Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli's record unbeaten 181-run opening stand for RCB helped them cruise to a 10-wicket win over RR.
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In a match that saw utter obliteration and two records, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) extended their unbeaten winning streak to four matches and re-established their position at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) league table. They humiliated the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as they chased down a target of 178 with all 10 wickets in hand and over three overs to spare. It was the third-highest run chase without losing a single wicket in IPL history. The show was stolen by RCB skipper Virat Kohli who became the first batter to amass 6,000 IPL runs and youngster Devdutt Padikkal who scored his maiden IPL century. This partnership was the highest opening partnership in the IPL for RCB and also their highest all-Indian partnership. It was further the fourth highest partnership in RCB’s history, and Virat Kohli has been a part of all four of them.
Padikkal took only 52 deliveries to reach 101* in an innings that included 11 fours and six maximums. His partner Kohli also played an excellent inning, scoring 72* runs off 47 deliveries. The pair put up a mammoth partnership of 181* and ultimately finished off the game with 3.3 overs to spare. Batters down the order who have been in good form like Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers were treated to a batting masterclass by the two Indians.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson’s problems seem to keep piling on and on. The primary issue would obviously be the bowling performance. The Wankhede track is notorious for being unfriendly to bowlers, but that performance was simply unacceptable. The Royals have dropped to the bottom of the IPL table.
The first innings saw the RR top order fall prey to some exquisite bowling performance. Mohammed Siraj was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up three wickets for 27 runs from his four overs, and also became the first bowler to bowl 50 dot balls in IPL 20201. Youngster Harshal Patel went for runs but strengthened his position at the top of the Purple Cap list as he picked up three wickets for 47 runs off his four overs. Kyle Jamieson, Kane Richardson, and Washington Sundar also took one wicket each.
Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia’s batting displays in the first innings were the only bright spots in what was an otherwise dismal day for the Royals. Dube scored 46 off 32 balls and Tewatia smashed 40 off 23.
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