IPL 2018, RCB vs DD: Hits and Misses

The trend of bowling first continued as Virat Kohli won the toss and put Delhi Daredevils (DD) into bat first. Delhi lost a couple of early wickets and they struggled in the powerplays as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were excellent upfront.

However, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant put the Delhi innings back on track as the duo struck vital half-centuries. Iyer scored 52 but it was Pant’s 85 that helped DD get to 174 in their 20 overs. RCB, despite starting well once again, were found wanting at the death. They conceded 71 runs in the last 5 overs as they allowed DD to get to a competitive total.

In reply, RCB got off to a bad start as Manan Vohra was dismissed in the 2nd over for 2. Then Quinton de Kock was run out owing to a mix-up as it left RCB reeling at 29/2. But Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers steadied the ship as they shared a 63-run stand before a jaw-dropping catch from Trent Boult sent the RCB skipper packing.

But it was AB de Villiers who stole the show with a stunning masterclass. He scored a stunning unbeaten 90 to take RCB home with 2 overs to spare and get their second win of the season.

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#5 Miss: Delhi openers

It was Gautam Gambhir's third successive failure

The Delhi openers Gautam Gambhir and Jason Roy have scored one fifty each in this tournament. But apart from that, they have been disappointing, both individually and as a pair.

Gautam Gambhir started the tournament with a good fifty but hasn’t quite found his rhythm. He has failed in the next 2 innings after that 55 he scored in DD’s opening game. In this game, he once again failed to get going. He struggled throughout his 10-ball innings and scored just 3 before he was dismissed by Umesh Yadav.

On the other hand, Jason Roy scored a match-winning 91 against Mumbai Indians in his debut game for DD. He scored just 1 against KKR. He struggled against spin as Yuzvendra Chahal bowled very well up front. The England opener was eventually dismissed for a laborious 16-ball 5 as Chahal cleaned him up with a straighter one.

#4 Hit: Trent Boult

Trent Boult's catch was one of the highlights of the day

Trent Boult will forever remember this game. Millions watching might not forget Boult as well for what he did in this game. Yes, he has taken 6 wickets in the last four games and also took 1/33 in this game. But it is for his brilliance in the field that he will remember.

With things going pretty well for RCB with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in total control of the chase, Harshal Patel bowled a gentle full toss on Kohli’s pad.

The RCB skipper whipped it and timed it pretty well, but he found a flying Trent Boult at the square-leg boundary. It was going over Boult’s head, but he timed his jump to perfection and grabbed a one-handed stunner. The fact that Boult went with his wrong hand (he is left-handed) made it special.

Not only the catch, Boult continued to lead the way on the field as he was saving runs everywhere on the field. But it was that jaw-dropping catch that was certainly one of the best moments of the day.

#3 Miss: Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes had another expensive outing

Chris Woakes might have picked up 8 wickets and is currently among the top five wicket-takers in this IPL but he has been very expensive. Before this game, he had an economy of 10.47 in 4 games. He was taken for a lot of runs in the death in the last couple of games.

However, the England all-rounder had the team management’s backing. In this game, Woakes bowled three spells. He started the game well as he gave just 5 runs in his first over. He came back and gave 8 runs in his second over before he was taken for runs at the death.

He conceded 3 fours in his 3rd over before Pant hit him for a couple of fours and a six in Woakes’ final over. Woakes ended with figures of 0/40 in his four overs.

#2 Hit: Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was brilliant and innovative in his innings of 85

Rishabh Pant has been touted as the future of the Indian cricket team. In this IPL, he has scored at least 20 in every game. In fact, he’s got into the 40s in the last two games and threw it away.

In this game, Pant walked out to bat with DD in trouble at 23/2 in the 6th over. He started off with a bang as he punched a shortish delivery from Chahal to the cover boundary.

He then rotated the strike well and struck the odd boundary as along with Shreyas Iyer, he helped DD rebuild. He reached 26 in 23 balls at the end of the 12th over as DD’s score read 72/2. At that moment it looked like DD would do well to get to 150-155.

However, Pant had other ideas. The Delhi batsman launched an excellent attack on the RCB death bowlers as he picked up a boundary in every over since the 15th over. He smashed RCB’s best bowler Yuzvendra Chahal for a couple of sixes before hitting the pacers all around the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Pant was dismissed in the final over after scoring a magnificent 85. He struck 6 fours and 7 sixes in his 48-ball knock as he took DD to a very competitive total. But his 85 went in vain as his knock was overshadowed by an AB de Villiers special.

#1 Hit: AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers was absolutely stunning

AB de Villiers was in the mood today. Right from the time he came into bat, it looked like a completely different ball game. Walking out to bat at 29/2, De Villiers joined Virat Kohli in the middle and completely changed the momentum of the game.

He hit his straps straightaway as he struck a couple excellent boundaries off Shahbaz Nadeem (one to square-leg, the other over cover).

With Kohli looking to bat through, the South African star took the pressure off Kohli as de Villiers looked to take the attack to the DD bowlers. He struck Nadeem for three consecutive boundaries in the 7th over as he looked in total control.

Virat Kohli’s dismissal would’ve meant that de Villiers would bat through and reduce the risks. But the South African batsman continued the carnage. He hit Harshal Patel for two sixes and a four before launching an attack on his country-mate Chris Morris.

AB de Villiers batted through and took RCB home with a fabulous unbeaten 90 off 39 balls. He struck 10 fours and 5 sixes as Mr. 360 scored at a strike-rate of 230.77.