RCB needed a win to keep their playoffs hopes alive, and they won by contributions from their three biggest players – Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis. GT were at least 15-20 runs short at the Wankhede Stadium, and RCB chased the target in complete control. We look at some of the key moments from match 67 of the 2022 IPL.
Return of Kohli
Virat Kohli probably played one of his best innings in the last couple of IPL seasons. It wasn’t down to the volume of runs he scored but the manner in which he scored them, and the intent he showed to dictate the chase.
Before this game, Kohli’s strike rate was just 118.9 since the start of the 2020 IPL. Although he ended the innings of 73 with a strike rate of 135.18, he set the tone of the chase early in the Powerplay. Kohli scored 34 runs inside the Powerplay at a strike rate of 147.8, including six boundaries. This helped RCB post their season’s second-highest Powerplay score of 55.
The most outstanding feature of his batting was how he took on GT’s best bowler – Rashid Khan. Before the game, Kohli had scored 30 runs against Khan, striking at just 88.2. In this match, Kohli hit 24 runs off Khan at a strike rate of 200, including two sixes. Khan might have stumped him at last, but not before Kohli dominated him.
Big Show’s all-round show
Glenn Maxwell had one of his finest days as an all-rounder in IPL. It started off with him taking a blinder at first slip, before coming on to bowl in the Powerplay and taking out the dangerous-looking Matthew Wade. Maxwell capped off with the kind of hitting that he usually does, finishing unbeaten on 40 off just 18 balls.
Maxwell has been mightily impressive in this year’s IPL with the ball and has had more impact with the ball than the bat. He has bowled 21 overs at an economy of just 7.05 RPO, picking up six wickets. For an off-spinner, he has been stunning in the Powerplays, where he has bowled nine overs at 6.22 RPO, with three wickets to his name. His spell of 2-1-2-1 in the Powerplay helped RCB put breaks on GT after Wriddhiman Saha got them off to a flier.
Pandya’s debatable bowling changes
The match saw strange captaincy tactics from Hardik Pandya as Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson both ended up not bowling more than two overs of their spells. After a good first over, Shami was expensive in his second, going for 18 runs. But he was never called back on to bowl another over. Ferguson didn’t come on to bowl till the 12th over and then didn’t bowl again till the penultimate over.
Kohli and du Plessis’ struggles against left-arm orthodox bowlers are now well-known. GT had Sai Kishore in their attack, who is a skilful left-arm orthodox bowler and a perfect matchup to counter the RCB openers. Despite that, Sai Kishore wasn’t given the ball in the Powerplay, in which RCB scored at 9.16 RPO.
GT might have had an off day, but they would not want to get complacent ahead of the all-important Qualifier 1. RCB did whatever they could from their side to stay in contention for the playoffs, but they still need MI to beat DC to finish in the top four positions.