Royal Challengers Bangalore produced a clinical show just when they needed it the most. They stormed to a 112-run win over Rajasthan Royals which has vastly improved their net run-rate and now they are fifth on the points table.
The headlines will rightly point towards RR’s stunning collapse that saw them being skittled for 59 runs – the third-lowest total in IPL history. However, RCB’s win was set in equal measure, if not more, by their batters especially Glenn Maxwell who cracked a 30-ball fifty on a challenging pitch.
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Faf du Plessis struck a contrasting fifty, 55 off 4, while Anuj Rawat hammered an unbeaten 29 off 11 to push the final total to a challenging 171/5.
And then Wayne Parnell and co took over.
“Obviously, credit goes to our batters. That last over gave us momentum. We were actually able to execute well,” Parnell said during the post-match presentation.
After his batters gave them a good total to work with, Parnell produced a lethal spell in the Powerplay accounting for three wickets that left RR gasping for breath.
RR vs RCB: Rajasthan Bowled Out For Third-lowest Total in IPL
The left-arm pacer removed Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson within three deliveries of each other and then trapped Joe Root LBW for a duck.
“So all of our batters had the same message – take the pace off the ball. Try to hit the stumps, keep them in play. We managed to do that well. A couple of good catches. Sign of where we are as a team, fielding is something we pride ourselves on. And to win by a big margin was crucial to us,” Parnell, who took 3/10 to win the player-of-the-match award, explained his plan.
“(The pitch) It’s a little bit like the surface at home in Paarl. The surface was low, slow and skiddy. Was trying to keep stumps in play, make them play across the line. Obviously worked really well,” he added.
Parnell hasn’t played in every game for RCB but he was prepared. “Even when I wasn’t playing, I was preparing for getting involved at any stage. It is a long tournament, there’s different surfaces. You need to be switched on every game,” he said.
RCB captain Du Plessis was happy with the performance on a ‘tough pitch’.
“Really good for our NRR. Tough pitch. We batted first and assessed the conditions. We batted in the powerplay and thought 160 will be a good score. We have had a good set up till the 15th over. But we managed to capitalize on the momentum shift at the end. Great job,” he said.
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