RCB vs RR at Wankhede Stadium witnessed two of the finest knocks under pressure in Tata IPL 2022. Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed combined to bring back RCB in the game and ultimately clinch the match for their side with 4 balls to spare. The former remained unbeaten on 44* off 23, while the latter played a crucial inning of 45 off 26.
Rajasthan Royals posted 169/3 on a sluggish pitch and looked set to put a tough fight against their opposition on a Tuesday night. However, RCB somehow managed to chase down the target to blemish Rajasthan’s perfect record in the tournament.
At the Toss:
Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bowl first owing to the due that falls in Wankhede during the team batting second. However, much to everyone’s surprise, there was almost no due in the RR vs RCB clash. Both captains revealed that they were playing with an unchanged side.
RR Innings:
Rajasthan Royals could not get off to a flier even after losing only one wicket in the powerplay. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only one to be sent back to the pavilion by a beautiful inswinger from David Willey that found the gap between bat and pad of the young prospect. Jaiswal could only score 4 off 6, which continued his struggle in the Tata IPL 2022.
Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal batted sensibly during the field restrictions to set a platform for the middle-order. The pitch at Wankhede behaved wholly opposite to what it has been recognised for. Both Buttler and Padikkal found it hard to time the ball due to the surface rewarding bowlers for good line and length. The game hung in a poised balance with only around 40 runs in the first 6 overs and one wicket.
Padikkal tried breaking the shackles after the powerplay and played some stunning shots. However, Harshal Patel deceives him with a slower ball to get RCB the prized wicket. Sanju Samson then joined a struggling Buttler in the middle. Hasaranga removed Samson on 8 to add to the troubles of RR in the match.
Shimron Hetmyer replaced Samson on the crease, and even the explosive West-Indian left-hander struggled in the initial phase of his inning. Nevertheless, Buttler and Hetmyer snatched the momentum away from RCB in the final four overs to help RR post a competitive total. In the last over of the inning, the duo smashed 23 runs to raise hopes in Rajasthan Royals camp. Jos Buttler and Hetmyer remained not out on 70* and 42*, respectively.
RCB Innings:
Royal Challengers had a fine start with openers Anuj Rawat and Faf du Plessis crossing 20s in the powerplay. However, a few quick wickets from RR bowlers after the field restrictions wholly transformed how the game was turning out.
Chahal incited a false shot from Faf du Plessis by bowling slower than his usual deliveries. At the same time, Virat Kohli had a horrible miscommunication with David Willey to get dismissed early on in his innings. Rajasthan bowled beautifully and had Bangalore stuttering at 87-5 at one point of time in the game.
Nevertheless, the partnership for the 6th wicket between Karthik and Shahbaz changed the tides of the match. Dinesh Karthik smashed 21 runs off R Ashwin’s over to transpose the game’s flow in the RCB vs RR clash. Karthik and Shahbaz continued their assault for four overs to ensure that RCB crossed the finish line.
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