It’s not everyday that IPL table-toppers Rajasthan Royals take a hammering like this at the hands of an out-of-form side like Royal Challengers Bangalore. In what came as a change of fortunes for both the teams, RCB comprehensively defeated RR by 9 wickets at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Friday.
Put into bat first on a relatively flat pitch, no Royals batsman got going. Although Steven Smith (31), Watson (26) and all-rounder Stuart Binny (20) showed some application, RCB’s bowling, spearheaded by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc (3/22), proved just too good for the RR batting line up.
RCB captain Virat Kohli’s immaculate rotation of bowlers saw RR surrendering at a paltry score of 130/9 in 20 overs.
In response, RCB batsmen killed whatever demons RR had seen in the pitch and took their team home with 9 wickets and 3.5 overs to spare. Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front and scored an unbeaten 62 while AB de Villiers showed exactly why he holds the key for this RCB unit by scoring a quick-fire 47* and handing Rajasthan Royals a 9-wicket defeat in the process.