IPL 2021: Match 16 - RCB vs RR - Who Said What

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) continue their merry run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. They thumped the Rajasthan Royals in match 16 by 10 wickets to reclaim the top position from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the points table. Devdutt Padikkal was the star of the day for them as he slammed a sensational century to lead the team in the chase.

Earlier in the day, Virat Kohli had no hesitation in opting to bowl first after winning the toss. His bowlers, especially Mohammed Siraj, stood out early as they reduced the opposition to 18/3 in no time. Sanju Samson sparkled for some time but Washington Sundar cut short his stay to reduce them further to 43/4. However, Shivam Dube was in the mood on the day as he plundered 46 off 32 balls.

Riyan Parag also did well scoring 25 runs but Rahul Tewatia was the one who got RR close to 180. He scored 40 runs off 23 balls as the Royals posted a challenging total of 177 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. Siraj was the star with the ball returning with 3/27.

The chase was a straightforward one for the RCB as their openers played chanceless knocks. Padikkal was in sublime touch from the word go while Virat Kohli did well to play the second fiddle. As the chase progressed even the RCB skipper got into his groove as the duo played some gorgeous shots. It was a comfortable win for them as they got home in 16.3 overs itself to make it four consecutive wins for RCB.

Man of the Match, Devdutt Padikkal said:

It’s been special. I could only wait my turn. When I was down with COVID, all I was thinking of was to come here and play the first match here. I couldn’t do that but was keen to contribute to the team’s win.

The wicket was coming on really well and we got a good start. When you get into a partnership like that, it helps as runs come from both ends.

(Whether he was worried about the 100) Not really, that’s what I was telling Virat to go for it. For me it’s not about getting to a hundred, I wouldn’t mind missing out on hundreds as long as I contribute to team’s wins.

Throughout the innings there were times when he was going better and then I was going better. Rotation of strike is important. We just clicked well.

RCB skipper Virat Kohli said:

 It was an outstanding innings. He batted really well for his first season last time. There was a lot of talk about him not accelerating after getting to 30s. He’s put all that to rest. It was a good pitch to bat on to be honest, and him being tall meant that bowlers struggled with their lengths.

T20 cricket is always about partnership cricket. You can’t always go big from the word go. When one guy is going well, it’s important for me to ensure that I don’t lose my wicket. It can change on other days.

We spoke about it (on the 100). He told me to finish it off, I told him to get to it first. He said many will come, I said yea you can say that after you get to the landmark. He deserved to get the three-figure mark.

We don’t have standout names (in bowling) but we have effective ones. We have depth in our bowling. They are professionals. We have taken the most wickets in the death overs this season so far and it’s something we take pride in.

Dev’s innings was a great one but I’d also like to credit the bowlers for setting it up. (to the fans) I’d say don’t be overexcited. We’re being professional. We’re moving in the right direction.

RR skipper Sanju Samson said:

They batted really well. We did well to get that score on the board after the early wickets. We need to go back and do some homework. We need to be honest with ourselves and come back better. Need time to look into what went wrong and understand, I am sure we will comeback well. This game… It puts you down but you need to find a way and come out better.