In Sunday’s match against Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore made a blistering start, scoring 135/2 by the end of 13 overs. Faf du Plessis scored a half-century while Glenn Maxwell was on his way to scoring a hundred after reaching his fifty.
However, amidst the fireworks produced by du Plessis and Maxwell, there was a heated moment on the field when Trent Boult lost his cool. During the 13th over of the innings, Boult was ready to bowl to Maxwell on the third ball, but the umpire interrupted his run-up.
Boult was visibly upset with the umpire and expressed his frustration by stomping on the ball in a fit of rage. Rajasthan Royals made a stunning comeback, as the last 5 overs of the game produced a meager 33 runs. The turning point of the match was Maxwell’s dismissal, after which RCB crumbled under pressure.
Kohli’s early exit, for the second time in the Green game, put RCB in a difficult position. Shahbaz’s promotion to the number 3 position did not last long, and then Faf and Maxwell counter-attacked aggressively, forging a big partnership worth 127 runs.
However, just when RR was feeling the heat, Jaiswal’s direct-hit got Faf out. Ashwin dismissed Maxwell with the last ball of his spell, and RCB never quite regained their momentum. Boult and Chahal were exceptional for RR, especially the latter who utilized his experience to bowl slower, wider outside off and not give the batters any room to hit.
RR’s fielding was also impressive, as they saved around 10-15 runs by diving to prevent runs. Although Kohli predicted at the toss that the pitch would get progressively drier and tougher to bat on, the target of 190 can still be chased down.