RCB vs RR Review – Harshal, Siraj help RCB clinch a win

Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged victorious against Rajasthan Royals by seven runs to earn their fourth win of the season. Notably, the two franchises squared off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, April 23.

Upon winning the toss, Sanju Samson, skipper of the Royals, decided to field first and Trent Boult handed the first blow to RCB in the form of Virat Kohli for a golden duck. He then got the wicket of Shahbaz Ahmed for mere two runs to keep the Royals ahead in the contest. However, it was the impressive batting display by Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell which changed the course of the innings.

Maxwell swiftly hit the ground running as he got the big runs and helped inject momentum into the contest. He was aided by Faf, who clobbered a few boundaries himself and combined to raise a 127-run partnership. The Aussie explosive hitter got 77 off 44 balls whereas Faf was dismissed for 62 off 39 balls. The home side posted a competitive total of 189 runs as Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma got two wickets each.

In response, Rajasthan too lost an early wicket in the chase as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Jos Buttler in the first over. Despite the early fall of the wicket, Devdutt Padikkal and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hammered the rival bowling unit and put up a solid stand of 98 off 66 balls. Padikkal notched up his half-century off 30 balls but was eventually dismissed by David Willey for 52. However, RCB got the breakthroughs to get back into the contest and tilt the momentum in their end. With the match coming down to the wire, Harshal proved his mettle and helped RCB reach the finish line by seven runs.

Top performers from the match

Glenn Maxwell:

Maxwell hammered 77 off a mere 44 balls and the knock came at a point when RCB lost their first two wickets cheaply and required someone to step up and fire to get the big runs. Maxwell got four maximums and six boundaries in his innings.

Harshal Patel:

Despite getting dropped from the XI and coming in as the Impact Player, Harshal relished a fine outing against the Royals. The pacer racked up three wickets and helped defend 20 runs off the final over.

What’s next for both teams?

Royal Challengers Bangalore next play KKR on April 26 at home while Rajasthan Royals next face CSK in Jaipur on April 27.