Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their winning streak as they defeated Rajasthan Royals by 7 runs in Match 32 of TATA IPL 2023. Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell powered RCB’s innings with authoritative knocks of 62 off 39 and 77 off 44 respectively, taking the team’s total to 189/9. Harshal Patel put up an excellent bowling performance, conceding 32 runs and taking three crucial wickets, including the one in the last over that helped RCB secure the win.
Trent Boult successfully trapped Virat Kohli LBW with the first ball of the innings for RR, who had won the toss and elected to bat first. RR had a great start to the innings. Given that the ball was colliding with his middle and leg, Kohli was correct to forego a review.
Du Plessis and Maxwell then took control of the innings and scored at a brisk pace. Du Plessis hit a couple of sixes and a four, while Maxwell hit a couple of well-placed fours. The duo put up 91 runs for the third wicket. RR tried to pull things back, but RCB kept scoring, and post a formidable total of 189/9.
Rajasthan Royals started their chase on a shaky note, losing Jos Buttler early on to Mohd. Siraj. Devdutt Padikkal joined Yashasvi Jaiswal in the counterattack, hitting four well-placed fours.
At the conclusion of the Powerplay, RR reached 41/1 thanks to Jaiswal’s massive 81-meter six off Maxwell. Both players continued to score runs, scoring at least one boundary once every four overs as they added 51 runs over the next four overs to bring RR to 92/1 at the halfway point.
Padikkal reached his fifty off of 30 balls, but he was quickly dismissed after David Willey eventually made a vital error by having him caught at long on for 52(34). The strain got to Jaiswal as RCB tightened things up, and he holed out in the deep for 47(37) off a slower ball from Harshal Patel.
Only 16/2 were made by RR during the 11–14 over phase. The pressure valve was then finally opened by Samson, who then struck a four, a six, and a four against Harshal Patel after being hit by Wanindu Hasaranga. As the equation read 61 required off 24 balls, the RCB bowler struck back forcefully with the following ball, getting Samson caught at short third man for 22(15).
When Dhruv Jurel hit two fours against Siraj, he gave the team some much-needed momentum and added 15 to the total. When the equation changed to 33 off 12, Suyash Prabhudessai ran out the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer in a thriller over after Jurel struck a six off Willey’s first delivery.
Siraj played brilliantly in the first four balls of the last over, conceding just five runs, but Jurel then smashed a flat six, flicking one over long leg for a six. 13 off the over was reached after a fast pair off the final ball.
Ashwin top-edged a slower delivery from Harshal Patel over the keeper for a streaking four off the first ball when 20 was needed off the final over. The following ball, Ashwin buried a yorker to the leg side and dashed through for a pair as RCB wasted a run-out opportunity.
Ashwin scored a four after swiping the third ball outside of a short fine leg to reduce the deficit to 10 needed off 3. As Ashwin mistimed a heave, Harshal’s slower approach finally paid off as he got Ashwin caught at deep midwicket.
While the Bengaluru crowd cheered, RR put Impact Player Abdul Basith to bat at No. 8, but he could only manage a single off his first ball. Jurel singled after cutting one straight to point with 9 needed off the final ball as RCB won by seven runs.
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