MATCH REPORT
Follow UsThe batting maestro was at the crease for almost 90 minutes but it was a 20-year-old who put up a batting masterclass right in front of his eyes to propel Royal Challengers Bangalore to their fourth consecutive win of the Indian Premier League 2021. Rajasthan Royals put up a decent fight in the first innings but Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal schooled them completely in the second essay at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (April 22). The two made a mockery of the 178-run target on a solid surface and got the job done without losing a wicket.
Kohli (47-ball 72*) rediscovered his form in some style but Match 16 belonged to Padikkal who smashed his maiden IPL ton. The stylish left-hander whacked 11 fours and six maximums in his 52-ball 101* and put on an opening partnership of 181 with Kohli - the highest for Bangalore in the history of IPL. In the process, Kohli also became the first batsman to score 6000 runs in this lucrative T20 league. Meanwhile, Padikkal not just became the third youngest to smash an IPL ton but also became the third uncapped Indian batsman to achieve this milestone.
"Dev's innings was a great one but I'd also like to credit the bowlers for setting it up." Kohli rightly acknowledged his bowlers at the post-match presentation ceremony, as it was them who restricted Rajasthan to a below-par total of 177 on a surface that was perfect for batting. Bangalore won their first three encounters in Chennai but there were some questions marks regarding how they would adapt to the conditions in Mumbai but they managed to put all that to rest in some style. Such was their dominance that they didn't even need Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers.
RCB BOWLERS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS
Rajasthan desperately needed their top-order to fire but Mohammed Siraj (3/27) and Kyle Jamieson (1/28) rattled them in the powerplay. Siraj has transformed into a different beast ever since making his Test debut in Australia and he was at his best tonight. The right-arm seamer was hit for two boundaries in the first over but kept troubling Jos Buttler. The wicketkeeper-batsman from England once again failed to make an impact and was knocked over for just 8 in the third over. Meanwhile, Manan Vohra once again wasted his opportunity and fell to Jamieson in the very next over.
Things went from bad to worse for Rajasthan pretty quickly as they lost David Miller and Sanju Samson (18-ball 21) in the next few overs. In fact, the last time Rajasthan played out the Powerplay without losing a wicket was in April 2019, 19 innings before. Miller failed to open his account and was pinned right in front of the stumps. The stage was set for Samson to lead from the front but he once again failed to deliver. He started well once again, crafting Kane Richardson for consecutive boundaries before tonking Washington Sundar out of the park. Just when it looked like Samson would get that big score, the right-hander hit the very next delivery straight into the hands of Maxwell at mid-wicket.
This was not something new for Samson who has a history of being inconsistent. In all the last three editions, he has scored more than 40% of his season’s total runs in the first three matches. RR were reduced to 43/4 but that's when Shivam Dube (32-ball 46) and Riyan Parag (16-ball 25) added 66 runs for the fifth wicket to bring their team back on track. Yuzvendra Chahal was once again unimpressive as he has hit for two sixes in an over by Dube. The two were moving along nicely and even went after Harshal Patel (3/47). The Purple Cap holder however bounced back and broke the stand by dismissing Parag.
Dube registered his highest IPL score but could get to his maiden fifty as he fell to Kane Richardson who was playing his first game of the season. Chris Morris (7-ball 10) couldn't contribute much but Rahul Tewatia (23-ball 40) stepped up and struck four fours and two sixes to propel Rajasthan closer to that 180-run mark. Harshal struggled to get his line and length but still ended with three wickets to his name. They had a decent total on the board but needed to come up with something special in the second innings, which they didn't, but Padikkal and Kohli surely did.
RUTHLESS FROM PADIKKAL, KOHLI
The left-handed opener from Karnataka, who is known to be a slow starter, wasted no time tonight and got the ball rolling by whipping Chetan Sakariya for a boundary and then smashed his Karnataka teammate Shreyas Gopal for two fours in the space of three deliveries. Padikkal never looked back from thereon and kept hammering every Rajasthan bowler all around the park. Morris and Mustafizur Rahman too were forced into submission, while Tewatia, Parag and Shreyas Gopal were taken to the cleaners.
With Padikkal going all guns blazing, Kohli took the back seat and allowed the young man to dictate terms. Bangalore raced to 59 by the end of the powerplay and killed the game early in the second innings. Padikkal raced to his fifty off just 27 deliveries - his fastest in IPL. This was the first time he scored a half-century in less than 30 deliveries in IPL. Parag tried to unsettle Padikkal with his round-arm action but was clobbered towards extra cover. Kohli was batting at the other end but it was Padikkal who stole all the limelight.
The partnership went past the 100-run mark in the 10th over and Padikkal was batting on 80 at that point of time. But, that's when Kohli changed gears and crafted Sakariya for two fours in the same over and then came down the track to hammer Morris for his second maximum over long-off. Kohli blasted 24 runs in the space of eight deliveries but soon realised his partner was just a few runs away from his ton. Padikkal looked a bit nervous in his 90s but reached the landmark with an authoritative cover drive. The duo chased down the target with more than 20 deliveries remaining and pushed Bangalore back to the top of the points table.
