Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday thrashed the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a huge margin of 112 runs to keep themselves breathing in the race for IPL 2023 playoffs. Skipper Faf du Plessis and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell lit up the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with their rollicking knocks, powering RCB to 171 for 5 in 20 overs. In reply, the Rajasthan Royals were bundled out for just 59 in 10.3 overs, setting their second-lowest total in tournament history.
The phenomenal win not only helped RCB level points with RR but also boosted their net run rate. However, the Royals’ have taken a massive hit. The Sanju Samson-led side had the second-bet net run rate after table-toppers Gujarat Giants before the game which eventually went down to 0.140, the lowest among the teams with positive NRR.
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On Monday morning, the RCB shared a video on their social media handles in which Faf du Plessis and Co could be seen having a blast in the dressing room. Victories always charge up Virat Kohli and he was in the same mood after the face-off. Making a hilarious comment, the former captain said the RR would have been 40 all out if he had bowled in the game.
“If I had bowled, they would have been all out for 40,” Kohli can be heard saying in a video posted by RCB.
Dressing Room Reactions RR v RCBA near-perfect game, 2 points in the bag, positive NRR – that sums up the satisfying victory in Jaipur.
Parnell, Siraj, Maxwell, Bracewell and Anuj take us through the events that transpired and the road ahead.#PlayBold #OurRCB #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/cblwDrfVgd
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 15, 2023
Glenn Maxwell, who scored a 33-ball 54, said it was near perfect game and he is delighted to have a positive net run rate which is crucial at this point in the tournament.
“We have our net run rate back to positive which is great. We have two more games to game and we are clear that what we need to do. It’s important for us to focus on one game at a time and I hope that really works for us,” said Maxwell.
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Chasing 172 for a win, the Royals suffered a stunning batting collapse to be bundled out in just 10.3 overs with only Shimron Hetmyer (35 off 19 balls) and Joe Root (10 off 15 balls) scoring in double-digit figures.
Wayne Parnell was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 10 runs from his three overs. Michael Bracewell and Karn Sharma took two wickets each while Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell got one each.
(With Agency Inputs)