IPL 10, Match 34, RPS v RCB: 5 Game Changing Moments

The Royal Challengers Bangalore now are out of the race for the playoffs this season. Playing against the Rising Pune Supergiant at the MCA Stadium, Pune, the RCB camp had their survival at stake. However, the same story repeated for them that has been haunting them this season. A total batting collapse with no batsman barring Virat Kohli getting into double digits did not help their cause at all.

Coming to the game, it was Virat Kohli who won the toss for RCB and opted to bowl first. Samuel Badree got them the early breakthrough by getting rid of Ajinkya Rahane cheaply on 6. Rahul Tripathi and Steven Smith then put on a decent stand to lay the foundation of the RPS innings. When Tripathi departed on 37, Manoj Tiwary continued his good form and supported Smith with an unbeaten 44. Smith top scored for RPS with 45 to his name as they posted 157/3 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, RCB was never in the hunt. They kept losing wickets and save Kohli, no batsman got into the double digits. Lockie Ferguson and Imran Tahir were the pick of the bowlers with 5 wickets among themselves Ferguson returned with figures of 2/7 in his four overs and Tahir bagged 3/18 in his quota of overs. RCB finished with 96/9 in their 20 overs with Kohli being the lone ranger with 55 to his credit.

Here are the 5 game-changing moments of the match:

#1 Tripathi-Smith take the charge

The Rising Pune Supergiant lost their first wicket cheaply when Samuel Badree managed to send Ajinkya Rahane packing early on in the innings. Skipper Steve Smith walked into the field to join Rahul Tripathi at the crease. While Tripathi had been getting starts in the previous few games, Smith had not been firing as well as he was expected to. However, the two batsmen showed great character to build a decent start for the team.

Tripathi took the charge early on in the innings. He ensured that Smith did not have too much pressure to deal with and shouldered the bulk of the run-scoring responsibility. Tripathi and Smith added 40 runs for the second wicket before Tripathi was dismissed on 37 in the 9th over. His cameo came off 28 balls with 4 fours and a six to his name. Smith continued to rally along and scored 45 in his knock.

#2 Manoj Tiwary and MS Dhoni finish things off for RPS – again!

After Smith and Tripathi scored decent knocks, it was down to the same old finishing duo of Manoj Tiwary and MS Dhoni to finish things off for the Pune camp. Tiwary and Dhoni put on an unbeaten 49 run stand in 37 balls for the fourth wicket. Tiwary has emerged to be the unsung hero of the side and continued with his good run with the bat. Dhoni, who is a renowned finisher in his own might, played a good support role to Tiwary.

Tiwary was promoted to number 4 after having been batting at number 6 or 7 throughout the series. He got his time in the middle and made the most out of it. He remained unbeaten on 44 off 35 balls with four boundaries and a six to his name. On the other hand, MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 21 off 17 balls with a four and a six to his name.

#3 Kohli becomes the lone ranger

The batting woes of the RCB outfit do not seem to end at all. Another poor batting show by the Royal Challengers saw their skipper Virat Kohli left embarrassed at the field. Kohli kept the scorecard ticking as he saw batsmen tumble from the other end. He ensured that the team did not face the same heat that they did a couple of matches ago against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

He perished towards the fag end of the run chase after scoring a lone ranging 55 that came off 48 balls with 4 fours and a six to his name. He was the only batsman in the lineup who got into the double digits and that explains the overdependence of the team on their skipper.

#4 A tale of single digits

Had there not been a 55 at the top order from skipper Virat Kohli, one could have easily seen another low score in the match registered by the batting heavy Royal Challengers Bangalore. They had recently bundled out for 49 in one of the fixtures with all batsmen going down for a single digit score.

The story seemed to have continued in this particular match as well as 10 out of the 11 players got a single digit score. The only saving grace for them in the match was the fact that they did not get bundled out in this particular match and were 9 down by the end of their stipulated 20 overs.

#5 Multiple dot balls creates the pressure

The RCB batting could have taken off at any stage knowing that Virat Kohli was at the crease for a major part of the innings. However, it was some spectacular bowling on the day that accounted for the downfall of the Kohli-led men in red and black. Lockie Ferguson and Imran Tahir were the wreckers-in-chief on the day for the Rising Pune Supergiant.

Ferguson was playing his second IPL game and ended with 17 dot balls to his name in his quota of 4 overs. He picked up 2 wickets and gave away only 7 runs in those overs. On the other hand, Imran Tahir brought all his experience to good use by returning with figures of 3/18 in his allotted 4 overs on the day.