IPL 2021: 3 takeaways from RCB's batting against MI
After an impressive bowling performance in their IPL 2021 opener against MI, RCB got off to a breezy start as skipper Virat Kohli looked in sublime touch in the Bengaluru-based side's chase of 160. Earlier in the evening, it was medium pacer Harshal Patel who wreaked havoc with his maiden IPL fifer to bundle out MI despite Chris Lynn's clean hitting.
With regular opener Devdutt Padikkal missing out on RCB's first game of IPL 2021, the left-handed Washington Sundar was sent in to open the innings with Kohli.
We look at how RCB's batsmen fared in their successful chase of 160, which was largely due to AB de Villiers' brilliance.
1) Virat's Koh-'lateral' powerplay for RCB
RCB lost Washington Sundar cheaply after he looked to hit the ball too hard and eventually holed out to Chris Lynn. However, the damage came from Virat Kohli's willow as he found the fence regularly.
Rajat Patidar began on a promising note, but was done by a good old-fashioned knuckle ball by Trent Boult. RCB lost two wickets in the powerplay, but held steady with 46 runs from their six overs.
The fall of wickets didn't deter the skipper as he went about his business, happy to play second fiddle to Glenn Maxwell's power-packed debut for RCB. Kohli eventually departed for a 29-ball 33, which was laced with four boundaries.
2) Glenn Maxwell's satisfying RCB debut
A switch hit and a proper cricketing cover drive off leggie Rahul Chahar saw Maxwell find the rope twice in the same over. Perhaps it was the relatively attainable target that saw the Aussie settle down first before unfurling some well-timed hits as he and Kohli began a rebuild after two early setbacks.
That didn't stop Maxwell from looking for the odd boundary as he lashed and slapped the ball predominantly in the point region before launching one of Krunal Pandya's poor deliveries out of the stadium. The big hit was followed by another switch hit six off Chahar that screamed vintage Maxwell.
Maxwell and Kohli made it look so easy that Rohit Sharma was forced to bring Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack. The move worked as the solid 51-run stand that saw RCB go from recovery mode to cruise control was broken when the pacer trapped Kohli LBW.
The onus was on Maxwell, who made 39 off 27 balls as the target boiled down to 60 off 40 balls. MI fought back as newbie Marco Jansen got Maxwell out as RCB slipped into a spot of bother.
3) AB de Villiers bails RCB out again
It was down to AB de Villiers to get RCB across the finish line yet again. The situation was tailormade for a scintillating end after the decision to send Shahbaz ahead of Dan Christian proved to be a spectacular flop.
De Villiers, though, latched on to Chahar again as he pummeled a four and a six off successive deliveries and eventually scored 15 runs off the leggies last over. Christian didn't last long either, with Bumrah prizing him out with a short ball.
Trent Boult bore the brunt of de Villiers' wrath as the Kiwi pacer gave away a six and a four. The South African batsman continued from where he left off as he took Bumrah on in the penultimate over, with Jamieson doing well at the other end as the duo scampered for quick twos.
The over saw Bumrah leak two boundaries before Jamieson sacrificed himself in a bid to get de Villiers back on strike. Harshal Patel, after his heroics with the ball, joined de Villiers only for the latter to fall at 47 off 26 balls after Ishan Kishan's brilliance behind the stumps saw Mr. 360 caught short of his crease.
Patel and Siraj eventually scampered their way to the finish line in what was a humdinger of an IPL opening game.