Today's matchup sees a battle of two Indian giants MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. RCB and the Rising Pune Supergiants are having a tough time in the IPL this season. Both teams have won just one match this season despite having amazing players in their teams. Kohli lost his fourth consecutive toss in a row and was put into bat by MS Dhoni.
Lokesh Rahul who opened the batting once again was not able to make the best of the opportunity as he fell early once again with the score at only 27. This brought in AB de Villiers who has been having a great IPL so far with the fifties in three out of four matches. Kohli and AB once again took charge of the match, by setting the tone with some big hits and some superb batting.
AB and Kohli bring up another 150 run partnership
AB and Kohli dug their heels in and batted for a long time and brought up another 150 run partnership, AB started off at the rate of knots scoring at over 200. Kohli at the other seemed a little at sea, not striking the ball as well as he has been all season and was slow to start off. Kohli in brought up his fifty in 47 deliveries and played more of an anchor role as AB exploded at the other end.
Going for glory, in the end, Kohli held out at long on after a well made 80 of 63 deliveries, AB fell off the very next ball going for a big and was caught by Ankit Sharma who dropped Kohli earlier on in the innings. AB ended with 83 of just 46. With two wickets falling in the last over and brilliant piece of bowling by Thisara Perera RCB were able to reach only 185 at the end of the 20 overs.
Pune lose Faf, Pietersen and Smith early
Pune started off brilliantly with beautiful boundaries by Rahane off Binny, who opened the bowling for RCB. Faf du Plessis looked good as well too but held out Kane Richardson with a simple catch at mid-off. Kevin Pietersen was next to the crease but played just the one ball and limped off the field due a strain in his right calf. Steve Smith was the next to the crease and followed back soon enough, by an amazing piece of fielding by Virat Kohli to get a direct hit after slipped a bit after being sent back by Rahane.
Rahane and MS Dhoni restore order
MS Dhoni and Rahane kept the scoreboard ticking despite Dhoni struggling at the start of his innings. They scored a 91 run partnership with Rahane being the aggressor of the two. Rahane scored a 60 of 46 deliveries before being stumped off debutant Tabraiz Shamsi after being beaten by the flight. After the loss of Rahane’s wicket, the onus of taking the team home shifted on Dhoni and held out to AB at long-off while going for a six off Harshal Patel.
Perera and Bhatia take the fight to RCB
The 17th over of Harshal Patel went for 26 with Perera clobbering Patel for four fours and a six. The 18th over started off with a catch being dropped by KL Rahul, but two balls later Perera who played a gem of innings fell for 34 of 13 caught off Watson’s bowling. Ashwin was next getting out for a duck going for a huge heave, making it an anticlimactic finish. Bhatia got out in the last over going for a shot over the backward square leg, M.Ashwin went the very next ball after AB pulled off a blinder at long on. Kane Richardson bowled a beautiful last over and was well complemented by Watson and Shamsi to pick up a 13 run victory.
Match Result:
RCB: 185/3 ABD 83, Kohli 80; Perera 34-2
RPS: 172/8 Rahane 60, Dhoni 41; Richardson 13-3
MOM: AB deVilliers
| Pos | Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Net RR |
| 1 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1.075 |
| 2 | Gujarat Lions | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.036 |
| 3 | Royal Challenger Bangalore | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.371 |
| 4 | Delhi Daredeviils | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.249 |
| 5 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.080 |
| 6 | Mumbai Indians | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -0.536 |
| 7 | Rising Pune Supergiants | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.084 |
| 8 | Kings XI Punjab | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.155 |
IPL 2016 Schedule
| Date | Time (BST/IST) | Match | Venue |
| April 23 | 4 p.m. | Delhi Daredevils vs. Mumbai Indians | Delhi |
| April 23 | 8 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kings XI Punjab | Hyderabad |
| April 24 | 4 p.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Rajkot |
| April 24 | 8 p.m. | Rising Pune Supergiants vs. Kolkata Knight Riders | Pune |
| April 25 | 8 p.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Mumbai Indian | Mohali |
| April 26 | 8 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Rising Pune Supergiants | Hyderabad |
| April 27 | 8 p.m. | Delhi Daredevils vs. Gujarat Lions | Delhi |
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
