Drama, Drama, Drama! The RCB vs PBKS game had it all. Be it a glorious knock by Virat Kohli, sensational catches and audacious shots, Chinnaswamy didn’t disappoint to put up a show. Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 176 runs to win the game 4 wickets. And with this win, RCB register their maiden win in the tournament.
Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bowl first. Desperate to win their first game, RCB needed to win the toss. After the toss, RCB needed an early wicket and the cricketing gods delivered. Jonny Bairstow’s poor outing in Indian continued. He was the first PBKS batter to be dismissed after scoring just 8 runs.
While Shikhar Dhawan held the helm for his side, the other wickets started to fall at regular intervals. Prabhsimran and Liam Livingstone departed after decent knocks of 25 and 17 respectively. But it was Glenn Maxwell who dismissed Shikhar Dhawan. The PBKS skipper missed his fifty by 5 runs after a well constructed knock.
Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma revived PBKS with decent knocks of 23 and 27, but it was Shashank Singh who stole the show. The wrong Shashank Singh remained unbeaten on 21 from 8 slamming a solitary four and 2 sixes. In the end PBKS managed to score 176/6 after 20 overs.
However, the RCB bowlers deserve huge credit. Yash Dayal overcame his 5 sixes trauma with a stunning spell. He gave away just 23 runs in 4 overs but managed to grab Sam Curran. Mohammed Siraj too bowled exceptionally well in the death overs, making a strong case to partner Bumrah in T20 World Cup.
King Kohli Lights up Chinnaswamy
Punjab Kings needed a good start in their defense. Sam Curran nearly got Virat Kohli, but alas. Jonny Bairstow dropped Kohli for a duck in the very first over. And then it was payback from the King. The former RCB skipper went on to hammer 4 boundaries to slam 16 runs in the very first over.
Du Plessis couldn’t add much, but Kohli continued his berserk mode. Cameron Green too like du Plessis departed after scoring 3 runs. Rajat Patidar managed 18 runs with 1 four and 1 sixer. On came Maxwell, but he too was sent back early after being bowled by Harpreet Brar.
But the King was set. He continued his blistering form. With 8 fours and 1 six, he raced to his fifty in just 30 balls. With this fifty it slammed his 51st fifty in IPL. Adding more to his stats, this was Kohli’s 100th 50+score in T20s. He also added another feather on his cap by being the first Indian to manage this huge record.
Kohli looked enroute to race towards his century. But unfortunately his knock came to an end. Harshal Patel finally managed to bag the big fish. Virat Kohli departed for a sublime 77-run knock of 49 balls, hitting 11 fours and 2 sixes in the process. Anuj Rawat too departed after Kohli as PBKS made a comeback into the game.
Dinesh Karthik Wins it For RCB
But Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror steadied the ship. Come the final 2 overs, RCB needed to score 23 runs from 12 balls. Karthik went on to hammer 13 runs as the game went to the last over. 10 runs needed from 6 balls. First ball of the 20th over, Dinesh Karthik went for an audacious scoop shot to hit a sixer over the keeper’s head.
Under pressure, Arshdeep Singh went for a wide yorker, which ultimately went wide. A straight shot over the bowler’s head in the next ball was enough to finish the game for RCB. Karthik remained unbeaten on 28 from 10 with 3 fours and 2 sixes. With this scintillating win registered their first win in IPL 2024.
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