Without hesitation, Faf du Plessis confidently chose to field first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a decision that was well-supported by their pacers who delivered an impressive bowling display. Yash Dayal’s three consecutive overs during the initial powerplay were particularly noteworthy, conceding only 10 runs and compensating for the slightly higher economy rates of Mohammed Siraj and Alzarri Joseph.
Despite the loss of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh attempted to accelerate the run rate against the RCB bowlers but was ultimately outfoxed by Glenn Maxwell in the 9th over, leaving the score at 72/2. Liam Livingstone and Dhawan tried to sustain the momentum, but Joseph and Maxwell struck in quick succession, followed by Jitesh Sharma’s powerful hitting against Mayank Dagar, pushing the total to 128 runs in 15 overs.
Although RCB’s pacers tightened the screws in the subsequent four overs, Joseph conceded 20 runs in the final over, propelled by Shashank Singh’s brisk 8-ball 21, allowing PBKS to reach 176/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In a similar vein, RCB also faced an early setback as their opening partnership was broken in the third over, with Faf du Plessis departing after a promising 16-run first over.
The decision to promote Cameron Green to No. 3 didn’t yield dividends as Kagiso Rabada struck again within the powerplay. While Rajat Patidar supported Kohli, who was scoring briskly with a strike rate of 166.67, Kohli notched up his 100th fifty-plus score in the 10th over with the score at 85/2.
However, Harpreet Brar dismissed Patidar, followed by Maxwell, within a span of ten deliveries. Despite Kohli’s solid innings leading RCB to 118/4 in 15 overs, Harshal Patel’s crucial breakthrough, followed by Sam Curran’s dismissal of Anuj Rawat, reduced the equation to 36 runs required from 18 balls.
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— rea (@reaadubey) March 25, 2024
The impact substitution Mahipal Lomror partnered with Dinesh Karthik to extract crucial runs in the 18th and 19th overs, leaving RCB needing 10 runs in the final over. Karthik held his nerve, hitting a six and a four to secure victory for RCB with four balls to spare.
