IPL 2023: RCB Thumps RR By 112-Run To Keep Playoffs Hope Alive (LD)

Cricket Image for IPL 2023: RCB Thumps Rr By 112-Run To Keep Playoffs Hope Alive (LD) (Image Source: Google)

Riding high on a dominating bowling display Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) thumped Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a huge 112-run margin in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Sunday, to keep their playoffs hopes alive.

The win gave RCB crucial two points and they sit fifth on the table with 12 points and a healthy run rate of +0.166, with two matches to go.

For RCB, Wayne Parnell was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed three wickets with the likes of Michael Bracewell and Mohammad Siraj also bowling really well as RCB sealed a massive win.

After Faf du Plessis' composed innings of 55 off 44 and Glenn Maxwell's 54 off 33. Anuj Rawat's cameo of unbeaten 29 off 11 lifted RCB to a competitive 171/5 in 20 overs.

Then, the RCB bowlers, led by Wayne Parnell (3-10), came out all guns blazing as they reduced RR to 28-5 in the Power-play. The hosts never recovered from the early collapse as they were bowled out for 59 inside 11 overs.

Chasing 172, RR lost three quick wickets and were reduced to 7 for three in the first two overs. Mohammad Siraj drew the first blood as he removed inform opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for the duck. In the next over Parnell struck twice to claim the wickets of Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson.

Root and Devdutt Padikkal went for a couple of boundaries before Bracewell piled up more miseries, removing the Padikkal on a short ball in the fifth over. Then, Shimron Hetmyer started with a bang as he simply hit through the line and smoked it a long way over long-on for a maximum.

Parnell struck again and picked up his third, trapping Root lbw. Bracewell got his second wicket in the seventh over as he removed Dhruv Jurel and RR lost their sixth wicket with not even 50 runs on the scoreboard.

Then, Hetmyer did what he does best and smashed three back-to-back maximums to Karn Sharma. The next ball, a bit of a mix-up in the middle resulted in Ravichandran Ashwin's run out, and RR were reduced to 50/7 in eight overs.

Maxwell came into the attack in the 10th over and got rid of RR's only hope Hetmyer and the host were struggling on 59/8 halfway through the chase.

Karn Sharma's double strikes in the 11th over put the last nail in the coffin and restricted the host to 59. He first cleaned up Adam Zampa on a googly. A delivery later he dismissed K.M. Asif and RCB secured a massive 112-run win.

Earlier, opting to bat first, RCB had a modest start as RR bowlers kept the opening duo, skipper du Plessis and Kohli, at bay with their superb bowling -- just four boundaries coming in the first six overs and the visitors were 42 for no loss at the end of the Power-play.

In the over after the Power-play, K.M. Asif provided a crucial breakthrough as Kohli completely failed to pick up his knuckleball and holed out for 18. But RCB continued to prosper as Glenn Maxwell upped the ante a bit with his big hits while du Plessis just kept the scoreboard ticking. RCB were 78/1 in 10 overs.

The Royals continued with a clinical bowling display as no boundary came in the next 19 balls before Maxwell smashed two successive boundaries to break the shackles.

In the next over, du Plessis brought up his seventh fifty of the season with an effortless six against Asif in the 15th over. But the pacer was quick to regroup as he removed the opener on the penultimate ball of the over.

Zampa's double strike in the 16th over reduced RCB to 120/4. He first removed Mahipal Lomror and then trapped Dinesh Karthik. Maxwell completed his half-century in the next over. Soon after his fifty, he threw away his wicket while attempting a reverse sweep off the bowling of Sandeep Sharma.

Just when it looked like RCB will end up with an under-par score, Anuj Rawat's cameo put the visitors in the driving seat as he smashed Asif for back-to-back sixes followed by a boundary in the last over to finish things off sensationally for RCB.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore 171/5 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 55, Glenn Maxwell 54, Anuj Rawat 29 not out; Adam Zampa 2-25, KM Asif 2-42) beat Rajasthan Royals 59 all out in 10.3 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 35; Wayne Parnell 3-10, Michael Bracewell 2-16) by 112 runs