In a closely-fought Eliminator contest, Ravichandran Ashwin (2 for 19) and Trent Boult (1 for 16) produced the telling bowling performances while Riyan Parag (36 off 26) stepped up with a crucial knock under pressure as Rajasthan Royals snapped out of their losing streak and halted RCB’s six-game winning run in the loser goes home contest. Having won an important toss, the Royals produced an excellent bowling performance to keep a powerful RCB line-up down to 172. They suffered a mid-innings of their own but rubber-stamped their appearance in the second qualifier by getting home in the
The difference: The middle overs in the first innings
On the table it might seem like a matter of just four runs. But the loss of four wickets through that nine-over phase meant RCB didn’t have the batting depth to maximise the only part of their innings [the death] – when the Royals bowlers also had to contend with dew, even if not to the same extent endured by Faf du Plessis’s men. Which is what made the toss a significant factor and that spell from Ashwin, match defining.
| – | RCB | RR |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/4 | 79/3 |
| Run Rate | 8.33 | 8.77 |
| 4s/6s | 4/4 | 6/2 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
PowerPlay: A Boult masterclass
Phase Score: 50/1 [RR: 8.33, 4s/6s: 5/2]
By placing both his allowed outfielders on the leg-side, Trent Boult telegraphed his lines to RCB’s openers even before they took guard. And still they could take just six runs off his three PowerPlay overs. There was some swing as anticipated but he held his lengths brilliantly and allowed neither Kohli nor Faf du Plessis to get off the blocks quickly. Kohli even unsuccessfully tried charging Boult to put the New Zealander off his lengths. In fact, the two batters did well to plunder 44 from the other three overs, bowled by Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan. There was reward on the wickets column for Boult after his early toils with Rovman Powell plucking an excellent catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss du Plessis for 17. Thirteen of the 18 balls that Boult bowled in the PowerPlay were dots.
Middle Overs: Ashwin strikes tighten RR’s hold
Phase Score: 75/4 [RR: 8.33, 4s/6s: 4/4]
One of the underlying factors in Kohli’s strike-rate surge this season has been his willingness to take more risks, against spin and in the middle-overs. The slog-sweep has been his route out of the rut. He turned to it against Yuzvendra Chahal but didn’t find the required connection to clear the shorter legside boundary and was dismissed for a 24-ball 33. While Chahal took the big wicket, it was his spin-partner R. Ashwin that bowled the most telling spell. Despite bowling predominantly to right-handers, he unfurled a bevy of carrom balls and stuck to a length that denied Cam Green and Rajat Patidar any opportunity to get under the ball for a big shot. Ashwin was unlucky to not dismiss Patidar when Dhruv Jurel put down a simple catch but the wily spinner returned to dismiss the Australian pair of Green and Glenn Maxwell off successive balls. Ashwin finished his four-over spell for figures of 2 for 19 without conceding a single boundary and the brilliance of his spell meant RCB didn’t have enough batters left to cash in on the dew that had begun to set in. Patidar was the lone bright spot in the phase for RCB but he fell to Avesh Khan for a 22-ball 34 trying and failing to clear midoff against a hard-length ball.
Death Overs: Avesh comes back well to keep RCB under-par
Phase Score: 47/3 [RR: 9.4, 4s/6s: 4/2]
Avesh should have had Dinesh Karthik out first ball but an LBW decision against the batter was reversed on DRS with the third umpire reading a spike on ‘Ultra Edge’ to be an inside edge when in fact, it appeared to be one generated by the impact of bat on pad. The fast bowler, who conceded 30 from his first two overs, came back admirably to take 3 for 14 from his final two overs. This included the wicket of Karthik, sliced a hard-length ball and fell for 11 off 13. Avesh also dismissed Mahipal Lomror, who produced a bright 17-ball 32 including two fours and as many sixes. That meant, RCB didn’t get the finishing kick they will have wanted and fell eight short of the 180-mark.
Rajasthan Royals
PowerPlay: Royals make steady beginning
Phase Score: 47/1 [RR: 7.83, 4s/6s: 9/0]
RCB began well with the first two overs bringing the Royals only six runs. The next 12 balls, from Yash Dayal and Mohammed Siraj, brought the chasers seven boundaries. Dayal gave away six boundaries in his first two overs but was unlucky to not have dismissed Tom Kohler-Cadore with Glenn Maxwell putting down a simple chance at deep mid-wicket. Lockie Ferguson bowled the Englishman in the sixth over with an excellent leg-cutter but his and Jaiswal’s good start meant the Royals were in control.
Middle Overs: RCB fight and stay in the game
Phase Score: 79/3 [RR: 8.77, 4s/6s: 6/2]
If RCB had any hopes of making a match out of it, it had to be in the middle overs. Their early attempt to pile pressure however didn’t bear fruit as Swapnil Singh was taken for 17 runs in the seventh over. But RCB hit back well through the next two as Ferguson and Karn Sharma gave away just 16 cumulative runs. A fatigued Jaiswal then gloved Cameron Green to the ‘keeper to fall for 45. RCB then doubled the pressure when Karn had Sanju Samson stumped in the 11th over. Green matched Ashwin’s efforts through the middle, his three overs in the phase going for just 11 runs. RCB also tightened up in the field with Kohli producing a moment of athletic brilliance to sprint, pick-up and throw from the deep to catch Dhruv Jurel short of his crease.
Death Overs: RR cross the line with an over to spare
Phase Score: 48/2 [RR: 12.00, 4s/6s: 5/3]
The Royals needed 47 off the final five overs and once Parag and Shimron Hetmyer hit a six each in a 17-run final over off Green, the writing was pretty much on the wall for RCB. They did well to fight back through a double-wicket over from Mohammed Siraj but Rovman Powell polished off the chase with two fours and a six off Ferguson.
Brief scores:Royal Challengers Bengaluru 172/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 34, Virat Kohli 33; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-19, Trent Boult 1-16) lost to Rajasthan Royals 174/6 in 19 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 45, Riyan Parag 36; Mohammed Siraj 2-33, Cameron Green 1-28) by four wickets.
What next for the teams?
The wait for RCB’s first title continues. The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are two games away from their second. First, they have a flight out and a 48-hour turnaround to the second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on May 24.
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