And It’s a home run for RCB !!

RCB climbed up the charts by defeating Sunrise Hyderabad in Match 6 of the VIVO IPL 2021 at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.

RCB put together a total of 149 against SRH. RCB brought Devdutt Padikkal in place of Rajat Patidar.
Kohli and Padikkal opened the score for RCB. Paddikal opened his score with a couple of boundaries while Kohli went with a boundary straight down the ground. The partnership was short lived as the as the left-handed batsmen got dismissed at hands of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Ahmed joined Kohli on the pitch and brought the score up to 47-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Ahmed tried to play Nadeem but caught at Rashid Khan’s fine effort in the outfield. Then Kohli and Maxwell played economically to bring RCB up to speed at a run-rate of 6 runs per over. The duo scored 22 runs off the 11th over. Maxwell hit 2 sixes and a 4 while Kohli hit a boundary off of Nadeem’s over.

SRH was quick to break the partnership. Kohli got cut off in the outfield by Vijay Shankar. AB De Villers followed suit as he got out for 1 in the 14th over. SRH bowlers kept RCB batting line up on the edge with crisp catching in the outfield.

With 30 balls to the first innings, Glen Maxwell stood string at his end. Jamieson supported Maxwell by adding 2 boundaries to the total before he was taken out by Holder in the concluding over of the innings.

Maxwell added the major chunk to the total, by smashing Holder with 13 runs and successfully scored his first 50 for RCB & of the season. Eventually, he got out on the final delivery of the innings and concluded RCB at a decent total of 149/8.

SRH’s openers, David Warner & Wriddhiman Saha, started with a slow and careful start and stood at 13 for no loss by the end of the first two overs.
With the new ball, Mohammed Siraj delivered the 3rd over. RCB didn’t receive the new ball too well as Saha played a rash shot straight into the hands of Maxwell.

SRH’s skipper then brought the score upto speed. Warner and Manish Pandey hit a six each off of Jamieson’s deliveries, scoring 17 off the 14th over. SRH was able to score a 50 before powerplay concluded. SRH stood strong by the end of the 10th over at a score of 77/1. Warner scored his 49th IPL fifty.

Just when SRH felt they were pacing up well to the chase, RCB skipper Kohli brought Shahbaz Ahmed to the mix. The spinner turned the tables in RCB’s favour. He took 3 wickets in one over. Ahmed’s spin got Jonny Bairstow, Pandey and Abdul Samad, where all 3 were trying to push the ball across the boundary.

Further the pressure got to the chasing team. First Vijay Shankar got caught at the hands of the skipper in the 18th over bowled by Harshal Patel. Siraj then dismissed Jason Holder in the penultimate over of the final innings.

With last 6 balls remaining, SRH had 16 runs to chase to secure the win. To add top the drama, Harshal bowled a no-ball. Yet it did no good to SRH, as Harshal eventually managed to ger the final wicket, helping RCB bring a close 6 run victory home.

Ms. Shriya Sinha Sports and Lifestyle Journalist