IPL 2018, RCB vs SRH: 5 talking points

The fully packed crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore were treated to a run-feast tonight and much to the delight of the home fans, it was Royal Challengers Bangalore who triumphed over Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep alive their chances of sealing a playoff spot in IPL 2018.

Virat Kohli's side posted 218 runs on the board after being put into bat thanks to some brilliant hitting from the likes of AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Clin de Grandhomme and Sarfaraz Khan and though they looked in a spot of bother at one time with Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey adding 135 runs for the third wicket, the home side prevailed eventually to win the contest by 14 runs.

The highlight of the day though was two stunning catches in the deep from Rashid Khan and AB de Villiers whose superlative efforts stunned the crowd into a state of frenzy.

Here are the 5 major talking points from tonight's high-scoring thriller.

#5 De Villiers and Moeen Ali lit up the Chinnaswamy with their big-hitting

The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has been a batting paradise in the IPL but this season, the scores have been generally on the lower side in comparison to the previous editions.

However, tonight was a throwback to the good old days as the RCB batsmen delighted the home crowd with their intent to go big right from the start.

RCB lost Parthiv Patel and skipper Virat Kohli relatively early but the hosts were relentless in their aggressive approach to the game, with the net run-rate also a concern in the race for the playoff spots.

AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali's partnership was the backbone of the RCB onslaught and it was a big surprise to see the Englishman outclass Mr 360 with a knock of 65 from 34 balls which featured as many as 6 sixers.

The pair added 107 runs in just 57 balls and blew the SRH bowling attack away with their splendid batting and was the main reason why the hosts were able to post a total in excess of 200.

#4 Basil Thampi bags an unwanted record

Thampi conceded 70 runs in his 4 overs

Runs were in free flow at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight with the RCB's ploy to go after the Sunrisers' bowling attack paying dividends. With the net run-rate set to be a crucial factor in the race for the playoff spots, the hosts had no other but to do just that.

The RCB batsmen were intent on going big right from the word go and while Rashid Khan once again proved hard to get away, almost all the other bowlers from the SRH line-up suffered, but none more than the unfortunate Basil Thampi.

The 24-year-old was filling in the big shoes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar but had a day to forget as he was hammered around the park all night long by AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali initially before Colin de Grandhomme also got stuck into the young rookie in the death overs.

At the end of his four overs, Thampi had conceded 70 runs - an IPL record for most runs conceded, eclipsing the previous record in the name of Ishant Sharma, who conceded 66 runs in 4 overs against CSK in the 2013 edition of the IPL playing for - guess who - SRH.

#3 Rashid Khan's catch of the season contender

Rashid Khan pulled off a stunner to help get rid of Colin de Grandhomme

Amidst all the carnage the RCB batsmen were inflicting on SRH, Rashid Khan remained unscathed, conceding just 27 runs in his 4 overs while also picking up the three key wickets of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Moeen Ali.

The Afghanistan international also produced a moment of brilliance on the field as he pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch at the mid-wicket boundary to help dismiss Colin de Grandhomme who was shocked to see his shot that looked like clearing the ropes to end up in Rashid's hands.

The 19-year-old was fielding a few yards inside the boundary and had also misjudged the flight of the ball just as he did a few moments prior to the stunner when he had allowed the ball to slip past his grasp for a sixer but this time around, Rashid made amends by holding on to the ball that had raced upon him like a tracer bullet.

#2 Kane Williamson's splendid knock

The SRH skipper nearly led his side to victory with his knock of 81 off just 42 balls

Sunrisers Hyderabad had had an excellent IPL despite losing their talisman David Warner before the start of the campaign and at the heart of their performances has been the influence of Kane Williamson.

The bowlers have backed up the new skipper brilliantly and the Kiwi has been brilliant with his performances as both skipper and as a player and he nearly won the match for his side tonight with a brilliant innings that had the stamp of a leader all over it.

He may not possess the strength that one usually list as a prerequisite in the T20 format but he more than makes up for it with his finesse and timing and ability to pick the right balls to get his runs from.

His shots were pleasing to the eye as always and his partnership with Manish Pandey kept SRH in with a chance in the run-chase which unfortunately ended when the skipper's knock came to an end in the final over of the innings, having scored 81 runs off just 42 balls.

#1 AB de Villiers turns Superman

De Villiers outdid himself with one of the best catches in IPL history to help dismiss Alex Hales

AB de Villiers does things on the cricket field which very few other players can even dream of and just when you think you have seen it all, the South African comes out with an unbelievable performance that simply blows away everyone's mind.

De Villiers was splendid with the bat, top-scoring for RCB with 69 balls from 39 balls, and put on a brilliant 107-run partnership with Moeen Ali that helped his side post a total of 218 after being put into bat.

But Mr. 360 was not done yet.

It is no secret that De Villiers is a phenomenal athlete on the field but he outdid himself tonight with one of the best catches in IPL history, jumping high into the air at the mid-wicket boundary before plucking the ball out of thin air to send Alex Hales back to the pavilion.

It was outstanding, even for De Villiers' standards, causing the Chinnaswamy to erupt into a frenzy mood after what they had witnessed from one of their most favourite players.

The wicket came at a crucial moment in the match with Alex Hales edging towards the 50-run mark and no doubt proved a decisive blow in the final outcome of the match.

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