Following his side’s 23-run win over Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Bengaluru, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf Du Plessis said his side needed the win to get back some confidence after two successive losses and credited his seam bowlers for their performances. Manish Pandey’s counter-attacking knock of 50 (38) was insufficient as Delhi Capitals lost the match by 23 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s debutant Vijaykumar Vyshak stole the limelight with a three-wicket haul and ended the game with the figure of 3/20.
“We needed that to get the confidence back in the group. Especially the bowling group. Defending a total is not always easy at the Chinnaswamy, so very proud of them. It is the first-day game of the season. Also the new rule now – you always feel you need more. 175 in a day game here is a good score. The way we bowled was just unbelievable. Huge credit to our seamers in the first six. Siraj is bowling beautifully. In a game where it is a bit slower wicket, generally the first six overs is the most important with the bat. You want to try to play positive and get ahead of the rate but the way we bowled was just unbelievable,” said du Plessis in a post-match presentation.
With this win, RCB has climbed to the seventh spot in the points table with two wins and two losses in four games. They have a total of four points. On the other hand, DC’s terrible IPL season continues as they have lost all of their five matches and are at the bottom of the points table.
After being put to bat first by DC, RCB posted a competitive score of 174/6 in their 20 overs. Skipper Faf (22) and Virat gave a solid start to RCB, stitching a first-wicket stand of 42 runs. Virat continued his good form, bringing up his third fifty of IPL 2023 in four games. He was dismissed for 50 off 34 balls with six fours and a six after stitching a 47-run stand with Mahipal Lomror (26).
Following this, RCB started to lose wickets regularly. But contributions from Glenn Maxwell (24), Shahbaz Ahmed (20*) and Anuj Rawat (15*) pushed RCB to a solid score.
Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for DC, taking 2/23 in his four overs. Mitchell Marsh also took 2/18 in his two overs. Lalit Yadav and Axar took one wicket each.
In chase of 175, DC never looked like a threat. Despite knocks from Manish Pandey (50 off 38 balls with five fours and a six) and Axar Patel (21 off 14 balls) knocks, the visitors were always under pressure. They were reduced to 98/7 at one point. Knock from Anrich Nortje (23*) helped DC cut some deficit but the visitors fell short by 23 runs.
Vijaykumar Vyshak was the star for RCB on his IPL debut, taking 3/20 in his four overs. Mohammed Siraj also took 2/23 in his four overs. Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Wayne Parnell took a wicket each.
Virat won the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning fifty.
Brief Scores: Delhi Capital (Manish Pandey 50(38), Axar Patel 21(14) and Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/20) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore and Royal Challenges Bangalore 174/6 (Virat Kohli 50(34), Mahipal Lomror 26(18) and Kuldeep Yadav 2/23) vs Delhi Capitals.
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