PHOTO: AFP
The Royal Challengers Glenn Maxwell of Bangalore takes a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match versus Rajasthan Royals on April 23, 2023 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
As Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring IPL thriller on Sunday, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell struck another massive partnership, while Harshal Patel kept his nerve.
Trent Boult caught Virat Kohli leg-before first ball for his 100th wicket, and the Kiwi fast bowler had Bangalore reeling at 12-2 after dismissing Shahbaz Ahmed inside an electrifying M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But du Plessis, the current Indian Premier League’s leading scorer, and Maxwell quickly hauled Bangalore out of danger, blasting 127 runs off only 66 balls.
Maxwell scored 77 off 44 balls, while du Plessis struck 62 off 39 balls before being run out for 62. Maxwell smashed a switch-hit to Ravichandran Ashwin at backward point for 77.
Sanju Samson scored only 22, while Shimron Hetmyer was dismissed for three runs. Dhruv Jurel hit 34 not out off 16 balls, as Ashwin tossed his bat about to force the game into the final over.
Despite hitting 10 off three balls, Ashwin was caught for 12 when attempting a massive heave, giving Harshal his third wicket of the game and Bangalore a seven-run victory.
Dinesh Karthik failed to impress once more at the death, scoring only 16 off 13 balls as Bangalore finished with a score of 189-9, giving table-topping Rajasthan more than a glimmer of hope of victory.
However, Jos Buttler of the pink brigade became the second star batter to go for a duck, being caught by a gleeful Mohammed Siraj on the England captain’s second ball.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal then combined 98 runs for the second wicket, however both were dismissed in the space of 12 deliveries, with Harshal dismissing Jaiswal for 47 and David Willey dismissing Padikkal for 52.
“It is about momentum at this ground,” said Samson, the outgoing captain.
“Normally, Hetmyer does it for us, but he had an off game. We have now lost two games in a row. It is time to pull up our socks and come back stronger.”