"Vintage RCB is back!" - Fans roast Faf du Plessis and co. as PBKS coast to victory in Match 3 of IPL 2022

Even after stepping into a new era for their franchise, it was the same old story for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as their bowlers failed to defend a massive target of 206 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday.

Skipper Faf du Plessis led the way for his new franchise with a fantastic knock of 88. Some fantastic late hitting from Dinesh Karthik meant that RCB posted 205-2 in their 20 overs and it looked like they had enough on the board.

However, PBKS had other ideas as their batters put up an absolute show at the DY Patil Stadium, winning by five wickets with an over to spare. Fans on Twitter trolled the Royal Challengers for throwing away a brilliant opportunity to start their IPL schedule with a win. Here are some of the reactions:

RCB bowlers failed to execute their plans against PBKS

Chasing a massive target of 206 was never going to be easy for PBKS and they needed a good start from their openers. This is exactly what happened as both Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan took the attack to the opposition in the powerplay.

Although PBKS lost Agarwal and then Dhawan when both looked set to score big, Sri Lankan power-hitter Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a sensational cameo and kept his IPL team in the chase.

With back-to-back wickets of Rajapaksa and debutant Raj Angad Bawa, RCB came storming back into the game. It looked like a last-over thriller was on the cards. However, Odean Smith came in and just took apart the bowlers, especially Mohammed Siraj.

Faf du Plessis and his men will rue the dropped catches as well as the inconsistency in the line and length of their bowlers. PBKS, on the other hand, will be buoyed by the result and with players like Jonny Bairstow and Kagiso Rabada yet to join, they will certainly back themselves to win a few games on the bounce.

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