IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 24 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday thanks to half-century innings of star batsmen Virat Kohli and Faf Duplesey.
Captaining in place of Shikhar Dhawan, acting captain of Punjab Kings Sam Curran had decided to bowl first after winning the toss against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
With this win, RCB has reached number five in the point table with 6 points while Punjab’s team has slipped to seventh.
A 137-run first-wicket partnership between Du Plessis (84 off 56 balls, five sixes, five fours) and Kohli (59 off 47 balls, five fours, one six) took RCB to 174 for four.
In response, the Punjab Kings team was bundled out for 150 runs in 18.2 overs in front of the sharp bowling of Siraj (4/21). Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga also took two wickets for 39 runs.
Only openers Prabhsimran Singh (46) and Jitesh Sharma (41) were able to bat for Punjab Kings. Apart from these two, no batsman could even touch the figure of 20 runs. Chasing the target, Punjab had a very bad start and the team lost four wickets for 49 runs in the power play.
Atharva Taide (04) hit Siraj’s first ball for a four but was lbw on the next ball. On taking DRS, the on-field umpire had to change his decision. Matthew Short (08) hit Wayne Parnell for a six but was bowled by Hasaranga’s googly. Siraj lbw Liam Livingstone (02) in the fourth over.
This time also the on-field umpire had to change his decision after taking DRS. Harpreet Singh (13) hit Parnell for a six but was run out after that, leaving Punjab at 43 for four. Prabhasimran, who replaced leg-spinner Rahul Chahar as an impact player, held one end. He opened the account with fours on Siraj and then also hit fours on Parnell and Hasranga.
Prabhsimran tried to increase the run rate with two sixes over Hasaranga but captain Sam Curran (10) was run out trying to steal a quick run. Jitesh was lbw by Harshal Patel but the umpire had to change his decision once again after taking DRS. Jitesh hit a four and a six in this over. In the 12th over of the innings, Prabhasimran hit Parnell for another six but missed the next ball and was bowled.
Parnell dropped Shahrukh Khan’s catch on his own ball in the same over and this aggressive batsman took the team’s score beyond 100 runs with a six. Shahrukh (07), however, was stumped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik in the next over of Hasaranga. Punjab needed 50 runs to win in the last five overs. Jitesh reduced the gap between the ball and the run by hitting a four and a six off successive balls of Vijaykumar Vishak.
13 runs were scored in this over. Harshal scored only seven runs in the 17th over but on the last ball of the over, Kohli dropped Jitesh’s catch at long on. In the next over, Siraj bowled Harpreet Brar (13) and gave Punjab the eighth blow and then uprooted the stumps of Nathan Ellis (01).
Only four runs were scored in this over. Punjab needed 26 runs in the last two overs and Harshal got Jitesh caught by Shahbaz Ahmed at backward point to give RCB the win. Earlier, after the break of Duplesey and Kohli’s pair in the 17th over, no other RCB batsman could even reach double digits, as the team failed to reach a big score.
Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar was the most successful bowler for Punjab, taking two wickets for 31 runs. Arshdeep Singh and Ellis got one wicket each. Curran invited the Bangalore team to bat first after which du Plessis and Kohli got the team off to a brisk start. Both added 59 runs in the power play without losing a wicket.
Kohli hit Arshdeep for two fours while Du Plessis hit Harpreet for two sixes. Showing aggressive attitude, Duplessi hit his third six on fast bowler Ellis. Du Plessis welcomed Livingstone with a four and then hit a single off the spinner to bring up his fourth half-century of the season in 31 balls. The century of RCB runs was completed in the 12th over. The Punjab bowlers somewhat curbed the run rate in the middle overs. Kohli completed his half-century in 40 balls with a four off Arshdeep in the 14th over.
He hit Ellis for a six in the next over as RCB scored 130 runs in 15 overs without losing a wicket. In the next over, Duplessy lofted Curren’s ball in the air but was dropped by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. Jitesh, however, took a brilliant catch of Kohli towards the leg side off Harpreet in the next over. Kohli faced 47 balls and hit five fours and a six.
On the next ball, Glenn Maxwell (00) also caught Taide at point. Du Plessis hit Harpreet and Ellis for sixes but then Ellis’ ball was played in the hands of Curran at the boundary, which made the team’s score 151 for three. Dinesh Karthik (07) hits Arshdeep for a four but is then caught by Taide at deep square leg.
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