2) Dhawal Kulkarni, 4-1-14-4, Gujarat Lions vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore
That the spell came in Bangalore, a graveyard for bowlers shows how good this performance by Dhawal Kulkarni was. In a rare low-scoring match in Bangalore, Gujarat Lions had just 158 runs on the board, thanks to figures of 4-29 by Shane Watson.
Kulkarni rocked the boat very early picking the massive wicket of Orange Cap holder Virat Kohli with just his second ball – Kohli scoring an almost unheard-of duck. After breaching Kohli’s defence, Kulkarni went through Chris Gayle’s defence in his next over and then got Lokesh Rahul with the very next ball.
Sachin Baby was his fourth in a fine spell of fast bowling with a little swing but a lot of discipline and tight lines on a slightly sluggish Chinnaswamy pitch. RCB was 29 for 5 thanks to Kulkarni’s spell. However, a superlative effort by AB de Villiers supported by Iqbal Abdullah ensured RCB eventually reached their target.
Kulkarni’s was a spell that didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. That the spell came under pressure against a top batting side in a big match, the first Qualifier, makes it all the more precious.
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