IPL 2018, RCB v RR: Hits and Misses

The Rajasthan Royals secured their second win of the season with a 19-run triumph over the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday (April 15).

It was an absolute run-fest of a game, wherein both the sides scored a plethora of runs with the bat. Unlike the general flow this season, the Rajasthan-based franchise has been getting its victories in games where they have batted first.

After being put in to bat by Virat Kohli, they put up an incredible total of 217-4 after the first innings. RCB tried their best but came up short in their attempt at chasing the target. Their innings folded at 198-6 in their quota of 20 overs.

Here are the hits and misses from the game:

---

#5 Hit: Sanju Samson

The RR batsman has been in incredible form since the beginning of this tournament. However, in their first two games, he could not convert his starts into big scores. He ticked that box against RCB and played an impeccable knock of 92* off 45 deliveries.

He came in at one-down at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and smashed the hosts to all parts of the ground. Not only did he score convincingly but also built some valuable partnerships with Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Rahul Tripathi.

The right-handed batsman has now earned the orange cap for himself after smashing the highest individual score in IPL 2018, while also powering his team to the highest team score of the tournament this season.

#4 Miss: Umesh Yadav

Yadav couldn't replicate his heroics from the previous game

The right-arm pacer was the Man of the Match in RCB's victory over Punjab in their last game but was absolutely clobbered to all parts of the stadium by Rahane and Co. In his quota of four overs, he gave away as many as 59 runs at a mammoth economy of 14.8.

Not only did he leak runs with the ball, but also lacked discipline in his performance on the day. He bowled a front-foot no ball in the last over of the game, when RR had already crossed the 200-run mark in their batting innings.

It was a worrisome sign for skipper Kohli, who saw his strike seamer being bullied by the visitors throughout the game.

#3 Hit: Virat Kohli

The right-hander scored an impressive fifty

The RCB skipper is an undisputed chase-master of the modern era. He knows how to pace his innings according to the required run rate and can chase down massive totals with an almost single-handed effort.

He could not stay unbeaten to see off the chase against RR, but still produced a terrific knock with the willow. Kohli came in to bat in the very first over of the chase after Brendon McCullum was dismissed by the local boy, K Gowtham.

The right-handed batsman added 57 quickfire runs in just 30 deliveries in an innings that included six fours and two beautifully-timed sixes. He was finally dismissed in the 11th over of the game after being caught by Short at deep mid-wicket.

#2 Miss: AB de Villiers

The RCB talisman could not fire on the day

The South African batsman has been in good touch of late and has already played two good knocks for them in the tournament. However, he could not step up against Rajasthan Royals after coming on to bat after the fall of the second RCB wicket.

Kohli and de Kock had set up the hosts for a good finish after taking them to 100-1 after 10 overs and de Villiers was expected to capitalize on this foundation in his innings. However, the right-handed batsman could score just 20 off 18 deliveries before returning to the pavilion.

He was dismissed by Shreyas Gopal at a crucial juncture of the match. De Villiers tried to pull the ball over long-leg but ended up with a mishit, which was converted into a terrific catch in the deep by Jaydev Unadkat.

#1 Hit: Shreyas Gopal

Gopal took the most crucial wickets of the night

There was a point in the game where the home side was backing itself to do the unprecedented, and chase the gigantic target set for them by the Royals. This was when Kohli and Kock were going on guns blazing in the middle and had managed to keep in touch with the hefty required run-rate.

That's when this youngster made everyone take notice of his bowling pedigree. Gopal sent an imperious-looking Kohli back to the pavilion in his third over of the game. To follow that up, he also managed to scalp the wicket of de Villiers, the second whale of the RCB batting line-up.

It was his spell that turned things around for the visitors and it ended with brilliant figures of 2 for 22 in 4 overs. Those numbers seem even more impressive after considering the fact that they came in a game where a total of 400 runs was scored by both the sides.