In the clash of Royals, it was Royal Challengers Bangalore who have handed the Rajasthan Royals their first loss of the tournament.
RCB won the toss and decided to chase at the Wankhede.
Although it did feel that it would be a run-fest at the stadium, it wasn’t as Rajasthan Royals finished off their innings with just 169 on the board.
Royal Challengers Bangalore had to chase down 170.
Jos Buttler was in his prime form yet again and smashed 70 off 47 balls.
Devdutt Paddikal and Shimron Hetmyer too played quickfire knocks that allowed the Royals to have a defendable target.
They lost just three wickets in the process.
In reply, RCB started off well with Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat hitting boundaries and making full use of the Powerplay overs.
It was then Yuzvendra Chahal who by taking regular wickets, kept the opposition quiet for some time.
It also looked as if Rajasthan will win their third straight game in a row.
Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik then took to putting things back on track for the RCB.
Karthik in the end got the support of Harshal Patel and finished off the game in favour of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Player of the Match
Dinesh Karthik for his 44* off 23 balls.
Post Match Reactions
Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals skipper said that he can’t exactly tell where the game went away from their hands. Praised all his bowlers as well as Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer who gave a good finish to the innings but added that the dew played a very big role in slowing things up. Also praised Dinesh Karthik and said that he has vast experience in the sport and they as a team should have spent more time tackling him on the field. Ended by saying that there are many positives to be imbibed from this loss.
Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain said that to pull a game out of nowhere requires a lot of character and that it was DK who did the job for them. Praised the Rajasthan camp for their bowling and batting and keeping things tight for them till the 18th over. Finally praised Shahbaz Ahmed and said that although he is a skinny player, he can hit powerful shots to take the team through in any situation.
Next Match
Rajasthan Royals are up against the Lucknow Super Giants on the 10th of April at the Wankhede Stadium while Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Mumbai Indians on the 9th of April at MCA Stadium in Pune.
