Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Dinesh Karthik's courageous knock and Josh Hazelwood's lethal bowling helped Royal Challengers Bangalore pull off a stunning victory against Delhi Capitals in the second match of Saturday (April 17) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Karthik's 66 in 34 balls, Glenn Maxwell's 55-run knock and 32 from Shahbaz Ahmed recused Bangalore from the mini-collapse and posted 189-5, which looked far stretched earlier.
In response, Delhi openers started the run-chase well as Prithvi Shaw, and David Warner added 50 runs on board for the first wicket before Shaw got dismissed off Siraj. Later, except for skipper Rishabh Pant (34 off 17) and a brief cameo from Shardul Thakur (17 off 9), none of the batters could survive in front of Md. Siraj and Josh Hazelwood. With that comprehensive win, RCB has now climbed the ladder and are placed at third position, while Delhi Capitals have slipped to 8th place.
Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the game.
1. Bangalore's mini-batting collapse
RCB had an unlikely start to the game as one of their openers, Anuj Rawat, returned to the pavilion without opening his account. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli made some honest attempts to add runs on board, but both were soon enough. Du Plessis was caught by Axar Patel in the third over, while the spectacular run-out hunted down Kohli from Lalit Yadav. Notably, this was Kohli's second run-out in the season. When Kohli returned to pavilion, RCB was tottering at 40-3 in 6.2 overs.
2. Glenn Maxwell's rescue
After RCB top-order returned to the pavilion, the onus was on middle-order to post a respective total on board. The Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell came to his side's rescue as he scored a crucial 55 off just 34 balls. Maxwell's innings were studded with two sixes and seven boundaries as he brought back his side from the dangerous situations.
3. The 97-run partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed
It was a perfect blend of youth and experience. Both the batters played cracking shots all around the park and made every bowler clueless about their potential. While Karthik's brilliance has become a regular affair in the current edition of the tournament, Shahbaz Ahmed too stood tall against the Delhi bowler. Shahbaz Ahmed scored 32 in 21 balls with the help of three boundaries and one maximum; meanwhile, at its best, Karthik scored 66 in just 34 balls. His inning was studded with five sixes and five boundaries, as the partnership between both helped the side to post 189 on board.
4. Josh Hazlewood and Siraj's bowling
After Karthik rescued his side in the first innings, Hazlewood and Siraj continued to pose a tough challenge to Delhi Capitals. Hazlewood was widely applauded for his four overs of spell variation, while Siraj picked two wickets in the game with his sheer pace and toe wreaking yorkers. Together, the pacers hunted down half of Delhi's batters and ensured victory for their side.