The eliminator, LSG vs RCB, was a high-scoring encounter. Rajat Patidar stole the show with a brilliant unbeaten hundred that allowed his team to defeat Lucknow Super Giants and reach the qualifier 2.
KL Rahul won the toss and opted to field first. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli opened the inning for RCB, but the skipper Faf was dismissed for a golden duck which put RCB on the backfoot.
However, Rajat Patidar walked in to bat at number three and looked relentless against the LSG bowlers. While Virat Kohli was struggling to get going, Patidar made his move and launched a counterattack.
Patidar’s fiery strokes helped RCB cross the 50 run mark in just 6 overs. On the other hand, Virat Kohli was dismissed right after the powerplay with an individual score of 25.
Glen Maxwell replaced Kohli in the middle but had a lacklustre outing. He managed only 9 runs. Mahipal Lomror came in next but could not leave an impact as well.
Unfazed by what was happening on the one end, Patidar kept the scoreboard ticking at an impressive rate with his explosive knock. Dinesh Karthik and his partner for the 5th wicket helped RCB breach the 200 run mark.
Patidar became the first RCB player to score a hundred in playoffs and the only player in IPL history to score a ton in the Eliminator. He remained unbeaten on 112* off 54 while Karthik remained not out at 37*
RCB posted a massive total of 207/4 in the 20 overs. In reply, Lucknow Super Giants had a shaky start, with Quinton de Kock being dismissed in the first over of the chase.
KL Rahul and Manan Vohra steadied the trail for a while, but Vohra was sent back by Hazlewood to put RCB in command. Deepak Hooda replaced Vohra in the middle.
Rahul and Hooda had a good partnership which brought back LSG in the command. Together they put up 96 runs for the 3rd wicket at a brisk run rate.
Hooda was dismissed at 45 off 26, and the batters after him could not get the team moving towards the chase. The 18th over bowled by Harshal Patel changed the complexion of the game.
Patel gave away only 8 runs in his over and removed the dangerous Marcus Stoinis. In the following over, Hazlewood dismissed KL Rahul on 79 to seal the match for RCB.
Ultimately, RCB won the Eliminator by 14 runs, and Patidar was awarded player of the match for his brilliant hundred.
