From Rajat Patidar’s sensational half-century to Krunal Pandya’s resilience: RCB’s top performers against LSG

It was a fine battle of two teams going all guns blazing at each other in a high-octane encounter in Lucknow. A solid show from Mitchell Marsh combined with cameos from Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant saw LSG put up 209 on the board. Chasing a revised total, RCB had initial hiccups but spirited individual performances brought them mighty close to the finish line. Here’s a quick glance at RCB’s top three performers against LSG in the wake of the high-scoring battle at Ekana.

·      Rajat Patidar – 61 (31)

Walking out to bat just when Virat Kohli was dismissed and RCB were 9/2, Patidar knew that he had to play a very special knock. He was wary at the start before the big guns came in. Once RaPa got in the groove, it was some top-class striking from the RCB captain. He brought up his fifty in just 26 balls, whacking Mayank Yadav for a maximum. Till the time he remained in the middle, RCB looked like they would be in firm control. He was also a part of a 95-run stand alongside Devdutt Padikkal, bringing RCB back to life after a jolt at the start.

·      Tim David – 40 (17)

The Aussie superstar came on as the Impact Player for RCB. He didn’t really walk out at a very convincing juncture. As RCB teetered at 106/4 and with Rajat Patidar departing shortly, things got a lot more complicated. Despite the overwhelming odds, David was undaunted and came out lashing. With four fours and three sixes, Tim certainly looked en route to what could have been a dream finish. However, over-aggression can be costly at times too and for David he couldn’t keep on going. But by the time he was done, he had sparked significant hope for the Royal Challengers.

·      Krunal Pandya – 1/31

On a day where bowlers hardly stood a chance, Krunal Pandya came up clutch. Pandya enforced the first breakthrough that saw Arshin Kulkarni walking back to the pavilion. He kept things on a leash as batters made merry at the other end. On a day where an aggregate of 412 runs were scored from just 38 overs, an economy of 7.75 was sheer stardust.