IPL 2020, Match 15 – Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals – Padikkal, Kohli steer RCB to 8-wicket win

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) momentarily placed themselves at the top of the table after a resounding victory over the Rajasthan Royals in the first day game of IPL 2020.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Steven Smith decided to bat first after winning the toss. Jos Buttler got his team off to a flier, smashing 22 within the first three overs before Navdeep Saini beat him for pace and got him to edge to Devdutt Padikkal at first slip, who took a great catch lunging low to his right. His opening partner Smith had been dismissed in the previous over itself, dragging a length delivery outside off from Udana back onto his stumps.

Samson followed next over, caught by Chahal off his own bowling, and RR’s middle-order duo of Robin Uthappa and 2020 IPL debutant Mahipal Lomror had the job of restructuring the innings. A plethora of singles, the occasional doubles followed, with Lomror clearing the ropes with a well-timed slog-sweep with the leg-spin off Zampa. Uthappa could not carry on for long, holing out to Udana at long-off off Chahal.

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Lomror fell 3 short of a half-century, mis-hitting a loopy leg-break pitched miles outside off-stump from Chahal down the throat of Padikkal in the long-off region in the 16^th over. Tewatia and Archer provided some fireworks towards the end against Saini and Udana, Tewatia clearing the ropes twice off Saini in the last over having been struck by a beamer second ball, as RR finished with 154.

In reply, RCB got off to a flier courtesy Devdutt Padikkal, despite losing Aaron Finch in the third over. Padikkal then started to take control of the chase, helping his skipper Virat Kohli settle in with ease, as the duo went on to bat until the 16^th over, registering a partnership of 99.

Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli registered a partnership of 99 for the second wicket in their chase of 155

While Padikkal was doing all the boundary striking all along, Kohli was happy to rotate the strike and pinch doubles. Padikkal reached a half-century in the 12^th over, his third in 4 matches so far this season, with a deft late cut off Unadkat. His off stump was knocked out eventually by Jofra Archer 4 overs later, by when Kohli had started to accelerate. All de Villiers needed to do after walking in was take up the role that Kohli was performing all this while, as the duo took RCB past the line with 5 balls to spare.

Talking points from RCB’s victory today

Strong start with the ball

RR’s opening trio of Jos Buttler, Steven Smith and Sanju Samson might look intimidating on paper, particularly with Samson striking the ball so cleanly in RR’s first couple of games this year, but it took the RCB bowlers just over 4 overs to send them back to the sheds. Buttler did start off with a flourish, but his opening partner Steven Smith departed against the run of play, dragging Udana onto his stumps, failing to read the slow nature of the wicket.

Saini then did Buttler for pace and induced an edge from the England wicketkeeper earlier next over, which was pouched well by Padikkal at slip. Chahal, introduced in the 5^th over today, caught Samson off his own bowling first ball, and with RR’s firepower being wiped out, their relatively fragile middle-order was exposed very early, which bogged the run rate down heavily.

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Devdutt Padikkal’s purple patch

Rarely have we seen a young Cricketer in his first IPL season play with so much ease and dominate a formidable bowling attack consisting of two current International bowlers. Devdutt Padikkal, who burst into the IPL scene with a half-century of swashbuckling nature on debut against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and another one against Mumbai Indians, which showed a sedate side to his game as he played second fiddle to Aaron Finch and then AB de Villiers.

Both sides of his game were on exhibition today after he walked out with Finch to chase down the target of 155 set by the Royals. He started off with a flourish, taking 15 of the most elegant runs off Jaydev Unadkat in the second over on the way, and then slowly settled in with his skipper Virat Kohli giving him company. He eventually departed for 63 in the 16^th over, cleaned up by Archer with 31 runs remaining, leaving it to the pair of Kohli and de Villiers to take them home.

Kohli’s return to form

It might have taken him 4 matches, but Virat Kohli, with his unbeaten, match-winning 72-run knock has certainly seemed to find his groove. He had the perfect situation to do so, walking in to bat early with an attainable target at hand and with Padikkal teeing off at the other end, he took his time to settle in and started going for his shots once he had adjusted to the pace of the wicket.

A Riyan Parag over helped him in the acceleration, in which he helped RCB take 13. He was in complete control of the chase even after Padikkal’s dismissal, rotating the strike and killing the game off with three boundaries off Curran in the penultimate over.