IPL 2018: Match 45, DD vs RCB- Rating of the Match

From Delhi Daredevils’ (DD) point of view, the match didn’t hold any significance. Having already been eliminated, they played for nothing, but pride. However, the encounter undoubtedly mattered for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Virat Kohli’s men stood on the brink of elimination and another defeat would officially have ousted them from the tournament.

Prior to the encounter, a news broke out surrounding Kohli’s illness, which was speculated to have been a massive jolt for RCB. He has shouldered a chunk of the mantle of the team’s batting and his omission would have been good enough to not let them stay alive in the league. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case and he went out for the toss and the franchise’s supporters must have breathed a sigh of relief.

Pant weaves magic after Chahal carnage

He chose to field and it might have been prompted by the past records at the venue and the strength of the Delhi batting. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) effectively used Shakib Al Hasan to get rid of Jason Roy and Prithvi Shaw the other night. Virat employed a similar strategy and introduced Yuzvendra Chahal. The move paid dividends and he nipped out the same set of batsmen.

The pitch didn’t have any demons and Chahal’s scalps were attributed by some clever bowling by the tweaker. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer bailed their team out on numerous occasions. It wasn’t any different this time around. Though Iyer strained to find momentum, he had the composure to understand the situation and play accordingly.

He had the maturity to turn over the strike and bring Pant on strike as he was the man who was ripping apart the bowling. Pant, who was coming of a stupendous ton, trod the same route. His strokes weren’t a soother to the eyes, but they were effective and that’s what eventually mattered. In a partnership of 93 between the duo, Pant dominated, however, Iyer’s contribution had its own importance.

Abhishek and Lamicchane’s emergence

Abhishek Sharma came into the limelight in the Under-19 World Cup and he had to wait for eleven matches after which he got his opportunity. He wouldn’t have, had Delhi been in the contentions for the playoffs. He took charge when the home team were reeling from Pant and Iyer’s dismissal in quick succession. Nevertheless, he showed no nerves whatsoever and churned out the shots like a seasoned campaigner.

Sandeep Lamichhane’s selection was one of the talking points and he didn’t let the hype get the better of his nerves. He was difficult to decipher and turned out to be the most economical bowler for Delhi. He mostly resorted to the wrong’uns. He conceded 15 runs in his first three overs and bowled nine dot balls. He was commendable and had a lid on the scoring.

He completed his spell in the twelfth over following which AB de Villiers and Kohli took a liking to the DD bowlers. Though Amit Mishra managed to get rid of Kohli, the South African cricketer went on his own merry way and helped RCB over the winning line. Most importantly, the franchise kept their hopes of qualification alive, which still looks a daunting task.

Rating of the Match- 5