When the final matchday started, all attention was on the Mumbai Indians, and the five-time winners played up to its reputation, smashing 235 runs to give themselves hope. The last-ball drama between RCB and DC, though, stole the show in the conclusion. RCB’s savior was KS Bharat, who hit a last-ball 6 to push his side over the mark and remain unbeaten on 78. Here you can find RCB vs DC Match Highlights.
Earlier, the Delhi Capitals had a strong start when Virat Kohli chose to bowl first. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw began cautiously before the latter put the opposing bowling to the task. Both players contributed to a very solid 88-run partnership. RCB got a much-needed breakthrough when Harshal Patel dismissed Dhawan for a well-made 43.
DC appeared to be on track for a massive total
Shaw, too, went to the grandstand soon after, but not before enthralling everyone in attendance with his precise hitting. He scored 48 runs off 31 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes. DC’s total was 101 in the 12th over when Shaw was bowled, and they appeared to be on track for a massive total. But it was not to be. With some superb bowling, RCB surged back into the match.
Daniel Christian outfought the troublesome Rishabh Pant, but the bowlers didn’t allow Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer off the track. It took 30 balls for them to put up a 35-run partnership. Mohammed Siraj bowled brilliantly in the dying overs to limit the Capitals to 164 runs for the cost of 5 wickets in their 20 overs.
Hetmyer went out of his way but could only manage 29 runs off 22 balls, whereas Siraj was the best bowler for RCB, taking 2/25 in 4 overs.
With the pitching decreasing significantly as the innings progressed, RCB required a strong powerplay phase. However, this did not occur. Anrich Nortje responded early, dismissing both Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli. Everything didn’t seem great for them at 6/2 in the 3rd over. Because of the structuring of the innings, they could only manage 29 runs in the first 6 overs.
Glenn Maxwell’s entrance added the ideal momentum to KS Bharat
AB de Villiers batted at 4 to invest some time for the rest and hit a couple of fours and a 6. Axar Patel, on the other hand, forced a false ball off him to dispatch the star for a run-a-ball 26. On the other side, KS Bharat settled in, and Glenn Maxwell’s entrance supplied the ideal momentum to the innings.
The pair batted brilliantly, putting out runs at a faster clip. Maxwell batted first and had luck on his side, with Iyer & Ravi Ashwin dismissing him in a single over. When all attention was on the Australian batsman, Bharat raised the bar by having taken on each and every DC bowler and scoring his first IPL 50 off 39 balls. His finest stroke of the innings came in the 17th over, when he hit a stunning six off Kagiso Rabada.
The brilliant combination reduced the equation to 31 runs off 18 balls after requiring 99 runs in the last 9 overs. With 7 wickets in hand, RCB should have had a walk in the park. Avesh Khan’s following over surrendered 12 more runs, making the job simpler. However, Nortje was exceptional in the final over, giving only 4 runs and leaving Avesh with 15 runs to preserve in the last over.
KS Bharat was poised to be the hero
Maxwell started the over with 7 runs off the first 3 balls, but Avesh delivered a dot ball to reduce the scenario to 8 runs off 2 balls. Axar Patel’s misfield insured a few runs, and RCB were left with 6 off the last. One would have expected Avesh to nail his yorker, there was much more excitement in waiting. The bowler misjudged his line, resulting in a wide.
KS Bharat was poised to be the hero when Avesh again misjudged his line, and Bharat perfectly timed the full throw for a big six to get his side over the path.
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