Royals 59 all out
This is the third-lowest score in the IPL. Royals have been derailed and how. They came into this game with the second-best NRR in the competition, but this margin of defeat will give it a pummelling. RCB can mathematically get to 16, Royals can finish on 14 at best with their hopes hanging by the slimmest of threads.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have been poor travellers, losing three of their last four away games. But with their campaign on the line and net run rate in need of a massive lift, they ambushed Rajasthan Royals by 112 runs, their biggest win ever away from the Chinnaswamy, to be in the hunt for the playoffs and give their negative net run rate a massive boost.
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Hetmyer goes whambham!
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He's pulling no punches as the wind speeds pick up. RCB in total control. Royals 56/7 in nine overs.
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Royals five down inside Powerplay
Joe Root is reprieved second ball when an lbw call off Siraj is overturned on height. But RCB haven't had wait long for their fourth as Padikkal, the impact sub for Yuzi Chahal, is beaten by the slowness of the pitch as he check-punches to Siraj at midwicket.
Root himself can't make the most of that reprieve as he's given out lbw playing around his front pad to a full ball from Parnell. The angle, in from wife of the crease, hit him on middle and leg and would've crashed into leg stumps as DRS. Five down inside the PP.
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Rawat magic as Samson falls
RR in all sorts of bother. Talk about making an impact.
Anuj Rawat first contributes a wholesome cameo that gives RCB the momentum. Is then told to don the gloves as Dinesh Karthik's isn't fully fit enough to keep. And is immediately under the pump as Samson top-edges a pull. It swirls high, Rawat from nearly 20 yards back runs up all the way towards the middle of the pitch, then stops briefly because he's thrown off by the midwicket fielder coming in, but still has enough time to yank him out of the way and takes the steepler as it descends.
RR 7 for 3.
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Buttler 0, Jaiswal 0
A nothing ball from Wayne Parnell has brought RCB a massive strike. Buttler wafts at a short and wide ball and has hit it straight to Siraj at point. Strangely enough, he didn't go through with the cut and therefore didn't generate any power behind his stroke. Royals 6 for 2 as Joe Root comes in for his first IPL innings.
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Duck for Jaiswal
In yet another reminder of how fickle this game can be, the batter who blasted IPL's fastest half-century, off 13 balls, en route a match-winning 47-ball 98 not out two nights ago is out for a two-ball duck here. After averting a 144.5kph late inswinger from Siraj, he looks to drill him down the ground but picks out Kohli at mid-off.
RR's first over the other night:
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RR's first over tonight:
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Do RCB have enough?
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Rawat's finishing kick
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Anuj Rawat messes with KM Asif by standing deep inside the crease to convert yorker-length into half-volleys. The first six was dragged across, but he picked the bones out of the second. Then with deep midwicket moved across a touch, he bisects the gap at long-on to pick a boundary off the final delivery. How crucial will his 11-ball 29 cameo be? RCB finish with 171 for 5.
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Fifty and gone
All that pressure brought about by loss of wickets and a slowdown leads Maxwell into an attempted switch hit. But Sandeep Sharma backs himself to bowl the yorker and nails it perfectly to shatter the stumps. RCB in total disarray and may struggle to get even 160 here.
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Maxwell's fifth fifty
30 Balls taken by Maxwell to bring up his half-century today. Chahal went wide, Maxwell wider. Moved across, got down on one knee and sweep-whipped, or whatever else you can call it, to clear deep fine leg for back-to-back sixes to bring up the half-century.
The collapse
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Three wickets in the space of six deliveries. From being in cruise control, RCB are suddenly searching for their safety jacket and oxygen masks as they endure a turbulence.
Asif gets the first big breakthrough. Two balls after being walloped for six over deep midwicket, he goes back to bowling full and wide as du Plessis toe-ends a lofted hit to extra cover.
Then off the 16th, Zampa leaves his imprint. He first has local boy Mahipal Lomror top-edging a slog and then sends back Dinesh Karthik for a two-baller that is overturned on DRS. Karthik played back to a sharp legbreak and was stone dead.
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Royals pull things back
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RCB score no boundaries between overs 9.2 to 12.2. With pressure building, Maxwell breaks the shackles by taking on Sandeep Sharma. After bowling two super yorkers, he decides to go shorter. The first of the two boundaries is a reverse ramp over the wicketkeeper. The second is an attempted bouncer that he slashes over backward point.
Also, the half-century of the partnership has come up in 39 balls.
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Momentum for RCB with Maxwell's arrival
He immediately gives RR something to think about as he muscles Ashwin third ball for a near 100-metre hit down the ground. Next over, Chahal bowls it away from his hitting arc but Maxwell’s thinking right, even if he couldn’t quite execute the reverse sweeps. He ends the same over by outfoxing Chahal and playing a fierce cut instead of the sweep that the bowler expects to beat deep cover.
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Jaiwal reprieves Faf, nets Kohli
Lots of drama in that seventh over.
Du Plessis started it by hitting it to mid-off; Head down, he was off in a jiffy to pinch a run, but had to turn back midway as Kohli wasn't interested. A direct hit from Jaiswal at the striker's end would've meant curtains. off the next ball, he pinches a tight single to mid-off, and has to put in a full-length dive to make it even as Jaiswal fires a throw at the bowler's end.
Now with Kohli on strike, Asif bowls a superb knuckleball into the pitch and has an advancing Kohli lofting way too early. The extra bounce does him and he picks out mid-off where Jaiswal settles underneath and completes the catch. Big, big wicket. RCB 50/1 in seven overs.
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Kohli v legspin
Royals have strategically opened with Adam Zampa and given him two overs in the Powerplay. Kohli's strike rate of 110 is the lowest among those who've made at least 50 runs off leggies in IPL 2023. His balls per boundary ratio is also the highest. Kohli is currently on 12 off 11, itching to step out and hit. Royals have the squeeze on. 29/0 in four overs. No surprises then that Samson has brought on Yuzvendra Chahal for the fifth over.
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Sandeep Sharma v Virat Kohli
7 The number of times Sandeep has dismissed Kohli in the T20s. It's the most Kohli has been out to any bowler in the format. His average of 11.1 against Sandeep is also one of the lowest against a bowler.
Last week, I had an opportunity to sit down with Sandeep and talk about T20 bowling. And I was left mighty impressed with his clarity, understanding of plans, situations and how they have shaped his evolution.
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Which spin attack has the edge? Bishop, Deep Dasgupta discuss
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Faf calls right, RCB opt to bat
Faf du Plessis believes this is a dry surface and the dry heat will break the surface down even more, so wants his side to put up a total they can defend. He doesn't think they can afford to think too much about net run rates just yet, is happy to cross the bridge when it comes. For now, the focus is simply to win.
RCB have made two big changes to their overseas personnel, possibly because of niggles. Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood are out. In come Michael Bracewell, a batting allrounder, and Wayne Parnell, a bowling allrounder.
Sanju Samson too would've batted first, so it's fairly clear this is a surface that will slow down and get tougher to bat on. So it ain't possibly a 180 surface, batters will have to recalibrate quickly. Trent Boult misses out, Adam Zampa comes in.
Rajasthan Royals XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal
Substitutes: Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kuldip Yadav, Donovan Ferreira, Navdeep Saini
Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj
Substitutes: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahmed, Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai
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Crunch time for RCB, Royals
Only one of these two teams can finish on 16 points, which is generally considered a safe zone. But this time, in RCB's case, there's a scenario where even that may not be enough. Confused much? You ain't alone. S Rajesh, our stats editor, gives you a lowdown on how complex the table is.
In the first leg in Bengaluru, which was also an afternoon game, RCB came out on top as they defended 189. RCB have scored 180 plus in four of their last five games, but haven't been able to successfully defend in any of those games. This will be a massive test.
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