RCB pipped by Delhi Capitals in last-over thriller at the Chinnaswamy
Chinnaswamy bore witness to a fine thriller where RCB faltered in the dying embers of a modest-scoring battle. Winning the toss, DC put RCB to bat. RCB went in with an unchanged XI from their win against Lucknow Super Giants in the last game.
Phil Salt and Virat Kohli gave RCB a fiery start, adding 52 runs for the opening stand. The surface was not exactly a belter for the batters to make merry on. There was a trace of spongy bounce in the surface that the batters had to navigate early on.
Kohli (19) was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi, breaking RCB’s opening stand. However, Salt took over and shifted gears quickly, facilitating a smooth transition for the incoming Devdutt Padikkal. Despite getting a start, Padikkal (18) could not convert it into a knock of significant influence.
Salt fell shortly after, smashing 63 off just 38 balls, including four fours and three sixes. Rajat Patidar (8) could not add much to the tally either as RCB faced challenges going forward. Tim David (26) provided RCB’s last push toward a decent score but a late drop in the scoring rate saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru rack up 175/8 from their 20 overs.
RCB jolted DC to a rude awakening as Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s triple-strike to dismiss Pathum Nissanka (1), Karun Nair (5) and Sameer Rizvi (2) reduced the Capitals to 18/3. But KL Rahul ensured RCB could not inflict any more damage on the DC top-order.
Rahul (57) joined forces with Tristan Stubbs (60*) to steer the Delhi ship to safety. The duo added 69 runs for the fourth wicket, stabilizing the innings for the visitors. Krunal Pandya provided the much-needed breakthrough for RCB, removing Rahul.
However, that did very little to deter Delhi from their chasing ambitions. Axar Patel looked good for his unbeaten 26 but had to retire hurt. David Miller played an anchoring knock until the final over where he smacked 16 runs off the third, fourth and fifth balls to win the game which was dripping with tension until the end of the 19th over. RCB return to action on Friday when they will host Gujarat Titans in Chinnaswamy.
