RCB vs RR Match Highlights
Rajasthan Royals 144/8
Royal Challengers Bangalore 115 (19.3/20 ov, T:145)
Royals won by 29 runs
What we saw today was an extreme level of sports. We may not have expected the match to go the way it went but Rajasthan Royals clearly showed us if we believe in our capabilities, we can shake the world and if not the world, they did shake Royal Challengers Bangalore’s camp. Getting out for a meager 144, we thought that with a strong batting lineup like RCB’s, it will be an easier chase. Trying new combinations RCB, following the path of their outing with DC, out all out for 115. RR swept a 29-run victory and showed why they are amongst the best teams this IPL.
Special mention to Kuldeep Sen and Ravichandra Ashwin who worked their magic in the middle and restricted opposition batters at consecutive intervals. Credits to Riyan Parag who took charge of batting in the first innings and even after not having a consistent partner went for big runs in the death overs.
The losing captain Faf du Plessis talked about what went wrong in post match presentation as he said “It’s pretty similar to the previous game. If you hit the deck hard in the first few overs, it is hard to get away. The dropped chance cost us. The top order is a trick we need to fix. You need someone in the top four to bat through and we haven’t done that consistently. We tried changing the batting lineup today and we feel that they can try playing positively. Can’t go into a shell. Great players go through phases like this and we wanted to get him in the game straightaway so that he doesn’t sit in the sidelines and think about the game. It’s a game of confidence.”
The winning captain of Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson has a smiling face as he talked about his team’s win. He said, “It is a really great win. After the start in the first 15 overs, we had real belief and trust in someone called Riyan Parag. We have been backing him for the last three-four years and he just showed it to the world today. I thought we were 10-15 runs short with no dew in the second innings. The pitch was turning and was two-paced, so 150-160 would have been a good total. It was something we were waiting for, for the back end of our batting to win us matches. Almost everyone has put up a match-winning performance so far. The chat we had just before the second innings, was that when you are chasing 200 there is only one gear. But for such totals like 150, it was only a matter of putting pressure as the batsmen had to change gears. The dressing room atmosphere is really important. We make a couple of changes according to the wicket and the opponent, but the communication is very important. Karun, for example, was left out just because we needed that one over from Daryl Mitchell, and he understands that, and he can come back in later.”
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: RIYAN PARAG
