps in a mess. Glenn Maxwell then tried to open the off side up but was undone by an arm ball, and could only get an under-edge back on to his stumps. Brar did not concede a single boundary in his four-over spell. In fact, he only went for one double. The rest of it was all singles.
The inside-out six off Chahar after a couple of miserly overs and the pull to welcome Harshal Patel back in the attack helped RCB move on after Harpreet Brar cleaned up Rajat Patidar and sent back Maxwell cheaply. Virat Kohli moved into the 70s with back-to-back fours off Harshal – a full toss down leg and a short one outside off – but the bowler had the last laugh as Punjab sensed an opening.
The scare and the finish as Karthik and Lomror take RCB over the line.
Kohli, meanwhile, reached his 100th 50-plus score in T20 cricket. But the required rate was soaring. He got two fours away off Harshal but fell soon after with his slash reaching only as far as deep third. Anuj Rawat fell two balls later and the equation suddenly seemed to be going out of hand for RCB.
Karthik, though, found an ally in Mahipal Lomror, the impact sub. Lomror clipped Curran past short fine-leg for four first ball and then slammed Arshdeep for a six and four next over. Karthik took over after that as Harshal Patel leaked 13 off the penultimate over. With ten to win in the final over, Karthik brought out the scoop first ball against Arshdeep for six. A wide followed, before Karthik aced the chase with a hit over the bowler’s head.
The seventh-wicket pair both began with boundaries off Curran to catch up with the asking rate. Lomror went after Arshdeep with a six down the ground and a short ball pulled to the fence next in a 13-run over, while Harshal came in the firing line next as Karthik did the same in the penultimate over that also went for 13. With 10 to get off the final over, the experienced finisher polished off the chase in just two balls – a premeditated scoop for a first-ball six followed by a four hammered down straight past the bowler to help RCB collect their first points.
Presentations and Road Ahead.
Shikhar Dhawan the loosing skipper said :
“It was a good game, we brought the game back and again we lost it. We scored 10-15 runs less, in the first six overs I played a bit slow. Those 10-15 runs cost us and the dropped catch as well. (Turning point) Virat scored 70-odd runs and we dropped a catch of the class player, we paid the price,”
“If we had taken that catch, the momentum would have come from the second ball. But we lost the momentum over there and then we paid the price for that,”
“It looked good but it wasn’t a very true wicket, it was stopping, bit of double bounce and turned as well. 70% coming good, 30% it was doing a bit. I am happy with my runs but I thought I could have played a bit more fast in the first six overs, that’s the only thing I felt. We lost wickets as well, we lost two wickets continuously and that put pressure on us. At the end, that’s the total we thought on this wicket,”
“The match went till the last over, at the end also we could have bowled a bit better. (On Harpreet Brar) He’s bowling really well, especially bowling against left-handers, tremendous the way he soaked in the pressure and got us the breakthroughs. It’s a very big thing in Punjab, the Kabaddi thing, the people really connect with that thigh-five, happy to see him do it,”
Faf Du Plessis the winning skipper said :
“On the outside (yes), not as much on the inside (was he calm?). Early in the competition you want to make sure you get over the line. Felt we were in the position to do that sooner. But great to see the guys with the composure at the back end. And the old horse DK. No I didn’t feel the game was gone. With the new rule, there’s an extra batter. We knew we had Mahipal coming in – has lot of power,”
“Now with the extra batter you feel like even 14-15 rpo is gettable. Even 30 off 2 overs becomes a reality. Really pleased for him (DK). I said it the other night – really important for him to get his IPL going with confidence. That sets you up for the rest of the tournament. We need him with his experience. There’s obviously a plan – from the auction – to find some sort of DNA that would work at home. It is a tough place to find out what the DNA is. It is a unique ground,”
“Even tonight the pitch was a bit different in the sense that it wasn’t a fast and bouncy pitch, and a flat pitch. Virat was important in the way he tempoed his innings. Wasn’t a pitch where you could hit through the line. Good to see him, he’s always smiling and enjoying himself. Still very passionate about playing cricket. Obviously had a nice break now which is very important. He’s still enjoying himself, very passionate about playing cricket. Fresh and motivated to do well,’
Virat Kohli Player of the Match for his brilliant innings said :
“It’s been going on for years (love story with fans at Chinnaswamy). People talk about a lot of other things when you play sport – achievement, stats, numbers. But when you look back it’s the memories you create. Rahul bhai in the change room says the same nowadays. When you play, play your heart out because you’re going to miss these times. The love, appreciation and backing I’ve received has been amazing,”
“I try to give the team a blazing start, but if wickets fall, you have to understand the conditions as well. Wasn’t the usual placid pitch. It was a bit two-paced. And I thought I need to play correct cricketing shots. Playing across the line wasn’t working. Disappointed I couldn’t finish the game. Was in the slot but sliced it to deep point,”
“Not a bad start – playing after two months and getting into the tournament. They know I play the cover drive well, so they’re not going to allow me to hit gaps,”
“With guys like KG and Arshdeep hitting length, you have to create some momentum with the ball. Once you’re closer to the ball, you negate the bounce and meet it earlier. You have to come up with a game plan here and there. I know my name is now attached to just promoting the game in different parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. But I’ve still got it I guess,”
“We were not in the country (talking about his break). We were in a place where people were not recognizing us. Just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months – for me, my family – it was a surreal experience,”
“Of course having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. Just the ability to be together, the connections you make with your older child. Couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity to spend time with the family. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised. That’s the promise I can give here – I’ll keep turning up and keep trying me best,”
Rabada quickly goes up to Arshdeep and offers some words of consolation. It’s been another cracking game that’s gone down to the final over, but unlike the three before, here the chasing team has got the job done. After a few hiccups through the middle overs, Karthik and Lomror were able to power RCB to victory with a blistering finish.
The match was right in the balance after Harpreet Brar’s superb spell as he finished with stunning figures of 2/13. Then in the 16th over, Harshal got rid of Kohli for 77, and Punjab might have fancied themselves at that point. But in walked impact sub Mahipal Lomror, struck a boundary first ball, and then launched one into the crowd off Arshdeep to get the fans pumped. Karthik then took over, smashing 28 off 10 balls to finish it with four balls to spare. The Chinnaswamy went delirious, and so did the RCB changeroom.
Bengaluru will host KKR next at home on Friday, whereas Punjab heads back north, to Lucknow, for their second away game on the trot.