Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday evening has disappointed yet again with the bat, but their skipper Virat Kohli, who kept on scoring runs at the other end before the visitors were able to post only 96 on board, for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs – to see hosts Rising Pune Supergiant register a 61-run comprehensive win at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
As Sreenath Arvind remained unbeaten on 8 off five balls followed by Yuzvendra Chahal, who scored 9-ball four; Royal Challengers batsmen failed to cross past the double-figure mark except for its skipper Kohli, who smashed 55 off 48 balls. His innings was laced with four boundaries and a six.
The right-handed batsman Kohli, who was the lone warrior, was dismissed by Dan Christian when substitute Mayank Agarwal completed a simple catch in the deep.
The pick of the bowler for Supergiant was leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who picked three wickets after conceding 18 runs in his quota of four overs. Lockie Ferguson bagged two wickets in his four overs after conceding just seven runs. Dan Christian, Washington Sundar and Jaydev Unadkat picked wicket apiece.
In fifteenth over, Imran Tahir dismissed Adam Milne (5 off 8 balls) when Steven Smith completed the catch at mid-wicket before cleaning up Samuel Badree, who had no clue whatsoever when ball dislodged the stumps. Pawan Negi was caught by Dan Christian on the bowling of Tahir after scoring three seven balls.
New Zealand recruit Lockie Ferguson, who is playing his second match of the season, dismissed Stuart Binny (1 off 7 balls) on a short ball when top-edge found Washington Sundar positioning himself at long leg to complete the catch – to see visitors reeling at 48 for five in 9.5 overs.
In ninth over off-spinner Washington Sundar dismissed Sachin Baby cheaply when Steven Smith completed the brilliant catch at mid-wicket while diving full to his front to held on the ball inches from the ground. The replays suggested Smith completed a clean catch after the soft signal was also out from on-field umpires.
In eighth over, it was Ferguson again in action this time to see Kedhar Jadhav (7 off 12 balls) standing at the non-strikers’ end before Mahendra Singh Dhoni dislodged the stumps when Ferguson threw the ball at him after failing to collect the ball in the first attempt. Kohli was livid as Jadhav trudged off the ground.
As the visitors were looking to bounce back with skipper Kohli playing some fine strokes, the side lost their senior campaigner AB de Villiers, who has another failure to his name.
With right-arm fast bowler Lockie Ferguson being inducted into the Playing XI, adding to the success, bowled a probing line – to De Villiers before dismissing him on 3 off eight balls.
The right-handed batsman de Villiers tried to bash the ball, as he found Manoj Tiwary, completing a good catch at a short-extra cover region.
In a bid to chase down the target of 158 runs, skipper Virat Kohli came out to bat with Travis Head, who didn’t bother scorers too much.
In second over, the left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat draw the first blood for Supergiant, when he dismissed Head (2 off 5 balls), who tried to whack the ball down the ground before it angled into the left-handed batsman to take off the leg-stump zing bail – to see visitors 11 for one in two overs.
After Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
At the end of allotted 20 overs, Rising Pune Supergiant managed to score 157 for six after a good start before they were kept in check by visitors’ bowlers.
The 31-year-old Manoj Tiwary, who came to bat at number four position, kept the scoreboard ticking for hosts while playing some brilliant shots before wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined the party in a bid to make most out of the final overs of their innings when Royal Challengers kept things in control while containing the batsmen with their probing line and the length.
Tiwary remained unbeaten on 44 off 35 balls, whereas, Dhoni scored 21 off 17 balls while hitting a four and six respectively.
Slow bowlers did the trick in the form of Pawan Negi and Samuel Badree, who picked a wicket each followed by Stuart Binny, who was expensive while conceding 17 runs, in his two overs – to pick the prized wicket of the captain.
However, Royal Challengers go-to slower bowler Yuzvendra Chahal was off-colour In Pune, as he gave away 25 runs in his two overs.
Earlier, in-form opening batsman Rahul Tripathi came out to bat alongside his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane, as both scored almost run-a-ball before Rising Pune Supergiant lost their first wicket in the fourth over when the score was 18.
Rahane was caught by Adam Milne on the bowling of leg-spinner Samuel Badree when latter was batting on 6 off eight balls.
While coming to bat, Supergiant skipper set the tone alongside Tripathi, who has been in some kind of a form, as he also scored 30-plus on the trot for the sixth time.
On the bowling of Adam Milne, when AB de Villiers was heard over the mic while addressing to Milne – to inquire whether it was the last ball of his over before Virat Kohli put down a sitter at the mid-on region of Tripathi, who didn’t last long.
Smith alongside Tripathi registered 40 runs for the second wicket before Pawan Negi dismissed Tripathi when wicket-keeper Kedhar Jadhav completed a regulation catch.
The right-handed batsman Tripathi, who has played a vital role for his team at the top, scored 37 off 28 balls. In his knock, he smashed four boundaries and a six.
While batting smartly in the middle overs Supergiant batsmen Smith smashed 32-ball 45 which was laced with five boundaries at a six.
In 14th overs, Smith was undone by bowling all-rounder Stuart Binny when Milne was again in action to complete the catch which almost popped out of his hands.
Unorthodox in style, Smith knitted crucial 50-run partnership for the third wicket alongside Tiwary for Supergiant.