The toss favored Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis, and the Proteas elected to bat first. RCB’s openers provided a brisk start, but SRH seized control as du Plessis and Will Jacks fell early.
Despite Virat Kohli’s struggle to accelerate, Rajat Patidar demonstrated the perfect approach by smashing four consecutive sixes against Mayank Markande.
On a pitch described as a batting paradise by experts, Kohli reached 43* off 30 balls. It was at this juncture when Patidar unleashed his onslaught, launching the second ball of the eleventh over for a six.
He followed it up with another maximum, clearing the long-off boundary off a tossed-up delivery. Markande adjusted his length, but Patidar managed to dispatch the ball over deep mid-wicket.
RAJAT PATIDAR, THE HERO OF RCB TONIGHT:
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 25, 2024
– 4 consecutive sixes, a 19 ball fifty. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Dh4iFWbHC6
Not content with just a hat-trick of sixes, the Madhya Pradesh batsman elegantly lofted a wide delivery over deep extra cover with a mesmerizing inside-out stroke.
As Patidar raced to a fifty off just 18 balls, outpacing even the opening batsman Kohli, the Twitterverse erupted in excitement.
