IPL 10, Match 56, DD v RCB – 5 Game Changing Moments

The final game of the round-robin league held at Firoz Shah Kotla, Delhi saw two teams at the bottom half of the table, i.e., Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore clash against each other to salvage some pride out of the tournament. Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle stole the show with their partnership as Kohli brought up yet another half-century in T20s.

Yet again, the middle ordered failed to capitalise on the start provided by them as the RCB crawled towards a total of 161. One would have thought the home team would chase the total down yet again with the kind of arsenal they have in the side. Apart from Iyer and Pant, no batsman showed a fight to remain at the crease as their side bundled out in their quota of 20 overs. In the end, RCB won the match comfortably by a margin of 10 runs, Harshal Patel was adjudged as the man of the match. Here are some of the game-changing moments in the game.

1. Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle epic partnership

If there is any iconic partnership in the IPL over the years, it has to be that of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle. The duo has as many as 5-century stands in all the seasons and one of the major reasons for RCB not firing is the lukewarm season for the duo. After losing the early wicket of Vishnu Vinod, the old warhorses for the Bangalore side stood up yet again with their vital stand of 66 runs which brought some sort of stability into the innings.

2. Gayle and Kohli dismissal

Gayle and Kohli were all set to finish off the dismal season of RCB on a high as both of them looked in a silky touch. One shot from Virat Kohli over extra covers left everyone in awe as it was nothing but a defensive push which sailed over the rope for 70 meters.

However, it all changed withing minutes as both Gayle and Kohli perished shortly and left their innings in the doldrums. Gayle missed out on a half-century as he scored a brisk 48 while the skipper ended up with vital 48-ball 56, just when he was beginning to accelerate. The two wickets easily saved another 50-60 runs as far as the Daredevils are concerned.

3. RCB middle order running themselves out

After the wicket of Gayle and Kohli much was expected out of their finishers lower down the order by the names of Travis Head and Kedar Jadhav. But both Head and Jadhav perished as they ran themselves out in order to gain few extra runs. This meant that from the score of 96/1 in the 14th over, RCB were reduced to 131/5 with the wicket of Jadhav. Thanks to some lusty blows from Sachin Baby and Pawan Negi, RCB managed to reach a competitive total of 161.

4. Harshal Patel’s back to back wickets

The match was brilliantly poised as Daredevils were cruising along with 87 on the board for the loss of only two wickets. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were making merry of the start provided by Karun Nair. However, the two back to back wickets from Patel changed the course of the game as Shreyas Iyer lobbed one to Watson. Marlon Samuels was dismissed for a golden duck as the pacer completely bamboozled him with a slower one.

5. Pant’s wicket/ Negi’s spell

For the nth time in the season, Rishabh Pant was left stranded at one end and Daredevils kept on losing wickets at the other. He scored yet another innings full of splendid boundaries with his knock of 45 off just 34 deliveries. He scored three boundaries and a couple of maximums in the process. As long as he was there at the crease, the hopes of Delhi were still alive.

However, Harshal Patel cleaned him up with yet another brilliant deliveries. Pawan Negi enjoyed the spoils as he cleaned up the tail by picking up 3 wickets in his 2 overs.