Rajasthan Royals Defeat 174 for 6 (Jaiswal 45, Barak 36, Siraj 2-33) Royal Challengers Bangalore 172 for 8 (Patidar 34, Kohli 33, Lomror 32, Avesh 3-44, Ashwin 2-19) by four wickets
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are on a six-match winning streak heading into the IPL 2024 eliminator, and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are on a five-match winless streak. But in reality there is no such thing as pace in the game, certainly not in a game as volatile as T20.
Royals won a crucial toss and their bowlers put in a brilliant performance to restrict RCB to 172 runs.
Despite several tense moments in the chase, it was a game of two halves as RR crossed the line with an over to spare.
It was also a game of two ends. In Ahmedabad one square boundary was significantly longer than the other and the RR bowlers exploited this asymmetry brilliantly. RCB were 51 for 6 in their odd over, when the right-handed batsman had a long boundary to the leg side, and from the other end 121 for 2.
Even when RR batted, there was an imbalance: 111 for 1 in ten overs from one end, 63 for 5 in nine overs from the other. The fact that the right-left pair occupied the crease longer than RCB helped RR, but not by much.
In the end, it was put on a total RCB board. Their captain Faf du Plessis admitted they were 20 runs short. He felt it was a 180 pitch when RCB batted and RR scored significantly more runs due to the snow when chasing.
RR now qualify for Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday in Chennai. For RCB, it was another trophyless season, but one that will be remembered fondly for years to come.
Full report to be continued…