2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by RCB in their IPL 2023 match vs DC
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) unraveled at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as the Delhi Capitals (DC) thrashed them by seven wickets in Match 50 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, May 6.
After Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat, Bangalore posted a decent 181/4 in their 20 overs, with Virat Kohli and Mahipal Lomror notching up half-centuries. However, they were blown away in the chase, with Phil Salt's aggressive knock consigning them to their fifth defeat of the competition.
RCB will know that they need to get their act together, with four teams ahead of them in the playoff race as of now. They are in the midst of a long road trip and will need to assess their performances carefully.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by RCB in their IPL 2023 match against DC.
#3 Mistake - The second innings was a disaster on all counts
Having posted 181 on the board, RCB would've been happy with their effort at the mid-innings break. They were arguably a few runs above par and had notched up a defendable total given the conditions on offer.
However, everything went wrong for the away side in the second innings. Right from the powerplay bowling changes to the lengths the bowlers bowled, Bangalore put in a miserable display.
Mohammed Siraj was taken out of the attack after just one over, with Glenn Maxwell sharing the new ball at the other end instead of Josh Hazlewood. Although Du Plessis tried to make up for it by bringing his strike bowlers back, it was too late by then since David Warner and Salt were well-set.
Moreover, almost all of RCB's bowlers dished out terrible lengths. While the spinners were too short to a backfoot-dominant DC lineup, the pacers sent down full tosses and freebies throughout.
It is also worth noting that impact player Harshal Patel was introduced too late in the piece, with even Lomror bowled ahead of him.
#2 Masterstroke - Mahipal Lomror's counter-attack floored DC temporarily
Mitchell Marsh's double strike in the 11th over broke the game wide open as he dismissed Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell off consecutive deliveries. At that juncture, RCB were in a tricky position, with Virat Kohli nurdling it around at one end.
Mahipal Lomror, though, took the game by the scruff of its neck. The left-hander took a few balls to get settled but then played a wide array of strokes, taking on spin at the start of his innings and graduating to attacking shots against the pacers as well.
Lomror hit six fours and three sixes in his 29-ball 54, which was his highest-ever score in the IPL. He almost single-handedly took Bangalore to a defendable total, and both his intent and the team's decision to send him in at No. 4 were intelligent moves.
#1 Mistake - Virat Kohli's painstaking knock hurt RCB
Virat Kohli's innings made it seem like the pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium wasn't easy to bat on, but pretty much every other batter who was out in the middle didn't find it a problem at all.
Kohli's main problem this year has been his post-powerplay slowdowns, with him often finding it tough to counter spinners in the middle overs. However, this time around, he couldn't get going right from the start.
Even as Du Plessis tried to attack from one end, Kohli's strike rate hovered around the 100-mark. He hit only five boundaries in the 46 balls he faced, and his struggle meant that the players around him had to take major risks.
In front of his family, childhood coach, and the pavilion named after him, the superstar batter couldn't play a knock that had a positive impact.