In game number 39 of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated the Royals of Bangalore (RCB) by 29 runs as the Red Army’s batting line once again failed to generate runs.
Faf du Plessis, the RCB captain, won the toss and chose to bat first. The Red Army pacers got off to a quick start, dismissing both openers Devdutt Padikkal and the in-form Jos Buttler.
Despite losing wickets, RR did not take their foot off the gas and continued to score runs at a rapid pace. Sanju Samson (27 off 21) and Ravichandran Ashwin (17 off 9) both hit a few strokes but both lost their wickets.
New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell (16 off 24) was struggling at one end while Riyan Parag (56 off 31) was in fine form. Thus, Parag (Man of the match) helped RR to put up decent score for defending helping his team pass the 140-run mark.
Chasing 145 to win, RCB batters were struggling from ball one. Virat Kohli, the former captain, was the first to leave as his poor form persisted. To make matters worse, Du Plessis & Glenn Maxwell were both dismissed for 37 runs shortly after the field limits were imposed.
RR bowlers continued to bowl tight lines and were soon rewarded with 2 more wickets in name of Rajat Patidar and Suyash Prabhudessai. None of the other RCB batters including Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz, and Hasaranga could get their team over the line.
Thus, after winning this encounter, RR climbed to the top of the points with 12 points in 8 matches. Meanwhile, RCB has lost two matches on the trot and is placed fifth on the points table.
The other top three teams in the points table are Gujarat Titans (GT), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
IPL 2022: RR defeated RCB by 29 runs – Post-match reaction
In the post-match press conference, the winning captain Sanju Samson said
“It is a really great win. After the start in the first 15 overs, we had real belief and trust in someone called Riyan Parag. We have been backing him for the last three-four years and he just showed it to the world today.”
“Almost everyone has put up a match-winning performance so far. But for such totals like 150, it was only a matter of putting pressure as the batsmen had to change gears.
Meanwhile, losing skipper Faf du Plessis said
“It’s pretty similar to the previous game we played, there is a little bit of inconsistent bounce. We gave 20 runs too many and the dropped catch cost us 25. 140 was a par score on that pitch. That’s the thing we need to fix [the top-order batting].”
Speaking about Virat Kohli’s form the South African said
“Great players go through these things. Great players go through phases like this. We wanted him to get in straightaway so that he doesn’t sit on the sidelines and think about the game. He is a great player and we still back him to turn it around and hopefully it’s around the corner.”
What’s next for the two Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore will encounter a clash with Gujarat Titans on 30th April, in Saturday’s afternoon game.
While on the same day, the table-toppers Rajasthan Royals will lock horns with the team sitting at the bottom Mumbai Indians in the night game.
