IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell's aggressive half-century ensures comfortable win for RCB over RR

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked up a crucial win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who has been in good form since the restart of the competition, led his team to victory as he scored an explosive 50 off just 30 balls. He was not the only batter for the men in red who played well. Wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat played a fine knock and openers Virat Kholi and Devdutt Padikkal also made useful contributions to the run chase. The loss is a big blow for the Royals’ top-four hopes. Their run rate took a big hit as RCB chased down the target of 150 in just 17.1 overs with seven wickets in hand. RR had made 149-9 in their 20 overs.

MAXWELL AT HIS DESTRUCTIVE BEST, SRIKAR BHARAT FINALLY SHINES

Glenn Maxwell was the shining star for the Royal Challengers as he scored 50 runs off just 30 deliveries. His power hitting towards the end of the match sealed the deal for Virat Kohli’s men as the Aussie remained unbeaten until the end. Wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat played a fantastic knock, scoring 44 runs off 35 deliveries. Bharat and Maxwell made a 69-run partnership when RCB were 58-2. That partnership proved to be the difference.

The openers did not score many runs but they made very useful contributions to the run chase. Skipper Kohli made 25 runs off 20 deliveries while youngster Devdutt Padikkal scored 22 off 17. AB de Villiers faced only one ball in the match and he slotted it to the boundary to bring up the win for the men in red.

MUSTAFIZUR, SAKARIYA ONLY POSITIVES IN RR BOWLING

For RR, the bowling performance will be a matter of huge concern. Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was the only one who picked wickets and Chetan Sakariya did a good job as he was economical. Mustafizur picked a couple of wickets and conceded 20 runs in three overs. Sakariya was wicketless but only gave away 18 in three overs. No other RR bowler was effective in any way.

EVIN LEWIS’ BRILLIANT HALF-CENTURY

In the RR batting department, Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his good form, scoring 31 runs off 22 deliveries in a knock that included three boundaries and a couple of maximums. The show’s star, however, was West Indian cricketer Evin Lewis. Lewis hit a magnificent half-century, scoring 58 runs off 37 deliveries in a knock that included five boundaries and three maximums.

Sanju Samson, the skipper, also had a useful cameo, scoring 19 runs off 15 deliveries. There was, however, no one else who could do a good job with the bat for the men in pink. The Royals appeared to be on their way to a 170-plus score at one point, but that has not been the case.

Despite being frustrated early in the match, the RCB bowlers staged a strong comeback. Harshal Patel was the star of the show once again, taking three wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Yuzvendra Chahal was economical, taking two wickets and allowing only 18 runs in two overs. Shahbaz Ahmed took a couple of wickets as well. For the men in red, George Garton and Dan Christian each took one wicket.