Published: May 21, 2015, 12:39 AM (IST)
Edited: May 21, 2015, 12:47 AM (IST)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the eliminator against Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 71 runs. They now face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second playoff. Rishad D’Souza presents the highlights of the match that spelled the end for the Royals.
Dhawal Kulkarni starts positively: Rajasthan Royals were off to a positive start in the match when they got both Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli for relatively small scores, preventing them from wreaking the havoc they are capable of. Dhawal Kulkarni got both the wickets in an admirable show of accurate bowling. READ: Royal Challengers Bangalore thrash Rajasthan Royals by 71 runs
Mandeep Singh-AB de Villiers rebuild: Mandeep Singh and AB de Villiers came out with cautious intent when the openers were taken out for small scores. They forged a good solid partnership in tough conditions before attempting to accelerate. Once the batsmen took good measure of the conditions, they did not hold back the punches.
Towards the 15th over they took the aggressive route without hesitation. They both soon blasted fifties. De Villiers, who at one stage was striking at less than 100, propeled his strike rate to beyond 170 before he got run out for 66. Mandeep Singh remained unbeaten on 54. Their efforts helped RCB to a healthy score of 180. IPL 2015 Highest wicket-taker: List of best bowlers in IPL 8
RCB make early breakthroughs: To seal victory, RCB were always going to have to get the wickets of Shane Watson and Steve Smith early. They did exactly that by dismissing Watson, Sanju Samson and Smith, with RR scoring just 55 runs. IPL 2015 Highest run-scorer: List of best batsmen in IPL 8
Ajinkya Rahane tries hard: Ajinkya Rahane maintained his composure despite the early wickets. However, he failed in pursuit to keep up with the asking run rate. Subsequently the pressure got too much to handle and he fell for 42 runs of 39 balls. IPL 2015: Schedule with venue details
Rajasthan Royals continue to bleed wickets: With the exception of Rahane, none of the RR batsmen even managed to score more than 20 runs. Smith alongside Karun Nair was the joint second highest with 12 runs. The dismal performance led RR to lose by 71 runs. IPL 2015: Complete Coverage
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)
