IPL 2022: 3 observations from RCB's thrilling win over KKR
It was a test of patience and skill for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday (March 30). The former held their nerves in a tricky chase at the DY Patil Stadium.
They eventually succeeded in scampering away with a three-wicket win in their 129 chase after a top-order collapse. Anuj Rawat and skipper Faf du Plessis failed to make an impact. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, after a quick start, was a victim of Umesh Yadav's brilliance.
It took some patience and toil in the middle, but David Willey and Sherfane Rutherford showed grit and composure. They curbed their natural attacking instincts and taking the game one delivery at a time. Kolkata did admirably well to pull things back in the end, but they will feel they were short with the bat.
Harshal Patel and Dinesh Karthik ensured there were no more hiccups as the side won with four balls to spare. With the humdinger done, we dish out observations from the RCB vs KKR thriller.
#1 RCB's bowling unit bounces back
It seemed like a bad dream for Bangalore against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their last match, failing to defend 205. However, RCB's bowling unit had their game faces on against Kolkata as they chipped away at wickets at regular intervals.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4/20) and Harshal Patel (2/11) put KKR through the wringer. Mohammed Siraj (1/25), Akash Deep (2/35) along with David Willey (0/7) gave nothing away. This comes as a stark improvement for a IPL team that has perennially had bowling issues.
#2 Kolkata's middle-order stutters again
The likes of Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, and Sheldon Jackson failed to do much for Kolkata against a rampant RCB bowling attack. While Rana and Billings looked menacing with some of their shots, they fell playing the shot too early.
While it is too early, the manner in which Venkatesh Iyer was dismissed might be a bit of a worry for the Knights. He was sent back without doing much damage for the second game in a row.
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#3 Glenn Maxwell is crucial for RCB going forward
Willey, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shahbaz Ahmed stabilized Bangalore's innings after their top three were done by Umesh Yadav's brilliance. That said, Bangalore will certainly welcome Glenn Maxwell when he suits up for the side.
In many ways, the Challengers will consider themselves lucky that the chase was a modest one. It gave them the liberty to slow things down after the early jolt.
Maxwell's presence would have calmed the nerves after the top-order collapse. However, Willey and Rutherford soaked up the pressure, giving the side a chance to claw back into the game.