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IPL 2020: Three Takeaways from RCB’s hammering against DC

Important takeaways from matchday 19 as Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a heavy defeat against Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals (DC) continue their good run of form on October 5 by clinching an emphatic victory by 59 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Dubai. This was RCB’s second defeat in the competition while DC clinched fourth win of the campaign.

After the victory on Monday, DC went to the top of the table. It is a setback for RCB, but they remain in the third position with six points. In such a one-sided affair, there were many lessons learnt for both teams, but let us focus on three important takeaways from this game.

Rishabh Pant is quietly having a good campaign

Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer have been stars with the bat for Delhi Capitals this season. However, the contribution from the middle-order has been equally important for their success in the tournament. Along with Marcus Stoinis, Rishabh Pant also has the responsibility of scoring quick runs when they come out to bat late in the innings.

The young southpaw has not been amassing big scores, but he has been chipping in with crucial contributions that make a big difference. On Monday, DC were in trouble when three wickets were down for 90 runs. Pant came in and calmed things down by scoring run a ball, allowing Stoinis to go after the bowlers.

The plan worked to perfection as they managed to post a score close to 200. Pant ended up with 37 runs, similar to his other scores this season, but context is important when these innings are analyzed. A big innings is just around the corner, but even if Pant continues to contribute this way, then it will be a good season for him.

RCB’s middle-order woes continue

Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch couldn’t get a strong start that was desperately needed during a big run chase. The early dismissal did put a lot of pressure on the middle-order batsmen. Virat Kohli tried to steady the ship, but he ended up eating too many balls. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali also couldn’t get a move on with Kohli in terms of scoring rate.

RCB has shown better resilience this season than the last couple of years, but they need to find a way to navigate through tough chases to have a chance of lifting the trophy. Most importantly, the approach of the middle-order needs to be rectified while chasing such a big score. Calculated aggression would have helped the team to be in the game. This approach is risky, but the potential rewards outweigh the cons.

Axar Patel is a potent bowling weapon for DC

Kagiso Rabada will take the limelight for taking four wickets on Monday, but Axar Patel was the real star for Delhi Capitals. The 27-year-old spin bowler piled the pressure on RCB by bowling tight lines. He ended up conceding 18 runs in four overs and also managed to take crucial wickets of Aaron Finch and Moeen Ali.

By tightening the flow of runs, Patel managed to give a lot of insurance for fast bowlers at the death. Since Amit Mishra is on the sidelines due to injury, Patel is going to have a big role to play in this tournament. His economical spells with wickets make him a potent weapon in a cohesive bowling unit.

 

 Kiran Thakare

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