A second-wicket partnership of 155 between captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers was the cornerstone of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 13-run win over the Rising Pune Supergiants in their Indian Premier League match, played in Pune yesterday.
RCB’s win from the front was only the second time it has been achieved in 16 matches this season. The Pune-based side, in their quest to chase down the 186 runs they required for victory after RCB had posted 185 for three, were restricted to 172 for eight.
Prior to this match, 14 of 15 games in IPL 2016 had been won by the team chasing. Bangalore bucked the trend again, having earlier defended 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Their chase lost impetus in the second over of the innings, when they lost the important wicket of Faf du Plessis. South African Du Plessis tried to hit Kane Richardson over mid-off, but misjudged the pace and Harshal Patel took an easy catch.
Kevin Pietersen faced one delivery, which he tried to defend, took off for the single, then pulled up lame and eventually had to leave the field, retired hurt.
It was all going pear-shaped for the Supergiants. Steven Smith was deceived by a slower delivery from Patel and was rapped on the pad, but Smith had taken a few steps out of his crease and Virat Kohli picked up the deflection and threw down the stumps at the striker’s end and despite a desperate full-legth dive, Smith was found short by inches.
The Supergiants had it all to do on 18 for two after 2.3 overs and a batsman back in the hut with what looked like a pulled hamstring. Ajinkya Rahane and captain MS Dhoni began the restoration process.
Rahane brought up his half-century in the 12th over off 37 balls with seven boundaries. With the scoreboard pressure mounting, the team needing 77 off 32, something had to be given and it was the new boy on the block, Tabraiz Shamsi, who got the breakthrough.
Rahane (60 off 46 balls, 8x4), failed to get to the pitch of the ball, swung, missed and was stumped by wicketkeeper Lokesh Rahul. Dhoni was the next to go. Patel floated one up, which the Supergiants captain drilled and De Villiers patrolling the long-off boundary took the catch. But the pair had compiled 91 for the third wicket.
Sri Lankan Thisara Perera, with a swashbuckling 13-ball 34, nearly took the game away from RCB, but Shane Watson with two wickets in the penultimate over restored the balance of power, and Richardson ensured victory with two more scalps in the final over.
Earlier, after being invited to bat, Kohli and Rahul got the Royal Challengers innings off to a so-so start putting on 27. But Rahul, looking to loft Perera over the covers in the fourth over, found the outside edge and was caught by Ishant Sharma on the third-man boundary.
De Villiers joined Kohli at the wicket and they instigated the recovery–both batsmen in sublime form in recent matches–continuing an all-out assault on the Supergiants attack. Ishant Sharma was taken for 47 off his four overs and Murugan Ashwin 29 off two overs. De Villiers reached his half-century off 25 balls with four boundaries and three sixes. Kohli required 47 balls for his 50. It was the third century partnership in four matches this season for the pair.
Kohli (267) and De Villiers (249) are now the leading run-scorers in the competition. The win, after two losses, helped move RCB up the ladder to third spot.
Brief scores
Royal Challengers: 185-3 in 20 overs (V Kohli 80 (63b), AB de Villiers 83 (46b); Perera 3/34) beat Rising Pune 172-8 in 20 overs (A Rahane 60 (46b), MS Dhoni 41 (38b), T Perera 34 (13b), R Bhatia 21 (11b); Richardson 3/13, Watson 2/31) by 13 runs