RCB captain Rajat Patidar‘s half-century ensured that the holders Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finished on top of the points table and sealed their berth in Qualifier 1 of the playoffs. RCB finished on top of the points table despite losing by 55 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, as RCB made 200 runs in the chase of 256 and avoided sliding down to 3rd in the points table.
Rajat Patidar’s thoughts on finishing in the top position
Speaking after the game, Rajat Patidar said, “Obviously, their top five batters played really well, and they dominated throughout. The slower balls were gripping a bit, but they executed really well. Hyderabad is a good wicket, but when you bowl slower balls into the wicket, it’s tough for batters. They executed the slower bouncers and yorkers pretty well.”Â
Rajat Patidar also stated, ” Top priority was to be at the top.”
What Happened In The Match?Â
On the back of fluent half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, SRH piled up a formidable score of 255 runs on the board, setting 256 runs for the win. They then restricted RCB to 200, which rendered Rajat Patidar’s fifty meaningless in the outcome of the match.
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head got them off to a typical fast start as they raced to 45 for the first wicket inside 4 overs before the Australian was dismissed by Rasikh Salam for a 16-ball 26. Ishan Kishan replaced the departing Head and put on 52 runs for the second wicket with Abhishek, who brought up a rapid half-century before falling to Suyash Sharma for a blazing 56 off 22 balls.
Ishan forged a bigger partnership with Heinrich Klaasen, adding 113 runs as both batters reached their fifties. Klaasen’s explosive stay ended when Krunal Pandya removed him after a 24-ball 51. Kishan then top-scored with 79 off 46 balls before falling off the last ball of the innings, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed a quickfire unbeaten 29 off 12 balls. Together, they powered SRH to 255 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a daunting target of 256 for the win, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer launched the reply with a rapid 60-run stand, with Venkatesh doing most of the scoring. Eshan Malinga broke the partnership by dismissing the left-hander for 44, after which Sakib Hussain accounted for Kohli for 15 off 11 balls. Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with 21 from 14 balls before Malinga struck again.
Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya then steadied the innings, with the captain registering a half-century and the left-hander adding 41. Rajat Patidar’s 56 off 39 ended when Travis Head removed him, and Tim David remained unbeaten on 15 alongside Pandya as RCB closed on 200. Their effort, though, fell short by 55 runs off SRH’s imposing total.
What Lies Ahead for RCB
RCB would like to treat this as a wake-up call and will want to iron out flaws and fine-tune their skills ahead of the Playoffs week. Going to Dharamsala may not be a bad thing for RCB. They will enjoy those conditions when they face GT on Tuesday night. It’s been a good, solid campaign by them as they won 9 out of 14 games and finished top on NRR. Now, it is time to buckle up and try reaching the finals on the very first attempt.
From this game, they will want their big stars to stand up and thrive under pressure. They will have a happy headache to have with Phil Salt available, having just rejoined the squad before the SRH game. Most players are in good form. They just have to make sure not to have a bad day on the field. They had that last night and hope it does not repeat in the playoffs week.
Let’s see how things unfold for RCB going ahead.
Also Read:Â SRH vs RCB: SRH & RCB Eye Top 2 Finish