IPL 2017, RCB vs GL: Andrew Tye's two-wicket over is SK Turning Point of the match

RCB are having a horror run at this year’s IPL. AB de Villiers, who began well hasn’t managed to light it up for them despite being in reasonable touch. Virat Kohli keeps finding new ways of getting himself out. Their bowling has been a massive worry and Chris Gayle hasn’t made it easier for them with his hot and cold now form.

RCB lost valuable points a couple of days ago because of the match being abandoned due to rain. Any hopes of getting back to winning ways were quashed by the Suresh Raina-led Gujarat Lions who gave them a royal thrashing. Once again, it was the batting that let RCB down, who will now have to deal with a bad net run-rate as well.

The context

Gujarat Lions won the toss and chose to field. RCB were without their bowling spearhead Tymal Mills who was suffering from a niggle. Things have not been going their way and they probably needed a good start with the bat. But that was not to be. Virat Kohli, smacked one straight to short fine leg, an unlucky way of getting out. He was gone for 10 and his indifferent IPL continued. RCB were 22 for 1 in the fourth over.

The massive early blows – the turning point

The turning point of the game, almost uncharacteristically, came very early in the match. Andrew Tye, who has been a wildcard of sorts, bowled the over, that probably sealed RCB’s fate even before they had a chance to make a statement. In the fourth over, Tye got the wicket of Chris Gayle the first delivery with a lovely ball that swung away taking the edge. Dinesh Karthik did the rest.

The very next ball was a stunner to Travis Head, a delivery pitched in the corridor of uncertainty and moving away. Head could do nothing but edge it to the slip, Suresh Raina taking a good catch. Tye was on a hat-trick at that point, while already having claimed a hat-trick this IPL, along with a five-wicket-haul.

RCB was 22 for 3 in the 5^th over. Even though Kedar Jadhav (31) and Pavan Negi (32) played decent cameos, Tye did enough damage upfront to not let RCB get away early. The Australian picked a third with the wicket of Mandeep Singh, registering figures of 3-12 in 4 overs. He won the Player of the Match for his efforts.

The fallout

After the massive blows early on, RCB could hardly do much. Whatever little hope was there in the form of AB de Villiers was gone in an ugly misunderstanding mid-pitch that caused the South African’s run-out.

On hindsight, Mandeep could’ve sacrificed his wicket but in the heat of the moment, it was terrible running, a mix-up that was the last nail in the coffin. RCB managed to crawl to 134 and the Gujarat Lions made mince-meat of the target.

This was the first time RCB were all-out in successive matches in the IPL. GL chased down the target in just 13.5 overs, winning the match by 7 wickets. That was thanks to Aaron Finch’s 34-ball 72 that included 6 monster sixes.

Raina, the GL skipper, was not out on 34 after surviving a dismissal, thanks to Yuzvendra Chahal’s no-ball. Samuel Badree took a couple of wickets for RCB but they were too little, too late for a team that looks jaded and badly out of form without a single consistently performing player.