In the sixth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by four wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first. The decision was quite predictable knowing the venue, nonetheless, the home side did exceptionally well to keep PBKS to a below-par score at the end of 20 overs. The bowlers, like Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, and even Glenn Maxwell had an excellent game which helped them stop the visitors for just 176 runs.
Chase master Virat Kohli (77) was on a mission tonight to hunt down the target and bring joy to the faces of the Bengaluru crowd. The former skipper hit two sixes and 11 fours, which gave RCB a strong chance to secure their maiden two points. While from one end Kohli was smoking bowlers all around the park, the batters, from the other end, were not able to contribute any vital runs. Rajat Patidar (18) and Anuj Rawat (11) had an awful strike rate which slowed down the chase. However, it was veteran Dinesh Karthik (28*) and impact player Mahipal Lomror (17*) who showcased their fireworks and won RCB two points. Both batters added 48 runs in just 18 balls, in which Lomror struck two fours and one six and Karthik hammered three fours and two sixes. Notably with 23 required off 12 balls, the wicketkeeper-batter took on bowlers and deposited a handful of deliveries into the stands. In the end, RCB won the game with four balls remaining.
In the first innings with the bat, Shikhar Dhawan (45) continued his fine form as he provided the Punjab-based side a perfect start to the innings. Prabhsimran Singh (25) also contributed valuable runs in the middle along with Liam Livingstone (17), Sam Curran (23) and Jitesh Sharma (27). The main issue PBKS had tonight was that they were losing wickets frequently, which prevented the batters from accelerating towards the end of the innings. Nonetheless, Shashank Singh (21*) blasted 21 runs in the final over which allowed his side to have something to defend.
With the ball, Siraj and Maxwell claimed two wickets each. With them, one wicket each was also obtained by Dayal and Alzarri Joseph.
For PBKS, Harpreet Brar and Kagiso Rabada scalped two wickets while one wicket each was also picked up by Sam Curran and Harshal Patel.
Virat Kohli was adjudged Player of the Match for his outstanding batting performance. Following this win, RCB have their first two points of the season.
Scorecard:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 176/6, Overs 20, Shikhar Dhawan 45, Mohammed Siraj 2/26
Punjab Kings: 178/6, Overs 19.2, Virat Kohli 77, Harpreet Brar 2/13